Tag: President Nasheed

President inaugurates Maldives Pavillion at Shanghai World Expo

President Mohamed Nasheed and First Lady Laila Ali arrived in Shanghai, China yesterday morning for the inauguration of the Maldives Pavillion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

President Nasheed said the Maldives has been participating in international exhibitions of over 100 years and reminders of the participation of the Maldives in the Shanghai Expo show the country’s active involvement in the international community.

He added the Maldives’ participation in the Expo would be highly beneficial for the country.

The Expo was formally opened to the public yesterday, and is expected to draw 70 million people over six months. There are over 200 pavilions from different countries, representing the urban sustainability theme “Better City, Better Life.”

On his way to China, President Nasheed met with Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. They discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and projects being developed by Thailand in the Maldives.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Afghani President talks terrorism with Nasheed

President Mohamed Nasheed met with Afghani President Hamid Karzai yesterday at the Afghanistan House in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Village in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu.

At the meeting, President Nasheed said SAARC’s position on climate change should benefit all the countries in the region.

He noted the importance of a common SAARC position on climate change in the international arena, and highlighted the importance of promoting trade in the region through the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

President Karzai said Afghanistan was rich in water before, but due to climate change, the country was experiencing yearly droughts.

The presidents also discussed ways of handling terrorism and religious extremism in the region.

President Nasheed then met with Japanese Parliamentary Vice President and Minister for Foregin Affairs, Chinami Nishimura at the Maldives House in SAARC Village.

Nishimura spoke of the existing bilateral relations between the countries and ways to strengthen these ties. She congratulated President Nasheed on the democratic reform in the country, noting the process had accelerated under his leadership.

President Nasheed said Japanese assistance has been instrumental in helping the Maldives with its upcoming graduation from the list of the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDC). He added the Japanese Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, was one of the few leaders who supported the Maldives during Copenhagen climate change summit.

President Nasheed sought Japanese assistance in developing the fisheries industry in the Maldives and to undertake a study for the reasons of decline in fishing.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Nasheed meets Pakistani Prime Minister

President Mohamed Nasheed met with Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday.

The heads of state discussed bilateral relations and regional issues, and Prime Minister Gilani said he would like to maintain the close relations between Pakistan and the Maldives.

He said Pakistan would continue to contribute to the human resource development of the Maldives and would also continue offering scholarships to Maldivian students.

President Nasheed said he would like to see a more active South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), that focused on greater regional cooperation in trade and economic issues.

He added climate change is a major issue for the Maldives and the country is now facing problems like water shortages.

Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan would cooperate with the Maldives on the issue of climate change.

They also discussed developing greater cooperation between the two countries in the areas of counter-terrorism and anti-narcotics.

President Nasheed is in Bhutan for the sixteenth SAARC summit.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Nasheed addresses the SAARC summit

During his first speech to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders at the sixteenth SAARC Summit in Bhutan, President Mohamed Nasheed called on his fellow leaders to review the effectiveness of SAARC.

He said South Asia is one of the most dynamic and important regions in the world, and all countries must be prepared for both challenges and opportunities in the future. For the benefit of all members, he said, SAARC member countries must increase cooperation.

One of the regions the president noted to be of great importance was green investment and development.

The president said South Asia could become a testing ground for innovative green technologies, research in renewable energy and new forms of sustainable development.

He called for member states to establish a Low-Carbon Research and Development Centre in the proposed South Asian University.

Speaking on democracy and human rights, President Nasheed expressed content that South Asia “is now a region of democracies,” but added there were many challenges ahead in consolidating democracy and strengthening human rights.

The president proposed a regional human rights mechanism, to help South Asian countries promote and protect the rights of their citizens.

President Nasheed noted South Asia was badly affected by the global food and energy crisis, and supported the proposal to jointly import crude oil to the region, saying it would increase energy security and would improve a bargaining position in the world market.

He added fostering inter-cultural exchange, especially amongst the youth of the region, was of high importance.

President Nasheed then called for a meeting between India and Pakistan.

The summit marks the 25th anniversary since the formation of SAARC in Bangladesh in 1985.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Nasheed meets with Indian Prime Minister

President Mohamed Nasheed met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday after the opening ceremony of the sixteenth South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit being held in Bhutan.

The heads of state spoke mainly of increasing cooperation in higher education between the two countries.

President Nasheed said the Maldives is facing a shortage of lecturers and sought Indian assistance on the matter.

Prime Minister Singh said India would assist in filling the gap and provide lecturers to the Maldives.

President Nasheed then briefed the Prime Minister on the Maldives’ financial restructuring programme as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

President Nasheed then moved on to business, saying many Indian companies have been expressing interest to invest in the Maldives, and many were already stargin projects. He said this was a great sign of cooperation between the two nations.

They also discussed issues like climate change, defence cooperation and counter-terrorism.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Decentralisation bill passed as MDP MPs walk out

The long delayed bill on decentralised administration was passed today after MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) walked out in protest, withdrawing the party’s amendments to the draft legislation.

The party proposed over a hundred amendments to reverse the changes made to the bill by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) dominated committee and restore the model of provinces.

But, more than an hour into the process of voting on amendments, “Reeko” Moosa Manik, MDP parliamentary group leader, announced that the party was withdrawing its proposals as it was clear that “the spirit of the Majlis was against the MDP, even if it’s an amendment we proposed to correct a grammatical error”.

He added MDP MPs did not wish to “heat up” the sitting by remaining in the chamber.

The mass exit was greeted with ironic applause and jeers from the DRP MPs.

The seminal piece of legislation was passed shortly before 6pm with 42 votes in favour and one against after the sitting was extended until the amended bill could be put for a vote.

Ahmed Rasheed, MDP MP for Hoarafushi, stayed behind to cast the sole dissenting vote.

A total of 68 amendments, the majority of which were proposed by the DRP, was passed today.

Presidential veto?

Speaking to Minivan News, Mohamed Aslam, MP for Hithadhoo North, expressed concern that the amendments proposed by the DRP would divest the councils of its powers and rule out any collaboration between atolls or constituencies.

Some of the amendments proposed by DRP would defeat the purpose of devolving decision-making powers and hinder development, he said.

In its current form, the bill would “isolate single atolls” as they were not legally empowered to participate in joint development projects with other atolls.

“For example, if Fuvahmulah wants to build an airport, it can’t lease an island from Huvadhoo Atoll to foreign investors,” he said.

Although the parliamentary group has not officially decided to recommend that the president veto the bill, Aslam said he personally did not believe the bill should be ratified.

“I don’t think any MDP MP would want this bill to be ratified,” he said.

A majority of 39 votes would be needed to override a presidential veto.

Mohamed Zuhair, president’s office press secretary, said the president would make a decision after “serious consideration” of the social and economic consequences of the law as well as potential legal problems.

“The president will seek the opinion of the attorney general and the legal office before making a decision,” he said.

“Still dictatorial”

Chairperson of the MDP, Mariya Ahmed Didi, accused the DRP of ”total disregard to the democratic state we want to develop.”

“We parliamentarians did warn the public that DRP is still a dictatorial group,” she said. ”Their behaviour in the Majlis proves the point. We are approaching the deadline in the constitution to have local government in place and to have local elections. I do not think we have time to veto and go through the whole process.”

It would be difficult to ensure development of the atolls with the bill as it is, she added.

”I hope people remember that MDP had nothing to do with the bill when in campaign the DRP starts screaming of the islands not being the developed state as envisaged by MDP. The basis of our election promise was that the Maldives would be developed as seven provinces. They have by this bill destroyed the fundamental basis on which those promises were made.”

Provinces

At yesterday’s sitting, a resolution proposed by DRP Vice-President and MP for Thohdhoo, Ali Waheed, was adopted to postpone the upcoming recess until the two bills necessary for local government elections could be passed.

The resolution was sent to the general affairs committee with the support of 62 MPs out of the 69 in attendance.

Under the new rules of procedure, parliament is due to break for recess on 30 April.

Concluding today’s sitting, Speaker Abdullah Shahid said a decision over the resolution would be made at tomorrow’s sitting.

The intractable dispute between the two main parties over the issue of provincial councils led to recurrent deadlock and protests outside parliament last year, culminating in the president withdrawing the bill at the eleventh hour.

In his weekly radio address on Friday, President Mohamed Nasheed said he would accept parliament’s decision on the bill and would not “react harshly” to the outcome.

The amendments made to the government’s bill by the committee would “create 20 small governments”.

While the MDP manifesto proposed dividing the country into seven provinces for decentralised administration, the DRP insists the existing division into 21 administrative areas should be maintained.

During the protracted debate, opposition MPs argued the creation of seven province councils instead of 21 atoll councils would result in disproportionate representation, marginalising the smaller, less populous atolls.

“I am completely prepared to do this in the way the People’s Majlis decides,” said the president. “All will be well when members of parliament think about this, find a way to facilitate development of this country and proceed accordingly. The government’s thinking of decentralisation with seven provinces is for economic purposes. There is no political purpose behind it…In my mind, there is no political rivalry in this matter. We are going ahead with this to pave the way for the country’s development, not to achieve a political purpose.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Nasheed meets Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal and Prime Minister of Bhutan

On his way to the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit to be held in Bhutan, President Mohamed Nasheed met with Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Bijaya Kumar Gachadar.

The meeting was held at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, where they discussed bilateral relations between the Maldives and Nepal. They also spoke of strengthening tourism between the two countries.

The president and First Lady Laila Ali arrived in Bhutan yesterday morning, where Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lyoncheon Jigmi Yoezer Thinley, received them at Paro Airport.

Anthems of the Maldives and Bhutan were played at the opening ceremony.

President Nasheed then had a meeting with Prime Minister Thinley at the Maldives House in SAARC Village, where the president will stay during the summit.

President Nasheed congratulated Prime Minister Thinley on Bhutan’s hydro-power project, and said the project would not only benefit Bhutan but the entire SAARC region. He added his interest in helping Bhutan find more investors for the project.

Prime Minister Thinley assured support to President Nasheed on his global efforts to combat climate change. He said Bhutan would work with the Maldives to promote climate change internationally.

He added despite geographic differences, Bhutan and the Maldives are equally vulnerable to climate change, and said the people of Bhutan were already experiencing the effects of climate change.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President Nasheed meets SAARC country leaders

President Mohamed Nasheed arrived yesterday in the Kingdom of Bhutan for the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, being held today and tomorrow in the capital Thimphu.

President Nasheed met with Prime Minister of Nepal, Madhav Kumar in the Maldives House in SAARC Village, where Prime Minister Kumar told President Nasheed of climate change in his country and the measures being taken against it.

He said there was potential for developing renewable energy sources in Nepal, but said the biggest obstacle to attracting investment is the internal conflict in the country. President Nasheed said the best strategy to resolve the internal conflicts was making more opportunities available for the people, as poverty and depravation were the main reasons for conflict.

The president then met with Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, where they discussed the Maldives’ national health insurance scheme. President Nasheed sought Prime Minister Hasina’s expertise and knowledge to strengthen the scheme.

He then met President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Sri Lanka house. They focused mainly on strengthening cooperation in the area of fisheries.

President Nasheed also mentioned the importance of a more convenient transport network between SAARC countries, particularly Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.

This year’s theme is “Towards a Green and Happy South Asia.” In all three meetings, President Nasheed focused mainly on climate change issues. He gathered support from the three leaders for a common position during the climate negotiations.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

“I’m too old to sit around. We genuinely want to improve the way things work”: Dr Waheed

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan recently said he was not completely satisfied with his job and wanted more consultation between the government and the coalition parties when he appeared on VTV’s show Hoonu Gondi (Hot Seat) on 12 April.

At a rally for the Gaumee Itthihaad Party (GIP) last Saturday, Dr Waheed reiterated his concerns of lack of communication within the government and lack of consultation.

Minivan News spoke to Dr Waheed today about his comments, concerns, achievements and what improvements he thinks the government needs to make.

Laura Restrepo Ortega: Why are you airing your issues publicly? Why not speak to President Nasheed directly?

Dr Waheed: We have brought about this change to promote democracy and human rights, and good governance is a very important part of it. Part of the reason why I air these things publicly is because obviously I don’t feel that there are enough opportunities for us to discuss these things. To some extent, it is because of communication, but also these are things people need to know.

We’ve been in government for a year and a half now, and I have said these things in public before. I have tried very hard to work together and I’m still committed in doing so. I also like to be heard. I’m too old to sit around. We genuinely want to improve the way things work here.

Clearly this is still a young government and there is lots that needs to be done to improve. If you listen to what I said, and not what other people are saying, you will see that my comments are constructive comments. They are not meant to criticise. They were suggestions on how things can be improved.

LRO: Has anything changed or improved since your first TV appearance?

Dr Waheed: I don’t see any major difference still. It hasn’t been very long since I appeared on television. I am still hopeful that there will be an opportunity to work out things.

LRO: What is it you want to change?

Dr Waheed: I would like more consultation on major policy issues. I know that the Constitution doesn’t specifically say that I have to be consulted. But the spirit of the Constitution is that the vice president is here for a reason. Not to wake up every morning and find out the president is there so you go back to sleep — for five years.

LRO: So you want more communication within the government?

Dr Waheed: I think there’s no alternative to that. Any alternative to inadequate communication is breakdown.

One of the problems is that we still don’t have a culture of sharing information. Even in government offices decisions are made, and these decisions are not adequately communicated to the rest of the staff and to the people who should receive that information. So that is something that can be done fairly easily, but we have to develop a culture of doing that.

I am used to working in places where, when you make a decision, everybody who is concerned with it are informed. And it’s very easy to do that now with e-mail. We don’t have a culture of using e-mail effectively for work. People use it for personal communication, but not so much for improving office communications.

LRO: Do you think that the opposition will use your comments against the government?

Dr Waheed: It’s a competitive political environment, and different people will use them differently. The most important thing is public impression. In the past, we don’t say anything. I also worked in the previous government. We don’t say anything and we just stay quiet, and we just continue as if everything is perfect. And then it blows up.

I think we are in a different environment now. For us, freedom of expression and human rights are the reason why we are here. And part of it is also respect for each other’s views.

LRO: What do you think of the opposition? Are they being constructive or are they working against the government?

Dr Waheed: You’re talking about the opposition, and the opposition’s interest is in opposing the government. But one of the things I said was there should be a mechanism for dialogue, between the opposition and the government.

LRO: Are there no such mechanisms in place?

Dr Waheed: I don’t see that. There is too much polarisation. There are things, of course, we want from the opposition. We want their support to pass the bills in Parliament, and there may be things they want from the government. And that is also to address some of their own concerns. I believe we should be able to engage with all parties.

LRO: Do you think it’s possible for a coalition government to work in practice?

Dr Waheed: I think it’s possible. We have to be a lot more tolerant and respectful of each other. We cannot pretend that we know everything. That’s why we have to listen to others. It’s healthy to take other people’s views and to be consultative. Of course, you cannot get everything you want when you talk to other people. Sometimes you have to do things differently. But because no one is infallible, the decisions we make together are likely to survive and to succeed more.

The wisdom of consultation, I think, is probably more valid but also it helps to get buy-in and ownership. So to me, in a democratic form, in a democracy, good governance means more teamwork.

LRO: Will your party (GIP) survive?

Dr Waheed: I believe it will. But the political landscape of Maldives is not fixed, because it is in the very early stages of democracy. It’s not like a mature, old democracy. I’m sure in the future there will be many changes. Whether our party will survive will depend on how active our members are and how determined they are to build it. So we’ll see.

LRO: Should political parties be dissolved all together?

Dr Waheed: Political parties are very new in the country, they’re also struggling to develop and be at capacity. At the moment there is vicious competition among parties to grab members. And in so doing, maybe inadvertently, people are making direct or indirect threats about their job security, their benefits, about their businesses and privileges and so on. It’s not good for the country.

LRO: Do you think there are elements in the government that are detrimental to the country’s progress?

Dr Waheed: There are always people trying to influence the government’s efficiency and so on. There are also individual interests in that, but this is precisely why we have checks and balances. Within the government also there are mechanisms for getting things through, as long as we don’t short-circuit them. And we have the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and other watch-dog institutions. I believe those checks will be there. I’m optimistic that there will be those checks, if you compare now to the past.

But all of these institutions are still at an infant stage. And this is why we have to raise some of these issues. My comments certainly are not meant to be detrimental. I am trying to say things that I believe are good for the country. I have nothing to personally gain from this. But I don’t want to be sitting around, not being as useful as I can. I believe I am part of the senior leadership of this government, but there are people who don’t agree with that.

LRO: What do you think of statements made by members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) calling for the resignation of anyone in government who doesn’t adhere to the MDP manifesto?

Dr Waheed: This is very short-sighted and narrow thinking. This is not coming from everybody at the MDP, it’s coming from some people. I have a lot of affinity to MDP, as well. I helped found that party, as well. I was there at the initial stages when we built the party, and a lot of my relatives are still there.

So it’s not that I’m against MDP, we are sister parties. And I believe we should have a mechanism for working together, instead of the big fish trying to swallow the little one. That’s why I think my party’s people are resisting. They may not have a choice because it’s a much smaller party. We have a number of people from our party in the government.

The level of tolerance of this government will be judged very soon by how many of our colleagues will be forced to join MDP if they want to retain their post.

LRO: Do you think that will happen?

Dr Waheed: My colleagues in government are under pressure to leave my party (GIP) and join MDP.

LRO: What did you mean when you said the country is becoming ‘colour coded’?

Dr Waheed: If you talk to people, you don’t have to just talk to me, talk to people in government, do a survey. You will find that there is a lot of concern about this. People are having difficulty, the way they were also having in the last government. I thought we wanted to get away from these pressures.

LRO: What pressures?

Dr Waheed: If you don’t join the government, if you don’t join the political alliances, you don’t get jobs, you are threatened, you might lose your job, these kinds of things.

LRO: Is this happening within the government or to members of the general public?

Dr Waheed: This is happening everywhere. And every day we are getting complaints about this. Just yesterday, a civil servant has been transferred from one department to the other because that person signed up for my party.

These things are happening all the time. And I don’t think we should do this, because what happens next? You have another government, when a new government comes, they kick out everybody who was hired during our government. And it’s not healthy for the country. So we have to be a lot more tolerant and value people for their merit, their experience, not their political affiliations.

LRO: What would you say are your biggest achievements as Vice President?

Dr Waheed: I had been assigned the responsibility for guiding the National Narcotics Council. And I believe that there has been a very marked reduction in the availability of drugs in the country. I also believe that we have a good plan for prevention of narcotics in the country. We had a very successful stake-holder meeting and the findings have been reflected in the National Strategic Action Plan.

Implementation of it is slow. If I had sufficient powers I would have set up a stronger department for drugs and rehabilitation and treatment. It’s not working very well at the moment. I have proposed that it should be much more empowered. And once that happens I’m sure it will move faster. We have successfully revised the narcotics bill, it is now in the Parliament. And once it is approved by the Parliament, we will be able to move faster. So this is one area.

And the other is I was trusted by the president to lead the international donor conference. I believe that we had a successful one. I’m very proud of it. Now we have the pledges and commitments, we have to now still do a lot of work to access the resources. And we are in the process of doing that. I’m not the key person responsible for that now, different departments do their work, but I’m hoping that I will have a lead role in monitoring and supporting that. At the moment, my role, in fact, is a little bit vague.

LRO: Will you be running for presidency in 2013?

Dr Waheed: I have no idea where this is coming from. There are lots of political pundits in Maldives, there’s no shortage of them now. It must be coming from them. No, I have not made that decision. I think it’s a little early. But if that’s how the political formulations work in the country, and if that’s the best way I can serve, then why not?

LRO: So there is a chance you will run?

Dr Waheed: As I said, the circumstances will determine.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)