Tag: parliament

Certain parliamentary committees trying to discredit police: Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has claimed “certain” parliamentary select committees are purposefully attempting to discredit the police institution and tarnish its public image.

Riyaz made the remarks during a ceremony today to open a police station on Fenfushi in Alifu Atoll.

The commissioner said that some parliament members were attempting to harass specific police officers of different ranks in the name of “holding the police accountable”. He further said that such practices are not accepted in modern democratic states.

“Some parliamentary committees are very clearly trying to discredit the [police] institution. That is not something I will accept,” he said.

Riyaz said it was the parliament’s ‘241 Committee’ to which the police should be accountable.

“The constitution clearly states that the police should be accountable to parliament’s ‘241 committee’.  I have discussed this with several legal practitioners. They also say that police should be accountable to the said committee. Last week, we have requested advice from the attorney general on this issue,” he said.

Riyaz’s comments come at a time where Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee (EOC) – which has an opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) majority – has again sent a notice requesting the commissioner appear before the committee.

Previously, he was summoned before the EOC over a leaked video showing the death of a bystander after police attempted to stop a speeding motorcycle suspected of being driven by thieves to flee a crime scene.

Commissioner Riyaz also contended that the police were working independently and “without any political influence” stating that he had never seen a police institution as independent as his in the last two governments.

“I have been in this field for almost 24 years. During my time, I have never seen a more independent police institution than the current one, where police are allowed to carry out their operations independently and free from political influence,” he said.

Speaking to Minivan News, EOC member MP Ahmed Easa dismissed Riyaz’s claims, stating that police had already lost the public’s respect and the confidence once held in the institution, and that there was “no point Riyaz talking about it now.”

“The police lost credibility among the public the day they came out on the streets, toppled an elected democratic government and brutalised the people they were supposed to defend and uphold,” Easa said.

According to the Kendhikulhudhoo MP, the police, especially Special Operations (SO) officers, had become a “mob gang” instead of a respectable police force.

“The SO police now come out on the streets with the sole intention to torture people. They possess dangerous objects which could seriously harm a civilian. We have got video footage to support this claim,” he said.

Easa suggested that parliament’s Privileges Committee look into Riyaz’s “defamatory” comments against parliament and take prompt action on the matter.

He also contended that the EOC had the mandate to summon any individual from the executive branch for questioning, and that this was very clearly mentioned in the parliament’s regulations and the constitution.

“If he does not believe what has been clearly set out in the laws of this country, that means he is no longer fit to be the commissioner of police. He should be listening to the attorney general, not just a bunch of lawyers who tells him things the way he wishes to hear,” Easa said.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz, Parliament’s Counsel General Fathimath Filza and Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid were not responding to calls at time of press.

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Journalists need to act more professionally to prevent further confrontation: MJA, MBC

National media body figureheads have called on journalists to act more professionally to prevent future confrontations between themselves and the public.

Their comments follow a brutal attack on a senior reporter from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)-aligned Raajje TV station, who was left in a critical condition.

The reporter, Ibrahim ‘Aswad’ Waheed, was attacked with an iron bar while riding on a motorcycle near the artificial beach area in the capital Male’.

Two Television Maldives (TVM) journalists were also attacked on the same night with an irritant – reported to be paint thinner in local media – while covering protests on Sosun Magu in Male’.

While no arrests have been reported by police, Maldives Police Service Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News today that “progress” had been made in regard to the investigation.

Senior figures from both Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) and Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) have since said that journalists need to act in a more professional manner in order to help prevent future confrontations between the public and reporters.

MBC Vice President Mohamed Shahyb told Minivan News that journalists have been targeted because “hatred has been building” towards them over a long period of time.

“Some journalists are not doing their work professionally in the Maldives. The biggest problem is that they do not have much education or training [in journalism] and because of that they write anything.

“If the professional standard can be maintained, similar incidents can be contained and controlled,” Shahyb told Minivan News.

The MBC Vice President claimed that there are “too many opinions” leaking into news reports and that politicians need to start “pointing their fingers” at journalists who are not working in the correct manner.

“Social networking is also a big problem. Even if they work professionally, they then go onto social media sites and start expressing their own personal feelings, this is an issue,” Shahyb said.

MJA President, Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir, expressed similar concern, adding that journalists need to be more impartial with their reporting.

“We need to encourage media to be more objective. When we listen to the TV or radio we can’t tell the difference between an opinion piece or the actual news itself.”

On Saturday, Zahir requested the media to act more professionally and stop “spreading hatred”, while calling for police to give greater protection to journalists.

Meanwhile, President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik called on the media to “encourage stability, unity and harmony” in the country, adding that those responsible for the attacks will be brought to justice.

Police protection kits

Assistant Commissioner of Police Ahmed Saudhee told local media on Saturday that police will now provide safety equipment for journalists when covering protests, and that special efforts will be made to investigate and prosecute the attacks on persons of the media.

“Right now, we can do two things towards extending protection for journalists. As such, we will give special attention to investigate and prosecute the attacks made on the police, and we’ll work hastily to towards this end.

“Next, in order to cover the protests as closely as possible, we will provide the kits used by the police to a selected journalists, for their safety and protection,” Saudhee was quoted as saying in Sun Online.

Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Haneef told Minivan News today that the kits will be made available to journalists should they make a request for the equipment.

Violence condemned

Maldivian journalists took to the streets of Male’ yesterday to protests against the recent attacks, joining international organisations who have also condemned the violence.

The United States Embassy in Colombo released a statement on Saturday expressing concern over the attacks on the journalists.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental democratic right, and we strongly condemn these attacks on Maldives media personnel. We urge all Maldivians to refrain from violence, urge protesters and police to respect the right of all media outlets to cover demonstrations,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the United Nations in the Maldives said the violence amounted to an attack on freedom of expression and merited “prompt investigations”.

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Former CSC head claims dismissal was politicised

Former Head of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Mohamed Fahmy Hassan has told the Supreme Court that his dismissal was politically motivated.

According to local media, Fahmy told the Supreme Court that he was dismissed because he had refused to decrease the number of civil servants to 15,000 from 32,000 and because he had raised his voice to reinstate the salaries of civil servants.

Fahmy’s lawyer told the court that the parliament conducted a criminal investigation into Fahmy despite not having the jurisdiction to conduct such investigations.

Parliament’s Counselor General Fathmath Filza was present at the court to represent the parliament.

The Supreme Court has previously ordered parliament’s independent commissions committee to send it all minutes relating to Fahmy’s case.

However, the committee decided not to send the minutes to the court the sources who spoke to the committee spoke on condition that their names would not be disclosed.

Chair of the Committee MP Mohamed Nasheed told the press at the time that if documents containing confidential information were sent to a court open to the public, the information would also be open to the public.

On November 20, parliament voted that Fahmy be dismissed from his position as the President of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), on charges of sexual harassment against a female employee.

The incident occurred on May 29, 2012, when Fahmy allegedly called the female staff member over to him, took her hand and asked her to stand in front of him so that others in the office could not see, and caressed her stomach saying ”it won’t do for a beautiful single woman like you to get fat.”

Local media at the time reported that the woman told her family about the incident, who then called Fahmy. Fahmy then sent her a text message apologising for the incident, reportedly stating, ”I work very closely with everyone. But I have learned my lesson this time.”

In response to the allegations Fahmy told Minivan News at the time that the female staff member had invented the allegations after she discovered she had not received a scholarship to Singapore offered by the CSC.

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MVR 11.7 million awarded to nine political parties from state budget

MVR 11.7 million (US$762,215) has been awarded to nine political parties from the state budget according to local media.

Secretary General of Elections Commission (EC) told local media that the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had been awarded MVR 3.6 million (US$ 234,527) alone – the most money given to a political party this year.

Out of the 16 political parties registered at the EC, the nine that were awarded money include: MDP Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Adhaalath Party (AP), Maldives National Congress (MNC), Jumhooree Party (JP), Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Maldives Development Association (MDA).

PPM received a total of MVR 1.98 million (US$128,990), DRP were awarded MVR 1.9 (US$123,778) million and JP received MVR 1.2 million (US$78,175).

Islamic Democratic Party, Maldives Social Democratic Party, Social Liberal Party, People’s Party, People’s Alliance, Maldivian Labour Party and Maldives Reform Movement, received no funding from the EC.

President of the EC, Fuad Thaufeeq, told local media that some parties were not awarded the money this year due to the commission being unable to contact them through the details the party had provided.

Parties were also not awarded money due to lacking the minimum number of members required by political party regulation.

The EC will disburse money to the political parties if the courts issue an order to do so, local media reported.

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Tourism budget for 2013 increased by MVR 60 million

The tourism budget for 2013 has been increased from MVR 20 million (US$1.2 million) to MVR 80 million (US$5.1 million), local media has reported.

The budget increase follows criticism from the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), which last month called for the government to reconsider the MVR 20 million budget allocated for tourism marketing in 2013.

The initial sum of money allocated was the lowest in eight years, according to a statement from MATI, which highlighted concerns that the Maldives’ economy was mostly reliant on tourism.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb told local media that the ministry had initially requested a budget of MVR 200 million (US$12.9 million) to carry out tourism promotion for the year, however parliament had “erased a zero” from the figure when finalising the budget.

Adheeb noted that while tourism promotion is expensive, the revenue generated from the industry “drives the entire engine”.

“When we put down MVR 200 million, the government authorities don’t actually realise the priority that this requires. Parliament erased a zero from the MVR 200 million we proposed, and gave us MVR 20 million,” he told Sun Online.

“Then we had to work in all other different ways, and now the Finance Minister has committed to give us MVR 60 million more.”

Adheeb claimed that government institutions did not realise the importance of promoting tourism.

In 2012, the ministry set a target of welcoming one million tourists into the country.  It was allocated a MVR 70 million (US$4.5 million) budget to conduct marketing activities to help achieve that goal.

Figures released last month revealed that the tourism ministry failed to reach the one million mark by roughly 42,000 arrivals.

Despite the political turmoil that enveloped the country at the beginning of 2012, the figures showed that there had been a 2.9 percent increase on the total number of arrivals in 2011.

Tourism promotion efforts last year included a US$250,000 (MVR 3.8 million) advertising deal to promote the tourism industry on the BBC and a £93,000 per month (US$150,000) contract with public relations group Ruder Finn in an attempt to improve the country’s image following political unrest in 2012.

Despite the increased expenditure, tourism growth slowed to just 0.7 percent in 2012, compared to 15.8 percent in 2010 and 9.1 percent in 2011.

The government’s forecast for economic growth in 2013 is 4.3 percent.

Adheeb told local media yesterday that the government had “re-set” its sights on reaching the one million arrival target in 2013, and said there were plans to participate in a number of fairs and promotions  to attract more publicity.

“If we can fully establish the Maldives brand, we can promote Maldives and subsequently increase room rates. Every single dollar we spend on marketing will give a large amount of money in return,” he said.

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Parliament schedules first parliamentary session of 2013 for March 4

Parliament has announced that it will hold the first parliamentary session of the year on March 4.

The session will commence with the annual presidential address as per article 84 of the Constitution, where the President will highlight the state of the country, as well as measures taken to resolve the country’s difficulties.

Last year, the first Majlis opening session ended in turmoil, following rigorous protests by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs.

A parliament spokesperson said parliament has made all the necessary preparations for the session.

Despite the chaos during the opening of last year’s session, the official said no additional security arrangements are being made.

MDP Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader MP Ali Waheed told local newspaper Haveeru that the parliamentary group had not decided on whether to allow or disallow President Waheed from giving his presidential address.

“We will hold a parliamentary group meeting on March. A decision on the matter will be made on that meeting,” he said.

Waheed was not responding to calls at time of press.

Last year in March, members of MDP parliamentary group sabotaged President Mohamed Waheed’s address, claiming his ascension to power was illegitimate.

The session had to be called off after MPs blocked Speaker of Parliament, Abdulla Shahid, from entering the parliament floor. MPs barricaded the doors and removed chairs intended for the Speaker and President Waheed.

In a press conference that followed, Speaker Shahid said he was unable enter the chamber despite several attempts, and on one occasion had fallen and injured himself.

Given the political tensions at the time, Shahid said he was unable to guarantee the safety of members and had decided to proceed through negotiation, rather than force.

Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed condemned the actions of MPs and described the event as a “dark day in constitutional and parliamentary history” of the Maldives, and acknowledged the patience and determination of the security forces in handling the situation.

“Security forces [police and MNDF] handled the situation with great patience and determination. Many officers sustained various degrees of injuries while controlling the protesters,” Jameel said at the time.

However on March 19, 2012 President Waheed gave a shortened speech after several unsuccessful attempts during a heated session. The MDP MPs continued their protests, heckling Waheed and labelling him a ‘traitor’ as he gave the speech.

Several MDP MPs were injured during minor scuffles that broke out in the Majlis chamber as protesters faced expulsion for continuing to block Waheed. MDP party members alleged that the MNDF was responsible, a claim refuted by military officials.

MDP Spokesperson Imthiyaz Fahmy told Minivan News at the time that the party did not take pride in obstructing parliament, but had felt forced to do so due to its dissatisfaction with the nature of Waheed’s accession to the presidency.

According to parliamentary regulations, the inaugural meeting of parliament’s first session each year should be held either on the first Monday or Thursday of March.

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Former President Nasheed fails to attend court hearing

Former President Mohamed Nasheed failed to attend his scheduled trial hearing at Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court today (February 10), an official from the Judiciary Media Unit has confirmed.

The former president, who is currently out of the country in India, was due to attend the second court hearing regarding the controversial detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012.

The Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court granted Nasheed permission to leave the country for India on February 5, however the former president is yet to return to the Maldives despite his permitted travel period expiring yesterday (February 9).

According to local media, a letter had been submitted to the Hulhumale’ Court on February 7 by Nasheed, requesting for his travel leave to be extended from 5:00pm today (February 10) until February 28.

However, the travel extension request was today denied by the bench of judges presiding over Nasheed’s case.

An official from the Judiciary Media Unit told Minivan News today that Nasheed’s hearing – scheduled for 4:00pm – had been cancelled after the former president failed to attend.

Asked as to what action the court will take regarding the matter, the official was unable to give a specific response, adding: “The courts will do something, but I do not know what that will be”.

According to the official, a new hearing for the trial is yet to be set by the court.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Minivan News today that while the party had “no comment” regarding Nasheed’s lack of attendance at the hearing, the MDP maintains that Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court is “not a legitimate court”.

“The party maintains that [Mohamed Nasheed] should not go to that court, and we have raised the administration issues already,” he added.

Nasheed’s Spokesperson Mariya Didi was not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

Supreme Court appeal

Earlier today, the legal team of former President Mohamed Nasheed appealed to the Supreme Court regarding the High Court’s ruling in favour of the legitimacy of Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court.

Nasheed had previously appealed to the High Court in order to contest the Hulhumale’-based court’s ruling in regard to his trial on three procedural issues raised during an initial hearing of his case in October 2012.

Despite the former president’s appeal, a three-member judges panel at the High Court ruled on February 4 that there were no “legal grounds” to declare Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court and its decisions illegitimate.

Following the High Court’s ruling, an official from the Judiciary Media Unit confirmed to Minivan News that Nasheed’s legal team have now appealed to the Supreme Court.

Local media reported that Nasheed’s legal team had tried to file the appeal at the Supreme Court on Thursday (February 7), but that this was refused due to insufficient documentation.

Former President’s legal team had argued that the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court could not hold hearings on a nearby island, therefore ruling out Male’.

Furthermore, a summoning order issued to Nasheed by the court on September 26, 2012, was inconsistent with existing laws, according to his lawyers.

Finally, Nasheed’s representatives claimed the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court was formed in contradiction to the Judicature Act.

In a statement following the High Court’s verdict throwing out these procedural points, Nasheed said the decision “clearly means I will not be allowed a fair trial.”

Former MDP Chairperson MP Mariya Didi noted that the High Court concluded the case after only two successive hearings, adding that it seemed the Hulhumale’ Court “had prepared summons before the High Court judgement was even delivered.”

Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel – formerly Justice Minister during President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s 30 year government – has meanwhile told local media that swift prosecution of Nasheed before the Presidential Election was necessary to protect the “political and social fabric of the Maldives”.

“Every single day that passes without a verdict will raise questions over the justice system of the Maldives in the minds of the people,” Jameel told newspaper Haveeru.

Background

The Prosecutor General (PG) pressed charges against the former President in the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court on the grounds that holding the trial in Male’ at the Criminal Court represented a conflict of interest on behalf of Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed, whom the case concerned.

The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) appointed the three-member panel of judges to oversee the trial of the former president.

The Commission’s members include two of Nasheed’s direct political opponents, including Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid – Deputy of the government-aligned Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) – and Gasim Ibrahim, a resort tycoon, media owner, MP and leader of the Jumhoree Party (JP), also a member of the governing coalition.

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NDA head calls for drug smugglers to receive death penalty

National Drug Agency (NDA) Chairperson Lubna Zahir has called for individuals found to be importing illegal narcotics into the Maldives to face the death penalty, local media has reported.

Speaking on state broadcaster Television Maldives (TVM), Lubna was reported as saying  that the death penalty should be imposed for those who bring drugs into the country, adding that it needs to be in the same category as murder.

The comments were made after the recent deaths of a number of individuals who had taken a fake version of LSD circulated in the Maldives.

“We can only prevent drugs from coming into the Maldives by implementing the death penalty against them. Importing drugs is not a less serious crime,” Lubna was quoted by the Sun Online news service as telling the state broadcaster.  “One solution to this is to implement the death penalty against those who bring in drugs and commit murder.”

Lubna requested parliament to include the death penalty as the most severe punishment for drug smugglers, when passing relevant laws.

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Parliament Committee summons Chief Judge of the Criminal Court

Parliament’s Government Oversight Committee has decided to summon Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed to clarify details regarding the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 1012.

Speaking to the press today Committee Chair, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Waheed, said the committee made the decision as a part of its probe into the CoNI report.

Ali Waheed said that the committee needed to ask Judge Abdulla Mohamed how the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) treated him during his detention.

The committee also summoned Chair of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Adam Mohamed, who is also a Supreme Court Justice, as well as Home Minister Dr Ahmed Jameel and Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim.

In addition, the committee also summoned the Prosecutor General, and heads of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and Police Integrity Commission (PIC) to clarify information.

The committee has furthermore decided to write to the Home Ministry and Defence Ministry asking them to forward a list of names of officers who violated laws on Februry 7, 8, 9, 2012, and to send a list of officers who were promoted to higher ranks after the controversial transfer of power.

All the the decisions made by the committee today were part of its ongoing investigation into the controversial transfer of power and the CoNI report.

Meanwhile, the government has decided not to comply with any summons send by the parliament government oversight committee to cabinet ministers and government senior officials if it is regarding the investigation into the CoNI report.

The government has previously alleged that the committee’s probe into the CoNI report was against its mandate.

Attorney General (AG) Aishath Azima Shakoor previously issued a letter to the Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid stating that the investigation was a violation of Parliamentary rules of procedure, local media reported.

Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested by the MNDF on the evening of Monday, January 16, 2012, in compliance with a police request.

Prosecutor General (PG) Ahmed Muizz lately joined the High and Supreme Courts in condemning MNDF’s role in the arrest as unlawful, and requesting that the judge be released.

The judge was released on the afternoon of February 7. Following his resignation, the Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the former president.

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