Tag: maldives

Filadhoo councilor files suit for unfair dismissal after blowing whistle on bestiality

Head of Filadhoo Council in Haa Alif Atoll Mohamed Vijan, who was recently dismissed, has filed a lawsuit against the island council claiming that his dismissal was unlawful.

He told the media that the no-confidence vote taken against him was not conducted accordingly to the law.

The council forwarded a no-c0nfidence motion against Vijan after he told local media some islanders were committing bestiality with goats and that the owner of the goats had complained to the council.

The council dismissed his allegations as an attempt to give the island a bad reputation and filed the no-confidence vote.

The day after media reported on the issue, the goats were found killed.

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MP Sameer takes MDP parliamentary group leader role: Haveeru

MP Ahmed Sameer will succeed ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik as the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) parliamentary group leader, according to local media reports.

Haveeru has said that Sameer, who serves as the MP for Dhidhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll, was appointed to the position yesterday, despite earlier reports that an election was to be held for the post on Wednesday June 22.

The position of MDP parliamentary group leader was left vacant after Moosa Manik was appointed to serve as the party’s acting chairperson during a national council meeting held at Bandos Island Resort over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the MDP was unavailable for comment on the news of Sameer’s appointment at the time of going to press.

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Quarter of all parliament sittings disrupted, report finds

A quarter of all parliamentary sittings last year were terminated due to disruption, a report into the legislature’s performance last year by Transparency Maldives (TM) has found.

The Parliament Watch report, produced with UNDP support, draws on attendance and voting data obtained from the parliament secretariat.

Attendance data shows that shows that 22 MPs were absent for 35 sittings of parliament – more than a third of the total number held.

In addition to the four months of recess, 13 MPs took casual leave for 58 days – almost two months – while 20 MPs took 38 days leave. Only seven of the 77 MPs attended all sittings of parliament.

Notable absentees included Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Mohamed, who was absent for 52 consectutive votes, and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Nazim Rashaad, who missed blocks of 34 and 19 consecutive votes with only several days in between.

Independent MP Ahmed Shiyam Mohamed was among those who attended the least number of votes, and was absent for 84.

The report’s “highlights” of the first session of parliament included the dismissal of the Auditor General (and failure to approve a replacement for over a year), and the provision of Rf 2 million in media subsidies to the two wealthiest opposition-supporting private broadcasters, one of which is owned by a sitting MP.

Performance evaluation

The report also interviewed 15 MPs from a spread of parties and seven professionals from the media, civil society and legal sectors in an attempt to evaluate parliament’s performance.

It found that the strongest perceived aspect of parliament was the relative freedom MPs had “to express their opinions freely, without executive and legal interference,” although interviewees noted significant under-representation of women.

Parliament’s oversight of the executive was also highlighted for its autonomy over the government and scrutiny of appointments to executive posts, although the effectiveness of committees scored poorly.

The weakest area of parliament, TM found, was accountability, particularly the public acceptability of the procedure whereby members determined their salaries.

This was highlighted in one of parliament’s first votes of the June session, in which MPs voted against a motion to cut a controversial Rf20,000 in committee allowances – an effective 33 percent salary increase that sees Maldivian MPs earning on par with those in Sweden. A quarter of the chamber was absent during the vote.

The report highlighted oversight of party and candidate funding, procedures for preventing financial conflicts of interest, and reporting back to constituents as particular areas of weakness.

Based on its findings and interviews conducted, the report makes a number of recommendations. These include:

  • Fulfilling parliament’s constitutional obligation to publicise financial and other interests of MPs submitted to parliament. The report noted that the disclosure of such interests “should extend to the MP’s immediate children, spouse and parents”;
  • Prioritising bills of national interest, as bills vital to the state and preservation of justice, such as the evidence bill, right to information bill, political parties bill, penal code bill and drugs bill “remain stagnated at committee stage”;
  • Incentivising MPs to consult their constituencies, as despite allowances paid for such, “few MPs – if any – operate offices”;
  • Assessing the financial and governance impact of bills before they were passed, as bills such as the Public Finance Act and Decentralisation Act contained conflicting clauses;
  • Increasing the participation of women in parliament so as to ensure a balanced gender perspective;
  • Developing the infrastructure and human resource capacity of the secretariat, both of which were insufficient, as were the quality of documentation produced and its accessibility.~

Read the full Parliament Watch report

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Parliament rejects Strike Act

The parliament has voted to reject the Strike Act presented by Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed, which significantly narrowed the right to strike.

The bill – heavily weighted in favour of employers – was recently sent to the National Security Committee which recommended it be rejected and presented again after major amendments.

Out of 72 MPs present 67 voted in favor of rejecting the bill, while three MPs voted in support of the controversial bill. One MP did not vote on either side.

Jumhoree Party (JP) MP and resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan voted in favour of the Strike Act – as surprisingly, did Ahmed Easa, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP and former President of the Tourism Employment Association of Maldives (TEAM), which was at the forefront of campaigning against it.

Easa was not responding to calls at time of press, however Vice President of TEAM Mauroof Zakir suggested that “maybe [Easa] knew it would be rejected. Maybe it was a political thing, or a deal with Gasim.”

The Strike Act as proposed by the DQP bans employees from conducting a strike without obtaining a written document from the employer permitting the strike if it is to be conducted on the work site.

The Act permits employers to discontinue providing food and accommodation to any employee that continues a strike for more than 12 hours – most resorts provide food and accommodation to workers – and gives employers the authority to order strikers off the property (or the island) if the strike continues for more than 24 hours.

Strikes would furthermore be conducted during a time between 6:00am and 8:00pm, according to the act, employers had the right to be notified about any planned strikes 48 hours prior to commencement.

The bill also gives employers the right to cut salaries and allowances for the duration of time the employees have not worked, and the right to dismiss the staff for striking. It also gives employers the right to obtain a court warrant to stop an unlawful strike.

Speaking on the bill during the parliament sitting, MDP MP Mohamed Musthafa said he was grateful for the recommendation made by the committee to reject the bill.

He added that it was a constitutional right to strike and that there were more sophisticated policies used in other countries to manage strikes and to solve such disputes. He called on MPs to research these policies before presenting such bills.

Despite voting in favour of the Strike Act, Nihan told the chamber it was a constitutional right to strike and express opinions, and that people should be able to exercise this right whenever they wanted to.

Gasim argued that he saw no reason why parliament should reject the bill, which he claimed would benefit the society and and the economy.

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Abandoned baby discovered inside garage in Thinadhoo

An islander on Thinadhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll today discovered an abandoned newborn baby inside a garage this morning.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed the incident occurred and said the police were currently trying to trace the baby’s mother.

‘’It was a male baby and he was in a good condition when found,’’ Shiyam said. ‘’So far no arrests have been made.’’

Shiyam said the investigation was still on going and details would be revealed later.

Local media reported that the baby was admitted to Thinadhoo hospital and that an anonymous woman had phoned the hospital and claimed the baby.

However, later there was no sign of her and the authorities have not yet revealed if she has been found or if the caller was traced.

On May 5 a dead infant was found in a plastic bag in the swimming track area of Male’. A medical examination later concluded that the baby had sustained cuts, bruises and other wounds.

On May 21, the corpse of a premature baby boy was discovered inside a Coast Milk tin on the island of Villingli.

Police Sub-Inspector Shiyam at the time told told Minivan News that the dead child, believed by forensic examiners to have been born three months premature, was discovered in a discarded container near the power house area of the island.

On May 22, the body of a newborn baby boy discovered in a park in Hulhumale’ was found with underwear tied tightly around his neck.

Spokesperson for Hulhumale’ Hospital Dr Ahmed Ashraf said the baby may have died from asphyxiation.

‘’When the baby was found the knot was a bit loose, but the marks on its neck shows that it was tied tightly around the neck,’’ Dr Ashraf said, regarding that incident.

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IFM organising ”greatest enemy” sermon

The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) has said it is organising a lecture by Sheikh Ibrahim Fareed Ahmed at Artificial Beach, entitled the ‘Greatest Enemy’.

The sermon will be delivered on Friday July 8 at 8:45pm, the IFM said.

”IFM activists have begun working on  the lecture and activities are underway to prepare the advertisement banners. A total of 47 banners will be put up at different locations in Malѐ, Villimalѐ and Hulhumalѐ,” said the IFM.

”More activities are expected to commence on the return of Ibrahim Fauzee, the organisation’s president who is currently in Malaysia participating in the International Da’wah Training Programme.”

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MDP MP presents resolution demanding investigation into blackmarket sale of oil to Burma

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa today presented a resolution to the parliament demanding the investigation of Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and his half-brother Abdulla Yameen, for allegedly buying subsidied oil from OPEC and selling it on the international blackmarket to Burma.

The previously-aired allegations date from Yameen’s time as Trade Minister and head of State Trading Organisation (STO). Yameen is now an MP and leader of the opposition-aligned People’s Alliance (PA) party, and has insisted that any such trading was legal and that allegations of impropriety were politically-motivated.

In the motion, Musthafa claimed that Chief National Correspondent of CNN-IBN Sumon Chakrabarti had outlined how the fraud was conducted to local media, and provided evidence.

His resolution requests an investigation into what it describes as “the biggest corruption case in the history of the Maldives”.

Issues relating to the Singapore-based joint venture that allegedly carried out the deal, Mocom Trading Pvt Ltd, which was used established to carry out this fraud, were first raised by audit firm KPMG, Musthafa noted in the resolution.

The resolution states that later in 2004, audit firm Price Water House Coopers also audited the STO.

“This year the government handed the auditing to [forensic accountancy firm] Grant Thornton which found that the two audit reports contained legitimate concerns in their reports,’’ the resolution said.

If passed, the resolution would oblige parliament to investigate the matter. It states that it is the legal duty of the parliament to look in to that matter as the allegations concern commercial crime as high-level corruption.

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan said he fully supported such an investigation as it would “reveal the truth of it to the people.”

‘’There have been so many accusations against Gayoom and so far none of them have been proven,’’ Nihan said. ‘’This government has already spent US$2 million on bribing the journalist Chakrabarti and investigating the matter using other methods,” he alleged.

Nihan said Musthafa was “the black sheep” of the MDP Parliamentary Group, and accused the party of “often using him to present such resolutions and bills.”

‘’He always tell us outside the parliament that his policy is ‘no money, no talk,’’ he said. ‘’He must have been given some amount of money and if someone else gave more he will withdraw it, that is how he works.’’

Nihan said that similar allegations had been made by the current Home Minister Hassan Afeef that Gayoom took US $80 million dollars in tsunami aid given by the Qatari government.

‘’The court found Afeef guilty of defamation,’’ Nihan said. ‘’There are many such accusations against Gayoom.’’

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Taxation debate begins in parliament

Parliamentary debate on the government’s economic reform package began today with preliminary debate on legislation to introduce a five percent General Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The International Monetary Fund (IMF)-sanctioned economic reform package also includes bills on business profit tax and income tax as well as amendments to the Tax Administration Act and the Import-Export Act.

Introducing the draft legislation, MP Mohamed Aslam of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) explained that the government’s aim was to replace the current indirect tax in the form of import duties with direct taxes.

“When this bill becomes law and the government stops depending on import duties for income, the main benefit would be that businesses would not have to pay a tax before selling their goods,” he said. “As a result, businesses will expand, there will be increased cash flow for investment and business confidence will be strengthened.”

Once direct taxation was in place, Aslam continued, import duties would be reduced or eliminated on January 1, 2012 concurrently with a hike in the Tourism Goods and Service Tax (TGST) introduced this year from 3.5 per cent to 6 per cent.

Moreover, the government plans to raise the TGST to 10 per cent in 2013 and abolish the current bed tax of US$8 per tourist in the same year.

If the legislation is enacted, said Aslam, tax revenue in 2012 is estimated to be Rf3.2 billion (US$249 million) and Rf4.9 billion (US$381.3 million) in 2013.

The “fundamental purpose” of taxation was equitable distribution of wealth and reducing income disparity, Aslam said: “This is how it’s done in civilised societies. Without taxation, we cannot bring development and prosperity for the people.”

Opposition

“I believe that while taxation is important, the dates for introducing taxes as well as the tax rates should not be determined before properly studying the effects on the whole economy,” said Dr Abdulla Mausoom of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

As a result of inconsistency and “sudden changes to the government’s economic policy,” Mausoom claimed that investors had lost confidence in the Maldivian economy.

While welcoming the elimination of import duties, the DRP MP for Kelaa urged the government to protect the local agriculture industry from foreign competition.

Mausoom also called on the government to revise government working hours to allow civil servants to complement their incomes with part-time jobs, arguing that civil servants deserved a 20 percent pay rise in light of the decision to float the exchange rate within a 20 percent band.

Mausoom further claimed that the main source of “wastage” in the budget was expenditure on political appointees.

“The government should not waste tax revenue needlessly,” he said. “There was a time when the King took taxes from merchants, impoverished the people, and used it for revelry. That time is past.”

“At a time when the gap between rich and poor is widening, I don’t believe at all that this is the best time, the perfect time, the ripe time to take taxes,” said DRP MP Ali Azim, adding that “such an important step must only be taken after proper research and study.”

Azim however conceded that taxation was necessary for the government to provide public goods and services, but repeatedly insisted that the time was not right.

“I am reminded of the Jewish way of doing things,” he said. “That is, further impoverishing those who are already poor. Forcing citizens to beg and telling them, if you sign this [membership] form, you’ll get things done.”

Azim added that citizens should not have to pay taxes even if the bill was passed, claiming that the government continued to disregard laws passed by parliament if it did not suit the current administration.

DRP MP for Vaikaradhoo Ali Arif argued that the public would be adversely affected if a number of different taxes were introduced all at once.

“We are now taking seven per cent from every worker as a contribution to our pensions,” he explained. “We are saying do this gradually. When you take everything at once, the Maldivian citizen is going to fall down.”

Maafanu West MP Abdulla Abdul Raheem, who defected from DRP claiming that “a few tycoons” were opposing taxation, meanwhile underscored the need for sustainable sources of revenue by pointing out that the state was in debt to the tune of Rf18 billion (US$1.4 million) because of deficit financing through loans.

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