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.

The Day He Never Wanted to See

"This is the day none of us wanted to see," a friend of mine, a strong MDP supporter, told me last night over the phone a short while after former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was taken to Police Headquarters.

"But I thought this is the day you have always looked forward to," I retorted. He used to talk frequently about bringing Gayoom to justice and how everyone must be equal before the law.

"Yes, I still want Gayoom to be held accountable. But I think what happened tonight isn't the way to do it, at least not the best way," he replied. "The simple question they asked him could have been asked without taking him there."

"It could have been," I admitted. "But what about equality before the law? Everyone else is taken to the police for such questioning."

"Equality is paramount," he replied. "But what about Article 128 of the Constitution, which gives special protection to him as ex-president?"

Drugs: The Doomsday Scenario

Within the next two to three years, two out of every three students in grades 8 – 10 will use some form of illicit drug, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has predicted, based on the findings of recent surveys –findings that reveal drug addiction among children as young as 9 years.

He made this statement at a function in Dharubaarugé Sunday night to mark the 119th anniversary of Maldives Customs Service, where he called on the Customs Service to continue to play their role in controlling drug trafficking into the country, stressing that no other institution has a bigger role in this endeavor. He assured customs officers that the government would provide its full support and cooperation.

Dr. Waheed said that inspection of the vast open areas surrounding the country would not be an easy task. He understood the difficulties they face in controlling the checkpoints and appreciated their diligent work, he said.

Summoning the Former President

When someone takes an apparently futile action it is often because the real objective lies elsewhere. When the famous Presidential Commission, established to probe alleged corruption and embezzlement of state funds and resources, issued a summons to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, not even the Commission's most ardent fans –Abdulla Haseen included –would have really believed he would come running like Mary's little lamb.

There is a case pending in the courts challenging the legal powers of the Commission to summon and arrest people. Former minister Abdulla Yaameen has also refused to attend the Commission pending the disposal of the case.

Speaking to Miadhu Daily the former President's lawyer Abbas Shareef has confirmed a summons was issued late on Thursday. Abbas stated the Presidential Commission was unconstitutional and as such had no authority to summon people against their will.

Spokesperson for the Presidential Commission, Abdulla Haseen, has confirmed that the former President Gayoom had objected to accept the commissions summon. Haseen said the refusal meant legal action will be initiated.

[To read more details in Miadhu Daily click here.]

Controversy over Decision to Investigate Judge

The Government has thrown a spanner into the works by initiating an investigation against Abdullah Mohamed, Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, for allegedly obstructing a police investigation. The matter has now been referred to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

Under article 159 of the constitution, the Judicial Service Commission is entrusted with “the responsibility and power to investigate complaints about the Judiciary, and to take disciplinary action against them, including recommendations for dismissal.”

According to a press release issued by the President’s Office the cabinet has decided to investigate Abdullah Mohamed for obstructing a police investigation related to the 2008 audit report of Bank of Maldives.

Majlis Member for Naifaru Ahmed Mohamed, a former judge and member of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), proposed an emergency motion in the Majlis yesterday to condemn the cabinet’s decision to investigate Abdullah Mohamed. During the debate on the motion, the Majlis witnessed some unsavory scenes and the sitting had to be called off.

Opposition DRP believes the government’s decision was an unwarranted interference in the judiciary because separation of powers is established in the Constitution to prevent one branch of the State exerting undue influence over another. Article 141 of the constitution states that “no officials performing public functions, or any other persons, shall interfere with and influence the functions of the courts.”

However the Government stand is that under Article 115 (b) of the Constitution, the President is entrusted with the responsibility to “faithfully implement the provisions of this Constitution and the law, and to promote compliance by organs of the State and by the people.” Further, the government believes it has a duty to recover money owed to Bank of Maldives as soon as possible because the money belongs to the public.

Former Attorney Generals Dr. Hassan Saeed, Azima Shakoor and Dhiyana Saeed have condemned the decision of the Cabinet, one of them describing it as an “attack on the heart of the judiciary.” Former Legal Reform Minister Mohammed Nasheed has also described the action as “way off the mandate of either the president or his cabinet.” The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has issued a press statement expressing concern over the cabinet’s decision.

Presidential Salary and Pension

The hottest topics in the Majlis these days appear to be the salaries and benefits for the president and vice-president and the pension and other benefits for former presidents. Two separate bills are on the table, one from the ruling MDP on the emoluments of incumbents and another from the opposition DRP on those for ex-presidents. As such this may be the right time to put forward some questions for discussion.

1. Should the salary of a president be linked to the GDP per capita?
The current GDP per capita per year is about rf 38,500 per year and the salary of a president is about rf 1,200,000 per year. Thus the ratio is about 1:30. Should this ratio be kept at this level or increased to 1:50 or perhaps 1:100? Using the latter ratio the presidential salary would be rf 3,850,000 per year (320,000 per month).
2. How many palatial mansions can we afford to maintain at public expense?
Maintaining a palace would each cost millions of rufiyaa per month, apart from the difficulty of finding suitable buildings for the purpose.
3. What is the purpose of providing security to presidents and ex-presidents?
If it is for ceremonial purposes to boost their ego, then each would require a platoon of troops. But if it is to counter real threats to the life and person of a president or ex-president, then the number of security personnel would be dependent on the threat level assessed by the armed forces. An ex-president also could face serious security threats. In 1953, the then ex-president Mohammed Amin was lynched by a mob, when he returned to Male from exile in Dhoonidhoo.

The Policy of Indiscriminate Privatization* is a Grave Danger to Independence

By Rifat Afeef**

The current policy of the government to handover basic national infrastructure (health services, sea and air transport etc.) on 'commercial basis' to foreign companies is a grave threat to the future security of the country. I am not saying that 'commercial basis' per se is wrong. After all, the progress (in tourism and fisheries) we see today is the result of private enterprise on commercial basis. All I am saying is that if we hand over our basic infrastructure to foreign companies in the name of privatization we are likely to face its bitter consequences in the not too distant future. These consequences will escalate over the years, finally resulting in the loss of our independence.

Externalities~:

In analyzing why this will happen and why we will lose our independence, we must realize that in organizing and implementing any project there are two types of results. The first type includes result(s) one expects and plans for in the project. The second includes the unintended results of the project. This second type of result is called an 'externality' in economics. With few exceptions externalities are harmful. Thus 'externality' generality means the unintended harm from a project or an economic activity –something not accounted for in the project costing.

There are two main types of externalities. The first type includes physical effects that one could feel. The other includes intangible effects such as socio-political changes. Because socio-political externalities are difficult to perceive, we don't even realize their existence. It is this type of imperceptible externality, I am saying, would inevitably result from handing over basic national infrastructure to foreign companies in the name of privatization, affecting the nation's future. Today we can only speculate on things that could –over the years –have negative consequences. In my opinion, the easiest way to undertake such speculation is to take a look at the history of countries, which had experienced such pitfalls, either on their own or under external pressure. So let me take some examples of both types.

The case of Palestine:

Even though many people don't know it, the Palestine issue, which plagues the Muslim world today, is a consequence of mistakes made by Palestinians themselves. Lack of foresight on the part of Palestinians allowed Jews to displace them from their own land, though I must admit that the Jews also had laid a treacherous trap. But Palestinians fell into this trap on their own, voluntarily. Had the Palestinians themselves not sold their land for greed allowing Jews to settle there, there would have been no chance for western support for a Jewish state (in the form of Balfour Declaration) and no chance for Jews to take up arms and expel the natives. (It's wise to realize that citizens themselves bear a large part of the responsibility in destroying any nation.)

The Case of Hawaii:

The history of the fiftieth state of the United States in the nineteenth century is also a tragic saga of reaping the results of own mistakes. Kamehameha who united Hawaii allowed United States companies to acquire land for pineapple and sugarcane farming. The companies increased their influence and finally during the time of Queen Liliuokalani, the third ruler after Kamehameha, American forces entered the Hawaiian capital, house arrested the Queen and annexed Hawaii in 1887. It became the 50th state of the US in 1959. (Since history is written by the victors the details of this may not be found in western references.) Today native Hawaiians make up less than 1% of the population. More than 99% are the descendents of Chinese, Japanese and Pilipino immigrants brought by American companies to work in their farms (just like Africans brought to the southern states of the US) and Caucasians who colonized the islands. The native Hawaiians (a very small minority) are at the bottom rung of the socio- economic ladder in terms of income as well as imprisonment rates, for reasons related to the security of the state. (It must be admitted here that when Maldives was under British rule, it suffered less external threats than earlier.)

Attempts at Advocacy:

It has been ten years since I have been trying to bring to the attention of the elected rulers of Maldives the fallacies of some government policies. I made several attempts between 1999 and 2007 to bring to the attention of former President Maumoon some aspects related to development that may not be commonly realized. But the result was no better than drawing lines on the sea. When Uz. Maumoon ignored my pleas, in April 2005 I brought to the attention of individual members of the People's Majlis the dangers of some of the government policies and their possible consequences on national independence. But the result was zero. In 2007, approximately one and half years before the presidential election, I presented to MDP leader Mohammed Nasheed some of my writings on development policy. When I met him accidentally two weeks later he even said they were good. However since his election as president my attempts to get an appointment with him have been in vain.

Consequently the purpose of this article is to bring directly to the attention of the people, my 10-year long plea on the dangers facing the nation, a plea which has been ignored by elected leaders and representatives. I am doing it now because I feel that if the government goes ahead with its plans to hand over basic infrastructure to foreign companies in the name of privatization, it would jeopardize our independence. I want to convey to the people the consequences of what has happened till now and what is planned ahead, because things would go from bad to worse, leaving the nation in a bottomless pit.

The theme of this article is that development policy is broad and interrelated. This article gives only a very brief glimpse of this. More details are given elsewhere in my writings, the most comprehensive of which is a letter I wrote to members of the People's Majlis on 1st April 2005. These writings may be obtained by visiting my website: www.rifatafeef.com.

Notes:

*Original Dhivehi article uses the term 'viyafaari usoolu' here.

**Translated from original article by Rifat Afeef, well-known development consultant.

~Side headings inserted by translator.

What Next in Thimarafushi?

One hopes that nothing more happens in Thimarafushi, now that the election results have been declared, giving Mohamed Mustafa of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) a narrow victory margin of 50 votes. Further litigation is unlikely to change the ground reality and will only vitiate the atmosphere further.

The most Ghassan Maumoon could hope for from taking the matter to the court would be nullify Mustafa's candidacy based on an old court case. If that happens many people in the constituency, particularly in Thimarafushi would feel cheated.

Whatever the truth, many Thimarafushi citizens nurse a long standing grudge that their island –the thickest populated in the area –has never had representation in the Majlis because of widespread vote rigging.

But today it is the moment of their victory. "I am very happy. This victory belongs to the people of this island and the history of this island is changing," an islander told Minivan News. "Because we have a lot of development plans. An airport, city hotels and a yacht marina."

So let the islanders enjoy their revelry and dreams while they last.

[Title photo from http://myislandthimarafushi.blogspot.com/]

Civil Service to Axe Five Permanent Secretaries

Maldives Civil Service has given an entirely new meaning to the word 'permanent' by deciding to sack five permanent secretaries barely a year after they were appointed. Five is not a small number considering that they represent about 25% of all permanent secretaries.

The genesis of the problem dates back to last November, when the new MDP government took over and decided to reduce the number of ministries. This left some permanent secretaries in the lurch as their ministries were either dissolved or merged with other ministries. To 'solve' this issue Civil Service Commission (CSC) took the controversial step of assigning two or more permanent secretaries to some ministries, which according to most legal experts contravenes Civil Service Law.

Perhaps it is this ill advised step that led to the current fiasco. Had the Commission assigned the extra permanent secretaries as additional secretaries or joint secretaries at that point in time, it could have been acceptable all round. But in its infinite wisdom CSC refused to countenance this obvious solution all these months. It stuck to its guns so stubbornly as to vitiate the whole atmosphere. So in the end when CSC finally did accept the 'joint-secretary' solution under duress, there were no takers for it.

The way Maldives Civil Service is headed, it does not appear as if it is achieving its purpose. The raison d'être of a civil service is to maintain continuity in policy when governments change. Here we have a situation where 25% of permanent secretaries are sacked in one year. In the coming 4 years if President Nasheed decides to reorganize ministries a couple of times more, the remaining 75% could very well lose their jobs too.

It's not as if we are inventing civil service for the first time in the history of civilization. Why can't we learn how others approach similar problems? One thing we know for sure is that senior civil servants all over the world continue in their jobs (at least in rank and salary) till retirement age. That's why they are called permanent.

Banning Airtel Dish

Some powerful forces in the Maldives are lobbying for a ban on Airtel dish antennas. We would like to believe that such forces are motivated by purely altruistic reasons such as protecting our culture and religion. However there are reasons to believe that it goes a bit beyond this.

The Airtel package is an India-based service that offers a large number of channels for the price of $100 per year, which works out to about Rf 100 per month. The cable packages hitherto available in the Maldives are priced at between Rf 300 and Rf 500. With this price difference Airtel dishes are appearing on Male rooftops at a rapid rate.

A few years back, the then Information Minister Nasheed had made an attempt to negotiate with local cable operators to bring down the prices. This attempt was blocked by the same lobbies, which today are gunning for Airtel.

To what extent our culture (or the lack there of) and religion (including our blatant disregard of its tenets) will be affected by the Airtel package is open to debate. But one thing is certain. Religious programs and pornographic material have been widely available in the Maldives for quite some time through imported CDs, video cassettes and radio, even before the appearance of dish antennas and the internet. If we are to close all these avenues we might as well get a time machine and transport us back to Stone Age.

Rethinking the National Anthem

Many Maldivians, particularly of the younger generation, appear to be having second thoughts on our current National Anthem. They believe the song is out of tune with the new generation and fails to inspire them.

Historically the words of the National Anthem were composed in 1948 by Mohamed Jameel Didi, and were sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, a traditional Scottish folk song written by Robert Burns. The tune was replaced by the current (composed by Sri Lankan maestro Amaradeva) in 1972, in preparation for the visit to the Maldives of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain (including Scotland).

Some people find the words of the National Anthem ‘silly,’ particularly the tendency to greet each and everything one sees. It is also argued that parts of the song are factually inaccurate. For example, the song states that the three colors green, red and white symbolize victory, luck and success. However, the three colors as used in the national flag have different meanings.

These issues however may not be good enough reasons to replace a song which has been in use for over 60 years. If one scrutinizes familiar National Anthems around the world, such as God Save the Queen, Star Spangled Banner, Jana Gana and Hatikvah, there are similar issues, which make them less than perfect.

Further, the existing song is truly Maldivian in its content. If a new song is composed today, it is likely to have much more foreign influences, be it Western or Arabic.

The melody of the song is a different matter altogether. In 1948 and 1972, we did not have experienced musicians to compose a national anthem. But today we do. So, should we still continue a tune composed by a foreigner?

Arresting Drug Barons and Controlling Drug Trade

Whether the number of drug barons in the Maldives is six, or ten, or fifty or even hundred depends solely on how one defines a drug baron. For example if one defined a drug baron as someone who had more than $1,000,000 in assets believed to be the proceeds from illicit drug trafficking, then the alleged second drug baron, who was recently arrested by the police, won't qualify as one. But if the defining limit was set at $500,000 he could be one. And if one set the limit at $50,000, there could be more than 100 barons.

Statistically speaking one should set the defining limit at such a level that the drug barons so identified would collectively be responsible for most of the drug trade, say more than 75%. If one ignores this precaution, one could end up in an embarrassing situation where all the barons are arrested and the drug trade continues 'business as usual'.

In the run up to the parliamentary elections, President's Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News that arresting the six drug barons would effectively stop the supply of narcotics into the Maldives. We hope he is right.

When a Mother Sexually Assaults her Son

Sexual practices among our supposedly pious community never fail to amaze or shock us. Take the recent case of a 41-year old woman assaulting her own 7-year old son to gratify herself sexually. And this happened in an appalling week in which another child abuse case –from Thoddoo –and a gang rape case were reported.

Some 'experts' have been claiming that the increase in such reported cases is because of more awareness and more reporting. This however may not be true. Crime reporting was much more complete in the past, particularly during the 70s and beyond, when it was near impossible to get away with a serious crime. Thus, it's more likely that the 'experts' are trying to cover up their own inaction.

It may not be out of place here to ponder on the type of moral education we give our youngsters. The mother would have entered school age in 1974, since she is now 41 years old. What have we taught or didn't teach since then to make her what she is?

[To read the details of the case click here]

IGMH Spends Rf 849 to Serve 1 OPD Patient

IGMH spends an average of Rf 849 to serve each patient, Auditor General’s Report has revealed. We can assume that this figure will approximate the cost of an OPD consultation because over 95% of those served in IGMH are OPD cases according to the report. This is far above the average of RF 100 charged by the private sector for OPD consultation.

So IGMH will save considerable expenditure if it allows private doctors to come and practice in its OPDs. Even if the hospital pays 100 rufiyaa per consultation to the doctor, the hospital will still save more than 700 rufiyaa per consultation.

It is not that difficult to identify where IGMH’s wasteful expenditure goes. The Auditor General’s report highlights several areas: poorly planned building construction and modifications, purchasing unused machinery, poor maintenance of equipment, etc.

[Read the details of Auditor General’s Report (Dhivehi) click here.]

What is at Stake for MDP and DRP in Thimarafushi

In a 'raazuvaa' (Maldivian Chess) challenge match, the player who wins the last three games swaggers away in triumph, irrespective of how many rounds were played earlier and who won them. Winning the Thimarafushi seat in the re-poll scheduled for 11 July would give MDP a raazuvaa type chance to walk away like a winner, despite the setbacks it suffered in the main Majlis elections.

For DRP on the other hand, a defeat for Ghassan, scion of their beloved 'Zaeem,' at the hands of Thimarafushi Mustafa, more famous till now as a sea cucumber merchant, is unthinkable. DRP revolves around Zaeem and Ghassan is his anointed successor.

Earlier, the High Court of Maldives had annulled the results of the two ballot boxes polled in Thimarafushi on 9^th May, citing the prevailing atmosphere, which in its opinion was not conducive to a free and fair election. The Court ordered a re-poll be conducted after establishing a more ambient atmosphere. This has left the two main candidates gunning for each other.

Miadhu Daily reports that Mustafa believes some people had spread stories and created confusion and doubts on the situation in Thimarafushi on Election Day. He says these stories were spread after Ghassan was sure of defeat. Mustafa also claims he has information that DRP is sending a group of gangsters to destabilize Thimarafushi and cause unrest.

In the meanwhile, Ghassan Maumoon has told DhiTV that the atmosphere in Thimarafushi is still not conducive for free or fair voting. He said election commission members and a large number of police officers must remain on the island to ensure peaceful and calm voting. Ghassan also complained that he had not been given the opportunity to hold a rally in the island.

Mustafa's chief weapon against Ghassan appears to be to raise chauvinistic feelings in Thimarafushi, playing on the fact that Ghassan is from Male. Ghassan's tactic appears to be to appeal to the youth by emphasizing Mustafa's age, calling him Mustafa Bey, which in Dhivehi has a double meaning (elder brother/old man).

According to an analyst, going by the results (not officially released) of the valid vote boxes in Guraidhoo, Gaadhiffushi and elsewhere, Ghassan has a lead of approximately 260 votes in hand. Mustafa needs to gain two thirds of the Thimarafushi vote to cover this deficit and win. This is not as difficult as it seems because Mustafa had earlier gained that much and more in the canceled results.

Will Flats Exacerbate the Crime Rate?

Studies focusing on communities with public housing units have consistently found that these communities have higher rates of violence and victimization as compared to similar areas without public housing.* Further, public housing estates in Britain, the United States, and Australia are frequently plagued by crime problems.** Experience in the Maldives in relation to tsunami temporary housing and Sinamale also corroborates this, though no formal research has been done. This raises questions about the advisability of going for public housing such as flats, especially in a country already plagued by rising crime rates.

In nearly all islands with mass tsunami housing, be it Hulhudhuffaaru, Ungoofaaru or Bruruni, rifts developed between the immigrants and the local communities because of high crime rates among immigrant youth. And yet, the same youth were innocent young men before they moved into public housing and got involved in drugs.

Sinamale in the capital is a hotbed of crime, where drug deals are made openly. Under-age kids who work in regular shift duties to peddle drugs have become so rich that many of them drive battery cycles (too young to get license).

Considering these facts, how advisable is it to build more flats in Male and other crowded islands? This is an issue policy makers need to ponder.

References:

* http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/2/6/3/0/p126300_index.html

** http://cad.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/45/2/256

Fatal Attraction to Strange Pets

Owning strange pets is a craze that's fast catching up in the Maldives. Apart from the usual cats and love birds, it's quite common these days to find cockatoos, iguanas, guinea pigs, monkeys and even tarantulas in Maldivian homes.

Many people who own pets actually think of themselves as animal lovers. But their love often becomes a type of fatal attraction that lands the animals in cruel conditions and sometimes death.

As a typical example, let me cite the case of the four parrots recently smuggled into the Maldives. Customs officers discovered them wrapped in plastic bags with adhesive tape and hidden under the boiler suits of the two smugglers. [See above photo from Jazeera]

Smugglers get away with this sort of cruelty because misguided 'animal lovers' who buy the creatures tacitly condone such actions. Further there is no comprehensive wild life protection law in the Maldives.

Of course, strange pet ownership is not restricted to the Maldives. Two-thirds of Australian households have at least one pet, according to Petnet. Loving pets is not new, but the way we treat them is.

Pets are becoming more humanized with Doggles (dog sunglasses), gourmet foods, portraits, funeral and cremation services. And it's a big money spinner.

Dogs and cats are the most popular pets in America, but some people prefer more unusual creatures for companions. Visit a pet store, and you may see snakes, hermit crabs, tarantulas, hedgehogs and even Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Some people even have alligators in their bath tubs.

Population Consolidation is Dead

As a national development strategy, population consolidation is as dead as a dodo. After a quarter-century long attempt to implement the strategy in various forms and names, the time has finally come to put it in its rightful place: the dustbin of history.

The strategy originated in the mid 1980s as the 'Selected Islands Development Project,' though the word 'population consolidation' was not coined till the mid 1990s. The purpose of the project was to counter in-migration towards Male by providing 'pull factors' such as health care, education and housing in selected islands.

The strategy was a washout. When it was launched, Male population was less than a quarter of the national population. Today it is more than a third and increasing. Statistics indicate that the declining trend of island population has crossed the point of no return. Between 2000 and 2006 an estimated 22,452 people migrated from the islands to Male. This rate will accelerate further as services in the islands continue to deteriorate, ironically as a result of declining population, which has entered a vicious cycle.

When island populations decrease below a certain critical level, there would be a mass exodus from the atolls. Past experience shows that the critical level could be about 250 inhabitants, at which point basic services become near impossible even with subsidization. Cases in point are Maavaidhoo and Faridhoo in Haa Dhaalu Atoll and Dhiyadhoo in Gaafu Alifu Atoll. Inhabitants of these islands have been desperately petitioning the government for relocation.

Fehendhoo, South Maalhosmadulu Atoll, is the latest island to join the migration queue. At the time of the latest Census in 2006, Fehendhoo had 114 people living on the island. The number has now declined to 64 in just three years. (This figure must not be confused with the registered population of 206, most of who live in Male). The 43 households in the island have requested for relocation to Gan, Haddhunmathi Atoll. The reasons put forward for relocation are the usual: lack of development opportunities, lack of education. Last year the island school closed because there were no students.

In Census 2000, there were only 17 islands with population below 250. But by 2006 there were 30 such islands, indicating the rapid decline in island population. These 30 will soon be on the queue for relocation. Even large islands are not immune from population decline. In 2000 there were 17 islands with population over 4000. However by 2006 the number of such high-population islands had declined to just 9.

The writing on the wall is clear. There are few islands with any potential to develop. The island population is declining so fast that soon there will be no population to consolidate. And finally there is no money to implement such mega projects. Population consolidation failed in the past; it will fail in the future.

“Sir also did it to me”

The recent incident in Huvarafushi where a tuition teacher molested a 14-year-old boy highlights how often child abusers take advantage of their position as teachers, which automatically inspires trust especially if they teach certain respected subjects. But in this particular case the accused is a math teacher.

Mohamed Idrees, Saamaraage, Huvarafushi, allegedly took the 14 year old to his tuition center and lured him with porn videos before molesting him. According to the boy's family Mohamed had done this on four separate occasions.

Interestingly, this case might never have seen the light of the day if not for a protest march organized by Huvarafushi youth following another case of child abuse involving Hussein Naseer, a 21-year old van driver, who allegedly molested an 8-year old boy. After the march, the 14-year old got the courage to come out and say, "Sir also did it to me."

Baby Deaths from ‘Natural Causes’

It's simply not enough to say a baby in custody died of 'natural causes.' A neglected baby dying of malnutrition or unattended medical conditions would also die of a 'natural cause,' it may be argued.

As far as international human rights instruments go, the word 'custody' does not refer exclusively to jails or police detention centers. It also refers to all situations where people or children are kept in institutions managed by the state, except on a purely 'voluntary' basis. Thus borstals and children's homes come under this definition.

It is the responsibility of the state and those in charge of custodial institutions to ensure that basic needs of the inmates are met, including food and health care. In addition to establishing systems and benchmarks to ensure that basic services are provided it is important to organize a system of regular inspections. Further, in case of any serious mishap like death, a full and impartial inquiry must be conducted.

Questions that need to be answered in such an inquiry would include: Was the child's nutrition adequately taken care of? Did the baby suffer from a disease? Was it treated for the condition? If the baby did not respond to treatment, was it evaluated for referral abroad? Was there any neglect, and if so who was responsible?

It's simply not enough to say one has regulations on paper. They must also work on the ground. And how does one conclude a baby died of 'natural causes' before the inquiry has even begun?

Privatizing Schools

Ministry of Education and Invest Maldives have announced opportunities for private investors in Maldivian schools. They told a group of 19 potential investors that four schools are up for grabs including Ameeru Ahmed and Ghiyaasuddin in Male, Afeefuddin in Kulhudhuffushi and Muhibbudin in Hithadhoo.

These four could evolve into elitist private schools like Eton or Doon Valley School, as Education Ministry hopes. But they could also flop like EPS, MES, Ameeru Ahmed and Nooraanee School, which were doing extremely well some years back. Do we know what went wrong with them and how to prevent such mishaps in the future ventures? The following are some issues worth pondering:

Affordability: Many parents pay as much as Rf 1500 rufiyaa per month per subject for private tuition. So they could afford higher school fees. That is the good news. The bad news is when it comes to paying school fees many parents consider even Rf 200 very high.

Quality: One has to pay good salaries to get good teachers. This can only happen if adequate fees are charged.

Government interference: Many private schools failed in the past because of government interference. Can the government resist the temptation to meddle in the new private schools, particularly when they would be operating in government buildings?

Discipline: This is the main problem with government schools. Can the private schools enforce discipline especially when many of their pupils will be the spoilt kids of rich parents?

On the Brink of a Budget Crisis

Maldives national budget is on a collision course with a cash crisis, as warned by International Monetary Fund (IMF). Actually IMF need not have bothered: All the signs of an impending crisis are painfully obvious to all of us.

All major sources of government revenue are ebbing. While a global economic crisis has decimated tourist arrivals, Mother Nature has also not been kind to us in the fisheries sector. Fisheries earnings have come down 54% from $46.1 million to $18.6 million in the first quarter of this year. Tourist arrivals have come down 10% from 266,877 to 239,355.

As a consequence of this, Government revenue has gone down 34% in the first 3 months of this year compared to the corresponding period last year. However the expenditure has been uncontrollably escalating during this period. As a result, the gap between revenue (Rf 1.6 billion) and expenditure (Rf 2.28 billion) has widened to Rf 937 billion.

The crisis is largely due to a series of ill-advised and unrealistic pay hikes. In the search for a solution to this the government is stuck between a rock and hard place. One solution is an across-the-board salary cut of about 30%. The other is a devaluation of the Rufiyaa by the same percent. Politically speaking, both are equally unpalatable.

How did we land in this impasse? Here is the timeline for the genesis of the crisis:

• January 2008: Government employees' salary increased by 16 to 60%.
  
• February to April 2008: A reckless spree of double and triple promotions to senior government employees adds to the salary burden.
  
• April 2008: Majlis passes Employment Law, which introduced unaffordable overtime payments.
  
• May 2008: Salaries of magistrates and judges increased.
  
• June 2008: Majlis Members decide to hike their own salary, triggering a series of strikes by different sectors for further salary increases.
  
• September 2008: Majlis endorses a salary hike for independent commissions.
  
• February 2009: New salary structure implemented, which cost the exchequer an additional one billion rufiyaa for the year.
  
• March to May 2009: Civil Service introduces a wide range of allowances, adding to the burden of unpaid wages.

Taking Theemuge as Court

Housing the Supreme Court is perhaps the best idea so far proposed to make use of Theemuge, the former Presidential Palace. It would not only give an appropriate status to the building but also help to preserve the building in pristine condition.

Theemuge is important to Maldivians not because it was occupied by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom but because it was built with millions of dollars of public money and is part of our national wealth. Preserving the building in good condition is important not because it has sentimental value for the former first family but because its interior is made of expensive and delicate material, which would be damaged if unlimited access is given to all parts of the building.

Unlike the other ideas put forward for Theemuge such as operating offices, using it as Supreme Court would cause minimum damage to the building because the apex court would not be as crowded as a run-of-the-mill government office. So, let's hope this is the final idea for Theemuge for now.

No Punishment Enough for this Mother

How do you propose to punish a mother who abuses her 8-month old son in cahoots with her lover, batters him and finally kills him? Life imprisonment, judicial execution or stoning alive? Unfortunately, going by past history, the mother even if found guilty is more likely to walk free, at most after a couple of years.

On Wednesday night, the battered child of Noor Zaadhaa, 28 years, Silver Leaf / S. Hithadoo, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital with signs of sexual abuse and what would turn out to be fatal injuries. The child died next morning.

The police have arrested three people in connection with the murder, including the child's mother (the buruga clad woman in the photo above), her 46 year old lover Mohammed Waheed, Gold Wish, Male, and an undisclosed person. The three had reportedly tested positive for opiate drugs.

Such heinous crimes have become so common in our (supposed to be 100% Muslim) country that the public's sense of outrage is numbed. After being the topic of hot gossip for a couple of days, this story –like all other such stories –will soon fade from our collective memory.

Is this the right time to reduce import duty?

Listening to the ongoing Majlis debate on the Import Export Act, where Member after Honorable Member spoke about reducing the import duty on a variety of items, it appears as if they believe the national treasury is bloated with loads of surplus cash. But as is painfully obvious, the reality is different. In fact, the financial situation is so precarious that unless additional revenue is generated the budget will be insolvent at the end of the year.

Over the past one and half years the budget has been overwhelmed with ill-advised salary hikes, unaffordable overtime payments, fanciful allowances and, above all, reckless spending to woo the electorate. As of now the ability to pay salaries is also in doubt, let alone implement programs to fulfill government promises. In this situation, talking about cutting an important source of government revenue appears out of place.

Import duty normally accounts for about a third of government revenue. If the proposals currently being discussed are adopted, it would lead to a revenue loss amounting to Rf 500 million, according to Economic Development Minister Mohamed Rasheed.

MPs supported reducing import duty believing it would reduce the cost of living. However experts differ. They say that even if duty is waived on diesel and essential food items, it would not help the people unless the current dollar shortage is adequately addressed. So this may not be the right time to reduce import duty.

[To read details of the Majlis debate click here.]

Handicraftsmen versus Tourist Shops

The lucrative tourist souvenir business in the Maldives has always been controlled by a handful of shrewd businessmen, many of who have gone up in life to become rich resort owners. The artisans who create handicrafts and curios, on the other hand, have little choice but to sell their products to shops at a tiny fraction of the market price. But then this is how things should be in a free market economy. The rich will get richer and the poor could only hope to get a few crumbs thrown down at them –the so called treacle down effect.

Not satisfied with the overwhelming advantages they already enjoy, some shop owners have also been using unfair (? illegal) trade practices. They import cheap products from neighboring countries and palm them off to unsuspecting tourists as Maldivian products. This deprives local artisans of their already meager earnings. According to Miadhu Daily, Maizan Adam Manik, recipient of the 2008 UNESCO Award of Excellence for Handicraft, has recently said that products of foreign origin are being sold in Maldives under ‘Made in Maldives’ label. He said shop owners often use misleading information in their sales pitch, sometimes with pictures of impoverished elderly people, to raise sympathy and sell foreign products.

Minister of State for Economic Development Adil Saleem has identified the urgent need for an authentication system for Maldivian products, Miadhu Daily reports. Considerable work has been done to produce an authentication logo, Director at the Economic Development Ministry Mohamed Luaiz has revealed. However the work has been delayed for various reasons.

This is not surprising since the long arms of businessmen reach the corridors of power in Male to ensure that no policy or regulation detrimental to their monopolistic practices is implemented. But again this is how things should be in a free market economy.

California Schools to Phase out Textbooks

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled a plan to save money by phasing out school textbooks in favor of internet aids, BBC reports. He says converting to online study will help keep pupils more up-to-date.

Gov Schwarzenegger believes internet activities such as Facebook, Twitter and downloading to iPods show that young people are the first to adopt new online technologies, and so the internet is also the best way to learn in classrooms. But it is believed the real reason Gov Schwarzenegger wants the change is money. Last year California spent $350m on textbooks and can no longer afford it.

The Maldives also spends millions of rufiyaa each year to provide school textbooks, many of which are actually not used in classrooms according to parents. Perhaps we could also think of going for I-textbooks in the future. But it is currently not feasible as most students don't have easy access to computers either at school or home.

[To read more on the California initiative click here.]

Dr. Shaheed sues Umar Naseer

Legal redressal for defamation is a necessary evil, as Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed would tell you. He has on Sunday filed a civil lawsuit against Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) leader Umar Naseer to recover Rf. 57,898,477 from him for alleged defamation.

Such lawsuits are the downside of unfettered freedom of expression, which in recent years has caused irreparable damage to the reputations of respected public figures. Something had to be done about it. As Shaheed's lawyer Dr. Mohamed Jameel said, one hopes this case will set a legal precedence that would be a deterrent to anyone tempted to make unsubstantiated accusations against opponents. Miadhu Daily quotes Dr. Jameel as saying, "We have to make people who make such allegations answerable and accountable. There are certain limits and boundaries stipulated in the new Constitution for freedom of expression."

Explaining how the figure of 57,898,477 was calculated Jameel said the amount included his fees as well as reparation for damages to Shaheed and his family's reputation and his future career prospects. He said this is how such are calculations are made in other countries too.

Miadhu Daily reports that Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) in early March alleged that senior government officials, including foreign minister Dr. Shaheed, accepted US $ 2 million in bribes to recognize Kosovo independence. The bribe was allegedly from Behgjet Pacolli, the leader of New Kosovo Alliance (NKA).

Back to Bicycle

The recently introduced ‘Back to Bicycle’ and ‘Walk to School’ campaigns are noble initiatives –on paper. For them to actually come to the roads certain basic issues must be addressed –issues that forced men to buy motorcycles and girls to become pillion riders in the not too distant past.

In one way, the Walk to School program is already 80% achieved even before it is launched. That’s because approximately that proportion of parents who take kids to primary schools are women and nearly all of them walk –not a problem because in most cases primary schools are within walking distance. The remaining 20% of parents are men who take their kids on motorcycles. It will be this 20% who must be persuaded to walk to school. In order to facilitate this they must be given more time off from work.

Imagine someone who works in Ghaazee building. If he has to take a kid to Taajuddin School he will need about 40 minutes for the 3-way trip. It will take a lot of persuasion to make someone do this in the mid afternoon sun, especially if that someone has a motorcycle. Further if 40 minutes of the one hour break is spent for the trip, he will need an additional half an hour for lunch.

Not long ago, most people in Male had bicycles. Girls used to ride nice looking brands of bicycles instead of riding behind someone. All this stopped mainly because of uncontrolled bicycle theft. Motorcycle thefts are relatively less common, not because they are more difficult to steal, but because they are more difficult to dispose off since they require registration and regular updating of fee payments.

Looking back on the whole thing, bicycles could have been retained on the streets if some minimum facilities were provided. For example, keeping a parking attendant or two around Huravee/Ghaazee building area and a few other strategically located places could have prevented a lot of thefts. But that was the past. How do we do it now?

Sibling Rivalry among Majududdine’s Descendants

The ongoing legal imbroglio between Yacht Tours and Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has drawn in quite a few of the descendants of Chief Justice Ibrahim Majududdine, an illustrious personage of the Meedhoo line of judges. Majududdine served during the reign of King Mohammed Imaduddine IV during the 19th Century. Many of his sons, grandsons and great grandsons held and continue to hold key positions in the legal system in Maldives.

As an interesting coincidence, Majududdine's great grand children are playing lead roles in all aspects of the Yacht Tours case. To start with, Yacht Tours owner Jabir is married to former Attorney General Dhiyana Saeed, a descendant of Majududdine. Tourism Minister Dr. Sawad is also married to a descendant of Majududdine. Chief Justice Abdullah Saeed is a direct descendant of Majududdine, and so is Attorney General Husnu Suood, who has recently stated he will play a role in the case. Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu is also a descendant of Majududdine, though so far there has been no role for him in the Yacht Tours case as no criminal liability has been identified so far.

The Yacht Tours drama is being enacted against the backdrop of the approaching appointment of the first Chief Justice of Maldives under the new Constitution. Some possible choices for the prestigious post include, Husnu Suood, Abdullah Saeed, Muizzu and Dhiyana. Other possible choices among the descendants include Hassan Saeed and Munavvar. Of course there are very strong contenders, who are not related to Majududdine, for example Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain and Shaheen Hameed.

In the meanwhile the Yacht tours case appears to be hotting up. Minivan News reports that when Suood was asked about the inordinate delay in resolving the dispute he laid the responsibility squarely on the doorstep of Abdullah Saeed. "When the Chief Justice does his duty, then it will be solved," he said. Strong words indeed.

On his part Abdullah Saeed isn't backing down either. "We can't hold a stick to them [Civil Court] and tell them to speed it up," he retorted. "I don't accept the attorney general can make such statements. It amounts to undue influence over the courts." He explained the case was in the Civil Court's jurisdiction and the Supreme Court only had a supervisory role over that court.

Beauty Health Body Light Parlor Busted

The Police have arrested 5 women working in 'Beauty Health Body Light' massage parlor and charged them with prostitution yesterday. The five women, all Thai nationals, were aged between 33 and 41.

According to police sources, the five have confessed to providing 'indecent' favors in exchange for monetary incentives. The police also found in their possession a large quantity of cash and money transfer slips, which they believe to be the proceeds from prostitution.

Massage parlors had been legal in the Maldives since Ms. A**** F*** was licensed by Ministry of Health in 1998 to operate an aroma therapy and masseur training center on the recommendation of a VVIP politician. Ms. A had been a colleague of the politician when he was working as a teacher in Aminiya School in the 1970s before entering politics.

Massage parlors were de-licensed two years back following sustained pressure from Umar Naseer and his Islamic Democratic Party. However, they continue to operate under various guises.

Need for Managing the Expatriate Labor Force

Going by media reports, it appears as if most Maldivians believe that the 80,839 expatriate workers in the Maldives are an ‘issue’ or a ‘problem’ that needs to be solved, perhaps by repatriating them. However, as Human Rights Commission of the Maldives has said in its statement issued on 10th March, expatriate workers make a valuable contribution without which the Maldivian economy will be severely crippled. Thus, what is needed is not repatriation but solving the administrative, regulatory and law enforcement issues related to the expatriate labor force, some of which are:
Administrative issues:
At the end of 2008 there were 80,839 expatriates, up 10,075 from the70,764 at the beginning of the year. In addition, there were approximately 20,000 illegal immigrants according to the Human Resources Ministry. Recently on June 1st, the Ministry has started a registration program for them.
Law and order issues:
In some cases expatriates have been the victims of law and order issues, while in other cases they have been the perpetrators. Here are a few examples from this year:
-Eight persons were arrested on 19 February 2009 on charges of prostitution.
-Two expatriate waiters in a restaurant were arrested on 21 Feb on charges of credit card fraud worth Rf. 700,000.
-A Bangladeshi worker was found strangulated in Thilafushi on 16 April
-Two expatriates were arrested on 21 April with several cases of illegal Vodka.
-Four expatriate workers were arrested in Hulhudhoo, Addu Atoll, on 23 May for group violence.
-A Bangladeshi migrant was found badly battered and murdered on Hulhumale Beach on 1st June. Another Bangladeshi was arrested as a suspect in the case.
Exploitation and human rights violation:
- An expatriate worker fell to death from a demolition site on 11 February.
-A large number of expatriates organized a strike on 15 February saying their salaries were not paid.
-Employees of a prominent construction company organized a protest on 13 April saying their salaries were not paid.

One More Coincidence of the Titanic

The sinking of the great ship Titanic has been associated with an eerie series of coincidences that is still continuing. The latest in this series is the death on Sunday of Millvina Dean, the last surviving Titanic passenger. She died exactly on the 98th Anniversary of the launching of Titanic on 31 May 1911. When Millvina died she had just entered the 98th year of her life.

Some 14 years before the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, a novel written by Morgan Robertson had described another ocean liner, which set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage. She struck an iceberg and sunk with a heavy loss of life, since there were not enough life boats on board. The name of the vessel in Robertson's novel, Futility, was Titan.

The similarity between the two ships didn't end with the names. Titan and Titanic were approximately the same size, were capable of attaining the same speed, and both were capable of carrying approximately 3,000 people. Both ships were described as "unsinkable" and both ships went down in the same area of the North Atlantic.

William Thomas Stead, a journalist, wrote a short story in 1892 that resembled the Titanic disaster. Stead was also a spiritualist who had received messages through mediums urging him not to set foot on the Titanic. He ignored the warnings and was one of Titanic's 2,223 passengers who died on the fateful voyage.

Intimidating Civil Servants and Judges

The rising trend of intimidation of government officials and judges is spinning out of control. It started a few years back as closure of island offices; blockade of atoll offices followed, and now contempt of courts is becoming the norm.

There seems to be little point in making the judiciary independent, if it can be threatened into submission by thugs. There is no point in establishing a civil service, if its functionaries are continuously harassed.

The whole thing could perhaps have been nipped in the bud if decisive action was taken at the point when island offices were being closed. But unfortunately at the time politicians in Male felt it was not their problem. Now it is perhaps too late.

This reminds us of the experience of Martin Niemöller during Nazi days: "In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew; And then... they came for me... And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

In the latest incident of this nature, Hulhudhoo Magistrate Ali Nazeer is facing a constant barrage of verbal abuse and death threats. To read the details of the case in Haveeru Daily click here.

World No Tobacco Day, 31 May

On 31st May each year WHO celebrates World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce consumption. Tobacco use is the second cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2009 is tobacco health warnings, with an emphasis on the picture warnings that have been shown to be particularly effective at making people aware of the health risks of tobacco use and convincing them to quit. More and more countries are fighting back against the epidemic of tobacco by requiring that packages of tobacco show the dangers of the product's use, as called for in guidelines to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

WHO created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and its lethal effects. Tobacco is the number one preventable epidemic that the health community faces.

A Mausoleum for Nasir

It's a beautiful gesture to dedicate a mausoleum to Ibrahim Nasir, the father of modern Maldives and its independence hero. From a distance, the monument erected in the eastern courtyard of Male's Friday Mosque looks beautiful too. But only from a distance. When one gets closer, the quality of the workmanship leaves much to be desired and compares very unfavorably with the stone carvings in the mausoleum of King Ibrahim Iskandharu in the western courtyard.

For environmental reasons one could understand why coral stone is no longer a suitable material for a mausoleum. But surely something more suitable than concrete could have been found, perhaps limestone, marble or even slate. The material actually used is concrete, cast on fiberglass moulds.

When one looks at the assembled structure, individual blocks are out of alignment by as much as a couple of inches. Because of this, straight lines on the carved design look wavy, and the curves are interrupted.

For some odd and unexplained reason, a news reporter has asked an official from Islamic Ministry what he thought of the mausoleum. His enigmatic reply was, "No shrine has been made and no shrine will be allowed to be made." [No one has said this reply resembled the statement of Mohamed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi Information Minister during the American invasion, "There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never! They're not even within 100 miles of Baghdad. They are not in any place."]

Shahid elected Speaker

In an avoidably chaotic first meeting of the new People's Majlis, Keyodhoo member Abdullah Shahid has been elected Speaker. Ahmed Nazim was elected Deputy Speaker.

When the Majlis convened at 11 am today, it went into an avoidable debate allowed by the interim speaker Mohamed Hussein, following a point of order taken by Mariyaa Ahmed Didi saying that if the speaker uses his casting vote following a secret ballot, his vote will no longer be secret. Instead of going on with the agenda, which is to elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Mohamed Hussein decided to ask for members' opinion on the hypothetical situation: what to do if there is a tie in the secret ballot? One clause of the Constitution says the speaker must not take part in a ballot. Another clause says the speaker must use his casting vote in case of a tie.

Interim Speaker Mohammed Hussein thought there was a contradiction between the two clauses. However, many members felt there was no such contradiction. This difference of opinion led to a volley of 'points of order,' which wasted more than one and half hours of the Majlis's valuable time. In the end it was decided to go ahead with the vote first and to deal with the issue later if it arose.

When the floor was opened for proposing names for the post of speaker, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali proposed the name of Abdullah Shahid and Abdullah Yaameen seconded it. Mariyaa Ahmed Didi proposed the name of Ibrahim Mohammed Solih and Reeko Moosa Manik seconded it. When the names were put to vote Abdullah Shahid won the election 42 to 33.

When the floor was opened for proposing names for the post of Deputy Speaker Mariyaa Ahmed Didi proposed the name of Ahmed Hamza and Moosa Manik seconded it. Ahmed Thasmeen proposed the name of Ahmed Nazim and Abdullah Yaameen seconded it. Gasim Ibrahim proposed the name of Mohamed Nasheed and Ahmed Shyam Mohamed seconded it. But Mohamed Nasheed withdrew his name. When the names were put to vote Ahmed Nazim won the election 41 to 33.

The way the vote went is a strong indication of the strength of the two major parties. It does not augur very well for the ruling MDP.

As the new Majlis is sworn in

Much has been made out of the fact that when the newly elected People's Majlis is sworn in tomorrow it will be the first Majlis in 75 years to include only elected members. This however is only academic. Once members used to enter the Majlis at the pleasure of the King, later at the pleasure of the President and now at the pleasure of the party bosses. However there is one significant difference: a powerful opposition.

Looking superficially, one might believe that the opposition PA-DRP Alliance would win the elections for Speaker and Deputy Speaker. But they are quite likely to be surprised. In a secret ballot there could be floor crossings, which is likely to affect DRP more because its members are less bound by ideology compared to MDP.

Once the teething problems are over, the Majlis has a full legislative agenda. Urgent matters before it include:

1. Penal Code;
   
2. Criminal Procedures Bill;
   
3. Prisons and Parole Bill;
   
4. Drug Law;
   
5. Decentralized Administration Bill;
   

Police Search for Evidence in Nazim’s Office

The police raided opposition MP Ahmed Nazim's office Sunday, apparently in search of incriminating evidence in relation to allegations levied in the Auditor General's report on the former Atolls Ministry. Released on 8th May, the report suspects three companies (in which Nazim holds shares, though he is not mentioned by name) of using corrupt practices to win a contract worth about 2 million rufiyaa for supplying harbor lights.

The three companies under suspicion are Namira, Standard and Neyza, which the report believes belong to the same owners who used them as fronts to bypass regulations that require a minimum of three quotations for a bid to be valid. The report does not specifically say whether the three are legal companies duly registered with the Trade Ministry, though this appears to be the case when one considers indirect references to their shareholders.

Police raided Nazim's office at 1.20 am on the night of 24th May and seized a number of documents, a laptop computer and two hard drives. This was done under a search warrant issued by the Criminal Court.

The raid comes two weeks after the Audit Report and one week after President Mohamed Nasheed created a presidential commission to investigate misappropriation of state funds by members of the former government.

Nazim who was recently re-elected to the parliament from Dhiggaru constituency has been the subject of many unsavory rumors, perhaps partly because of his meteoric rise to fame and fortune. Notable among the rumors are alleged misuse of his position in STELCO to promote his personal trade in electrical goods and alleged corrupt practices relating to rural electrification projects. However, none of these allegations have ever been proved against him.