Feeding Expatriates in Ramazan

In a move likely to be widely welcomed by the expat community in the Maldives, Trade Ministry has licensed certain designated restaurants in Male to remain open during the daytime hours of the fasting month in order to feed the large number of expat non-Muslims in the capital. Till now they have been facing considerable difficulty feeding themselves in Ramazan as restaurants catering to them were not allowed to remain open.

The ban was probably a vestige of the past in which the only people living in Male were local Maldivians, 100% of who were Muslims. This has changed now with 80,000 registered expat workers in the country, about half of who could be non-Muslims. Most of them have regular boarding arrangements with restaurants especially run for them.

Even during the past there had been initiatives to allow certain restaurants to cater to expats. But due to pressure from the religious lobby, such initiatives never materialized.

Before issuing permits the Trade Ministry has taken certain precautions to reassure the religious lobby that Maldivians will be excluded from the restaurants. For example, the restaurants are required to register their clients and check the identities of customers each time they are served food. Another interesting precaution is not to allow takeaways. This is baffling, as grocers and supermarkets do sell readymade food items during the day time.

Perhaps such illogical precautions are part of the price one must pay to keep everyone happy. All in all, Trade Minister Rasheed deserves congratulations for achieving something that could never be done in the past.

Hamas versus Islamic Militants

In their publicity campaigns, militants usually describe themselves as soldiers of Islam fighting what they call the 'kuffaaru.' But often the ground reality is a bit different. More militant attacks are directed at their own fellow Muslims rather than at the foreigners who they are supposed to be fighting. For example, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Sudan or wherever, the number of locals killed far outnumber the foreigners killed.

The recent fighting between Hamas and Jund Ansar-Allah is an interesting case. Security forces of Hamas, which is itself a militant outfit according to many, attacked the extremist group after they declared an Islamic Emirate in Gaza. The term 'Islamic Emirate' sounds nice but it smacks of the erstwhile Taliban government in Afghanistan. Obviously Hamas was not amused.

In the fighting that ensued, 40 militants were killed including the leader of the group, Abdul-Latif Moussa. None of those killed or injured were Israelis or Americans, and there is no evidence of their involvement.

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Islamic Students versus Municipality

The current crisis between the students of the College of Islamic Studies and Male Municipality is unfortunate to say the least. After all, the College is only one of three Islamic institutes in a country that boasts over 250 educational institutions run by the government. As such Municipality's decision to take over the plot of land adjacent to the south east corner of the college, which was reserved for the college, can easily be misconstrued as an attack on Islamic education in the Maldives.

History:

In 2004 the government decided to allot additional land to the College to allow construction of a new block funded by a friendly Arab country. Two houses, Karankaa Maage and Lilac House, were taken over after giving the owners alternative plots of land and a monetary compensation package decided by the Civil Court. However, before the new houses could be constructed and old houses vacated, the Tsunami struck.

Construction costs escalated in the post-tsunami period and the house owners requested for additional funds. Granting this request was complicated because the compensation package was originally decided by a court order and therefore not amenable to amendment without a fresh court order. Thus the matter dragged on and was finally resolved in 2008. By then the original project for college expansion had lapsed. So the land remained unused.

College of Islamic Studies:

The College was established as 'Mauhad al-Dhiraasaathul Islaamiyya' on 1/1/1401 AH (9/11/1980). Since then it has produced nearly 7000 graduates in various disciplines related to Islam, many of who are serving the nation as imams, lawyers, judges and Islam teachers. Mauhad graduates are well known for their discipline and high linguistic skills.

MAUHAD ALSO CLAIMS A DISTINCT RECORD THAT NONE OF ITS STUDENTS HAVE EVER GONE INTO DRUG ADDICTION

Will democracy work this time?

AS Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed Stated in his address to India's Council of World Affairs in New Delhi, democratic reforms have been attempted on three different occasions in the Maldives since 1932. The earlier two attempts failed; but Shaheed claims that the current attempt could succeed.

While Shaheed does not specify the earlier two democratic movements, one can assume that the first of them was the one that ended with the label of 'Motor Boat Revolt.' The second was presumably the movement launched at the beginning of President Gayoom's regime, the movement that fizzled out and died with the 1998 Constitution.

Each movement was made possible during periods of weakness experienced by autocratic rulers. The earlier two movements failed when the ruler regained his composure. As Shaheed has also noticed the current movement is different in that the ruler was deposed before he could regain his authority. So it's left to the new ruler to complete the endgame. Will he stifle the movement if he does get full authority?

This time around there are certain safeguards against degradation into autocracy – independent judiciary and parliament. However they are not absolute guarantees. Parliamentary control can be regained through engineered defections. Judiciary can be cowed down by threats. So time alone will tell us the fate of the current democratic movement.

Gayoom and his Unsolicited Advisors

Everyone seems to love advising former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on how he should conduct his life. The most popular pieces of advice are: stepping down from DRP leadership, leaving active politics and migrating abroad. The latest to join the list of Gayoom's unsolicited advisors is Nirja Deva, the European Union parliamentarian of Sri Lanka Tamil origin.

Mr. Deva advised the former President "it would be better for him to remain as a respected statesman like former presidents of other countries," Miadhu Daily reports. While speaking at a news conference in Dharubaaruge on Wednesday, he said "as the former President knows the international community very well, he can use his knowledge to seek advantage for Maldives at various international economic or environmental forums."

If one analyses individual pieces of advice Gayoom is receiving one would notice certain common factors. Firstly, most advisors have hitherto not been Gayoom's best friends and in fact many have been his avowed opponents till they suddenly decided to turn advisor. Mr. Deja himself had a rather lukewarm relationship with Gayoom when he was President.

Secondly, most suggestions appear to be of such a nature that if Gayoom accepts them, it would make life easy for his opponents. For example, the suggestion for him to leave active politics would remove from the scene a leader who still has the support of a significant share of the electorate. Similarly the suggestion for him to step down from DRP leadership could spark a succession war, weakening the party at a critical juncture.

So whose best interests do the advisors have in mind, Gayoom's or their own?

Herethere Case Drags on

US $ 55 million is a sum of money that 99.9% of Maldivians will never see in their life time, let alone posses. But that is exactly what Yacht Tours, the company that leased Herethere Resort from Maldives Tourism Development Cooperation (MTDC), is demanding from the lessor as compensation for the loss of the island, which according to many tourism experts is unlikely to make any profit anyway.

So why do people make such extravagant demands at all? Simple: They often win, as Yacht Tours itself did a few years back when it won a $ 31 million dollar case against Tourism Ministry for disqualifying its bid for an island in Male Atoll.

This time however, Yacht Tours appears to have run out of luck. On Thursday Civil Court ordered Yacht Tours to pay a sum of $ 895,319 to MTDC in a counter-claim case filed by the latter. However, the main court case, that for $ 55 million filed by Yacht Tours, is dragging on as is the Company's occupation of the island.

Preventing Anti Social Behavior

Attorney General Husnu Suood has taken a decisive step towards preventing anti social behavior by presenting to the Majlis a bill on the subject for the first time ever in the Maldives. The bill along with another related bill on gang violence will lay a comprehensive legal framework to address the twin issues.

Suood’s initiative brings to the top of the national agenda a grossly neglected area of social development –a neglect that has cost the nation heavily in terms of skyrocketing juvenile delinquency and uncontrollable crime rates. The magnitude of the social cost can easily be estimated by comparing Maldives crime rates with those of Singapore where a comprehensive program to shape the behavior of its citizens has been in place ever since its independence in 1965.

Police statistics show that the number of arrests in Maldives among ‘children’ below 18 years rose from 209 in 2001 to 564 in 2007. This increase is fuelled by drugs for which 164 people under 18 were arrested. For the related crimes of theft and violence 158 and 160 people were arrested respectively.

Study after study has shown that the usual route to crime is: School dropout --> hanging around street corners --> smoking --> drugs --> Gang formation --> serious crimes.

Many experts believe that children’s habits of staying awake till late at night and going out without parental supervision contribute to anti social behavior. The bill presented to the Majlis will address this and other similar issues.