Tag: minivan news

MNDF searching for army deserters

An undeclared number of servicemen have deserted the armed forces and are subject to penalty according to the Armed Forces Act. The servicemen are currently being searched for by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).

The search is being considered a special operation under the Armed Forces Act, reports Haveeru.

The decision to take action against servicemen who leave service without permission or warning was made last year by the Defence Ministry, which cited the Armed Forces Act as point of reference.

Article 32(b) states that a serviceman is deemed absent without leave where he fails to report for work for 14 days without authorisation, or where he fails to report to work or objects to report to work where an order is given in accordance with the Act by a superior in an emergency.

The act outlines penalties including arrest of various duration, fines, termination of service, institutional proceedings, and others outlined in subsequent regulations.


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Stigma against female employment in resorts confused, workers say

The stigma against female employment in resorts presents challenges for reducing the 32 percent unemployment rate, over two-thirds of which is accounted for by women.

Sources familiar with the issue, however, claim that the stigma is “fueled by misinformation and fear”.

A recent report from Sweden’s Lund University claimed that community perceptions of resort life as ‘western’ and offensive to Islam are giving the industry a negative reputation, and are preventing women from pursuing employment in the Maldives’ most lucrative sector.

Ima* recently spoke to Minivan News about her employment in the resort sector. She was one of the first Maldivian females to be hired at a resort ten years ago, and previously lived on a local island.

“It’s very much like a family,” she said. “I know of hardly any issues with harassment from guys, people look out for each other.”

By contrast, several women working in Male’ told Minivan News that they often face sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace. One source said there is no support against such treatment.

According to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Eva Abdulla, “I don’t know if we have made it comfortable for women to talk to each other here.”

The thesis, “Women in Tourism: Challenges of Including Women in the Maldivian Resort Sector” was prepared by Eva Alm and Susanna Johansson during their five-month stay in the Maldives in 2010. Their findings identify “culture, religion, and women’s role in the family, the role of the family, safety, geographical spread, transportation, education and awareness” as obstacles to female employment in resorts.

Parents play a significant role in a woman’s professional future. “In the Maldives, in our religion, we are not allowed to drink or be with just any guys and things like that. So our parents are scared about that,” said one young woman quoted in the thesis.

According to the thesis, resorts are widely believed to be threatening to traditional Muslim values. At the same time, growing religious fundamentalism is projected to prevent women from participating in the local economy.

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Rozaina Adam said a rise in fundamentalism would be an economic setback: “Instead of working, women will be lying around. That is not constructive for a growing economy and country.”

Tourism directly accounts for 30 percent of the Maldives’ GDP, and for 70 percent indirectly. Maldivian women account for a mere three percent of resort employees.

Ima said most community anxiety is due to a lack of information.

“When I go home and tell people that I work at a resort, their first perception is that I must be a good cook. But you know, they also don’t have a good idea of what my job title means. And I think that that’s a big reason behind the misperceptions in many Maldivian island communities. Many people have never been to a resort, if there was more interaction then they would understand what the resort lifestyle is. As it is, most just can’t relate to the kind of work we do here.”

One resort manager quoted in the thesis said awareness is a major challenge to promoting female employment. “Convincing the parents is difficult. They are very possessive of the girls. The parent’s perception is that they will mix with the European culture and do bad things such as drinking alcohol.”

The Maldives has one of the world’s highest divorce rates, and girls often drop out of school and get married in their late teens. Aspiration rates among youth ages 17 to 25 were recently calculated at six percent.

These statistics do not refer to the resort community.

Ima says resort life has significant benefits. “For local islanders, it can be an easy transition to resort life. Many people leave home to live or work in Male’. I think that that’s much more dangerous than working at a resort. At a resort, the lifestyle is much healthier, safer, and there is more opportunity to save.”

A source familiar with the issue told Minivan News that saving is not common for Maldivian women. She gave the example of a cleaning lady who was proud that her daughter gave her entire salary as a family contribution. “I know you want to respect your family, but how can a woman save up for herself? What option does she have for herself?” she said.

The Maldives was recently criticised for lagging behind other countries in gender equality, as defined by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At the UNDP’s Democracy Day ceremony earlier this month, advisor Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen warned that with only half of the Maldives’ work force engaged in the economy, “growth would not flourish.”

Several resorts have tried to accommodate social preferences by outsourcing tasks to local islands and providing daily transportation so Maldivian women do not have to live away from home.

Ima said that at the end of the day, success depends on the individual’s self confidence.

“The way you perceive colleagues and portray yourself matters for anybody, male or female. It’s about how you value yourself and the beliefs you hold. If you can stick to that, and show people who you are and how to respect you, then you can succeed,” she said.

*Name changed on request

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School exams bumped up for O-level schedule

Final examinations will be held earlier than planned at most secondary schools in capital Male, in order to avoid complications with O-level scheduling.

The Education Ministry issued the change after receiving requests from schools, and extended the new schedule to some atoll schools, reports Haveeru.

O-level examinations will being on October 16 this year, and will be held until mid-November. Some eighth- and ninth- year exams will coincide with the O-levels, Haveeru reports.

Requests to close school for the four days after the Eid holidays were not honored by the ministry.

Schools will resume their studies on November 10 but will again close on November 11 for three days to mark the Republic Day.



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First sound quality workshop held for local musicians

It was an unusual scene. Some of the most popular musicians, DJ and audio artists mingled with amateur musicians doing a rhythm exercise.

The stomping of foot and sound of clapping hands were punctuated only by the sound of kass kass, a versatile rattle that originated in West Africa, used as a form of percussive expression, played by French musician Johann Berby who led the exercise.

At his prompting the rhythm changes again. Berby along with Theo Croix is conducting a sound workshop in conjunction with Alliance Française and Island Music.

Once the exercise is over all the participants sit back for what seems like music lesson interposed with life lessons.

“If you feel the rhythm its easy to play, you are the instrument,” says Berby. Strumming his guitar to emphasis his point, Johann says one can speak with ones instrument “music is a mirror of what you are, you can even impart good energy to a sick person by playing for him.”

Before calling on a participant to play the drum, while Croix played violin and he took up the bass guitar, he says “Play for everyone, share your music and knowledge.”

Making better sound

It is Berby’s concept of sharing musical knowledge that proved to be a catalyst for the first ever-sound workshop to be held in the Maldives.

The workshop of three days started on September 19 with 80 participants, and is aimed at improving the sound quality of music in Maldives.

“After performing in Maldives last year with the famous Cameroonian singer Blick Blassy, Berby proposed to us to hold a sound workshop here,” says Pauline, the directrice of Alliance Française Male’ (AFM).

Berby a talented bassist who tours with different musicians, followed up on his offer by sending a proposal, and offering to do the workshop for free. Seeing there was a need for such a workshop AFM organized it.

“Lets just say getting the sound right was difficult,” says Berby of his live performance with Blick Blassy last year in Artificial Beach. According to him good musicians can make the music sound better if the sound base is good.

A sentiment echoed by Island Music. “We had been thinking for a long time of holding a sound workshop, and this initiative by Johann and AFM came at the right time for us,” says Azmi Jaleel, Chief Operating Officer of Island Music (IM).

As a company that also has a sound reinforcement arm in addition to being distributors of music instruments in Maldives, IM had faced difficulties with live shows.

“It is difficult doing sound for a live show, when musicians also lack basic knowledge about it. We also have learnt lot of things from the workshop as has the musicians which will definitely improve this industry.”

Lack of guidance

Fathimath Fezleen, owner, singer and bassist of Detune band, says the workshop “had filled a void in the industry.”

The band, a regular performer at upmarket resorts, lacked a guiding figure on sound says Fezleen. “We don’t know the right path in making sounds as we don’t have someone telling us. This workshop has given us crucial knowledge.”

Recognising the need for such a workshop, Detune part-sponsored the workshop along with Lintel, Bandos, Mookai, Bowers & Wilkings and Beamon.

Both Fezleen and Jaleel pointed out that the workshop also allowed musicians to mingle on an even platform.

“It’s a very diverse group here, apart from musicians we also have people from TV and radio stations, and also individual producers and enthusiasts of music,” says Jaleel.

One such individual is rising hip-hop music producer Mohamed Yasif (Yes E). Despite having produced two local hit video songs, ‘Parteys’ and the catchy number ‘Reethi Kudhin,’ Yasif acutely feels the need to learn more.

“I learn via Internet, buy music courses off it and follow them.” However he laments that these courses allow for very little practical knowhow.

“We, the new producers on the scene, have no one to turn to for questions.” Yasif says even if he pays studios to record, he still faces difficulties. “We have to do our own mixing and such, hence need more knowledge.”

Yasif says this workshop would make him a better producer and his next production will rectify the mistakes he made in the past. “Even if our songs are a big hit here, if you hold up against international music scene it will fall short, as we lack technical know-how.”

In the absence of good music schools, workshops like this are a lifesaver according to Yasif.

Unique and better

Croix, a violinist and sound engineer says he found the participants very receptive. “There were lots of questions they most probably had no one to ask before.”

The workshop had both physical and theory lessons, and included aspects on how to make sound better in live shows and in studios.

Berby is all praises for Maldivian music veteran Faidh, who was the focal point in organizing the workshop. “We asked Faidh to teach in the workshop with us, but he declined.”

Berby hopes to come back and conduct more workshops, amid plans to hold them in other Asian and African countries that do not have music schools.

“Next time I would like to do a workshop, on music of different continents.” He advises Maldivian musicians to dip into their culture and roots for inspiration, to make unique music.

Amid a debate between participants and Croix on how good MP3 songs could sound, Jaleel says IM also believes this is the start of many more workshops.

“Next we will do a more detailed workshop instead of a general one.”

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Fewer expatriate detainments post-visa reform

Fewer expatriates have been detained for unpaid visa fees before leaving the country since Immigration Control adapted its policy to “international standard procedure,” Immigration Controller Abdulla Shahid has said.

Previously, expatriate workers have been allowed to leave the Maldives without paying outstanding visa fees, Haveeru reports. The policy allegedly cost the Maldivian government Rf 120 million (US$7.8 million) last year.

Shahid told Haveeru that the Maldives’ former policy allowing expatriate workers to leave with outstanding visa fees was a rare case within the international community.

Immigration recently required recruitment agencies to pay visa fees for expatriate workers for a minimum of three months in a lump sum.

Shahid said that fees are non-refundable if a worker does not stay for a visa’s entire duration.

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Employment tribunal orders GMR to reinstate 18 baggage handlers

Eighteen Maldivian GMR employees will be reinstated as permanent baggage handlers at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport and given seven months back pay in a lump sum, the Employment Tribunal has ruled.

The Tribunal found last week that the employees’ temporary contracts, which were terminated in May, had violated rights and benefits conferred upon employees by the Employment Act.

The ruling states the contracts violated company policy, which identified baggage handling as a permanent position but for which workers were only issued temporary contracts.

“The employees were technically working in a permanent position, although they worked under a temporary contract. The Employment Act article 4[a] states that there shall be no differentiation in salaries of employees working in the same level,” said the Tribunal’s ruling.

The Maldives’ Employment Act does not state that temporary contracts themselves are invalid, as was reported by local media. The Act defines a “temporary employee” as someone “working on a day to day basis with no prospect of being made permanent employees.”

The contracts, which were issued by the airport’s former operator Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), were found to violate provisions of the Employment Act.

“The contracts had been issued on a three month basis by [Maldives Airports Company Limited] before GMR took them over,” said a Labor Relations Authority officer. “The Labor Relations Authority found that they did not provide for annual leave or for a Ramazan allowance,” he said.

According to the officer, GMR had been asked to update its temporary contracts in accordance with the Employment Act after employees filed a complaint in January. The contracts were updated as requested, and upon their expiration in May the employees were dismissed and a baggage handling company was hired.

Employment Tribunal Registrar Alia Haneef could not say if GMR’s hiring of a baggage handling company was against any regulation. However, “the previous contracts were invalid,” she said. “Section 13 states that employees who have been working under any form of contract for a total of two years or more are entitled to permanent contracts.”

The employees originally asked the tribunal to order GMR to reimburse them the money they would have received as permanent employees, however the report states that the tribunal was unable to rule on cases older than three months.

The tribunal concluded that GMR was to pay the value of seven months’ salaries and allowances within seven days and to consider the terminated employees as permanently contracted employees.

The case was filed at the tribunal on 27 April, although the order to pay back seven months’ worth of salaries and allowances refers to a start date of January 26. The tribunal’s reports claims this adjustment compensates for the first three months of the case on which it is unable to pass ruling, due to time elapsed.

A GMR spokesperson said the company had not been officially informed of the outcome by the Employment Tribunal and was unable to comment on the matter.

Correction: Previously, the article stated that “the Tribunal found that [the contracts] did not provide for annual leave or a Ramazan allowance.”

It should have stated that, “the Labor Relations Authority found that [the contracts] did not provide for annual leave or a Ramazan allowance.”

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Maldives signs global shark protection plan

The Maldives has joined seven countries in launching the latest initiative in the global shark conservation effort. The initiative protects 2.7 million square kilometers of ocean waters worldwide from commercial fishing.

Over 73 million sharks are killed each year in the global fin trade. Reports say more are killed as bycatch in fishing operations involving larger species, such as tuna and swordfish.

Efforts to create sanctuaries are spearheaded by the Global Shark Conservation for the Pew Environmental Group based in Washington, D. C.

“Our ocean’s health depends on sharks,” said Palauan President Johnson Toribiong. “I am delighted that more countries are pledging to play an active role in ensuring these creatures’ survival, not just in our lifetime but for future generations as well.”

If successful, the declaration would protect 6 million additional square kilometers of ocean area from commercial fishing.
Other signatories were Bahamas, Colombia, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, and Palau.

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GST open for public discussion

Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has made its upcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) regulation available for public opinion.

The regulation goes into effect on October 2. It will open for public opinion on the MIRA website until Wednesday evening, Haveeru reports.

The regulation was made according to suggestions from the business community, and includes procedures on levying the goods and services tax.

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Findings in Huraa drowning investigation revealed to families

The Education Ministry has shared the results of its investigation into the drowning accident in Kaafu atoll Huraa with families of the deceased. The accident left four students and a principal of Hiriya School dead earlier this month.

Details of the investigation have not been released to the public.

The Ministry did issue a statement recommending schools amend their budgets to accommodate a program which would establish safety measures, implement precautionary measures at campsites jointly with relevant authorities, and familiarise management officials and employees with these measures by the end of the year, Haveeru reports.

Police are continuing their investigation of the incident. Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said investigators are taking care to respect families and friends involved.

“The police are doing a very detailed investigation, and we are respecting the victims’ families, students, teachers and classmates. We have to give them time to recover, so we are not forcing them to participate more than they are willing to at this time,” said Shiyam.

Shiyam said evidence from the site of the incident and nearby Huraa island has been gathered and is being processed. He said the investigation will be done as soon as possible.

Minister Shifa Mohamed, School Board Chairperson, Deputy Education Minister Dr Abdulla Nazeer and Dr Abdul Muhsin Mohamed, who chaired the committee tasked to investigate the accident, also met with the families of the deceased, reports Haveeru. Education Minister Abdullah Nazeer assured the families that the recommended measures would be implemented.

The Education Ministry had not responded to inquiries at time of press.

Nashath Saeed of Meenaz/Gaaf Alif atoll Dhehvadhoo, Mariyam Naaz of Suvaasaage/Haa Alif atoll Hoarafushi, Aishath Shaaniha of Handhuvary Villa/Raa atoll Rasmaadhoo and Mariyam Shaiha of Maafannu Moisha and Principal Ali Nazim drowned during a Fisheries Science field trip to the campsite in Huraa.

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