Maldives law 'selling' foreigners islands stokes Delhi's fears of rising Chinese role

With anyone investing $1bn now able to own land in perpetuity, concerns are growing that the Maldives will become the focus of an Indian Ocean cold war

A new law allowing foreigners to own land on the Maldives, the island nation known for luxury tourism, has sharpened regional competition for influence over one of the busiest oceans in the world.

On Thursday Abdulla Yameen, the controversial president of the Maldives, approved a law allowing foreign ownership of land in the country for the first time, triggering concern in Delhi over a possible opportunity for China to extend its reach in the Indian Ocean region.

Dozens of foreign companies already run luxury resorts on islands that they lease from the government of the honeymoon islands for a maximum of 99 years.

The law would allow foreigners who invest more than $1bn (£650m) to own land in perpetuity, provided 70% of it is reclaimed from the sea.

India has watched warily as the Maldives, which held its first free elections in 2008 after more than three decades of autocratic rule, has tilted towards China in recent years.

The two emerging Asian powers are battling for influence in the region, with Delhi concerned at what it sees as aggressive moves by Beijing in what it considers its backyard.

India won the most recent round of manoeuvring when President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka was ousted in a surprise defeat in January. Rajapaksa had increasingly looked to China for investment and diplomatic support. The new Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, has shifted Sri Lanka’s policy back towards Delhi.

The Maldives have also seen competition. An Indian company had a major contract to extend the existing airport cancelled, while the Chinese are helping to build a crucial $300m road link between the airport and the capital, Malé. India was also closer to the former president and current opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed, who was ousted in 2012 and is currently under house arrest.

Yameen went out of his way to reassure India in an address to the nation. “The Maldivian government has given assurances to the Indian government and our neighbouring countries as well to keep the Indian Ocean a demilitarised zone,” the president was quoted as saying by the local Minivan News website.

Yameen said the foreign policy of the Maldives would not change and the new move would not pose “any danger to either the Maldivian people or our neighbouring countries”.

Officials in Delhi said they were examining Yameen’s statements closely.

Lawmakers in the Maldives voted on Wednesday for the bill, which easily passed after a brief debate, with 70 members in favour and 14 against, the assembly said in a statement.

But opposition MPs expressed fears that their small nation, made up of about 1,200 tiny islands, would be caught in the “a cold war brewing between India and China”.

Since Nasheed was jailed for 13 years in March there have been regular protests on Malé’s streets.

Loyalists have argued that the detention of the human rights activist turned politician is an attempt to shut down opposition to the government of Yameen.

David Cameron called last month for “political dialogue [and the] release of Nasheed and all political prisoners” in the Maldives.

The Maldivian prosecutor general said on Friday that he would appeal against Nasheed’s conviction.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/24/maldives-law-selling-foreigners-islands-stokes-delhis-fears-rising-chinese-role 

Going After Government Looters

PARIS — The government of the Maldives wants its money back — $400 million to be precise.

That is the amount that it estimates was looted by its former president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and his associates. Mr. Gayoom dominated politics in the Maldives, a tiny Indian Ocean nation, for 30 years. After winning six successive single-party elections, he finally bowed to popular pressure and allowed open elections in 2008. He lost.

He is one of a number of politically connected figures — some alive, others dead — who are the targets of increasingly coordinated efforts to repatriate misappropriated funds. Results to date have been encouraging, but much more can be done, officials and development experts say.

A report from the Maldives’ national auditor released in 2009 reads like a guidebook on self-enrichment. The president’s spending was “out of control,” it said, as Mr. Gayoom used his power to live a lavish lifestyle and extend largesse to those around him.

An estimated $9.5 million was spent buying and delivering a luxury yacht from Germany for the president; $17 million was spent on renovations of the presidential palace and family houses. Mr. Gayoom built a saltwater swimming pool, a badminton court and a gymnasium, and he bought 11 speed boats and at least 55 cars — including the country’s only Mercedes-Benz, the audit said.

The Maldives, a series of atolls, has a land mass about 1.7 times the size of Washington, including many uninhabited islands. In terms of gross domestic product per capita it ranks 152nd in the world, according to the C.I.A.

And the list goes on, from Loro Piana suits and trousers to watches and hefty bills for medical services in Singapore for “important people” and their families. There was a $70,000 trip to Dubai by the first lady in 2007, a $20,000 bill for a member of the family of the former president to stay a week at the Grand Hyatt in Singapore. On one occasion, diapers were sent to the islands by airfreight from Britain for Mr. Gayoom’s grandson.

Even allocations made to Mr. Gayoom’s office for welfare distribution were spent on the president’s family and their friends, senior government staff members and their friends and members of Parliament, according to the report. [Read More]

President’s office snaps back at VP: Says Executive is no “log of wood” to shoulder equally

Press Secretary for the President’s Office snapped back at Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed saying “the Executive is not a log of wood” for the President and the Vice President to shoulder equally, after the latter publicly said he was not “consulted” over government matters calling Nasheed administration “a single man running the show.”

He [the Vice President] is suggesting it is dictatorship again under President Mohamed Nasheed “as if the Executive was a log of wood to carry with which the President should shoulder one end and the VP should be allowed to shoulder the other,” Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair told the Asian Tribune.

On April 12, Dr. Waheed appeared on the Hoonu Gondi (Hot Seat) show on VTV and lamented the fact that though being the Vice President, he is not “consulted” over government matters and he not satisfied in the job.

Later, he told media that the Nasheed administration is still a “one man running the show” like it used to be under President Gayoom.

The “way we function in [this] government is not too different to what it used to be. It’s still one man running the show,” he was quoted as saying in Minivan news.

But Zuhair said Dr. Waheed’s comments that the “country runs like before as single party rule is misleading and deliberate political prevarication as it also suggests that there is no pluralism in the Maldives.”

“No one can actually refute that the political system had completely changed here, that there are multiple parties, independent institutions, so there cannot be a dictatorship,” he said.

The Press Secretary called the Vice President’s comments “pure phantasmagoria which can only be aimed at the public” hoping to persuade some to believe him.”

Asked if President Nasheed is not concerned when his Vice President says he is not happy in the job, Zuhair said: “The President has commented that he would extend serious consideration to the VP’s recent remarks.”

According to Zuhair, Dr. Waheed’s comments are rather “political” aimed at the public and not at the President.

“As the nature of the VP’s remarks were entirely political there is also a misconception that they were aimed at the government. However they were aimed at the public,” he argued.

He [Dr. Waheed] mooted greater participation for coalition parties - - that they participate fully in the government, during the VTV show.

However, Vice President Dr. Waheed is a professional with a Masters in Education Planning and has held key positions in the field of education globally.

He has worked as UNICEF Head of Education in Tanzania, as a Senior Advisor at UNICEF Headquarters in New York and UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for South Asia and Acting Regional Director based in Nepal, amongst many positions held.

Dr. Waheed also noted that his experience in the education sector is not fully tapped by the government.

Waheed’s political party, the Gaumee Ithihad (National Unity) tied up with the then MDP presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed in 2008, becoming his running mate.

However the party failed to win a single seat in Parliament in the May 2010 general elections.

And Zuhair queried as to “how can a coalition partner demand a bigger share in the government when they lack support even for a single MP?”

The Gaumee Ithihad got “negligible public support” during the vote, he said.
Yet he said the Vice President is being consulted “over and above the Constitutional requirement.”

“The Constitution does not sanction the President to divide his executive duties and responsibilities. It is the responsibility of the President to safeguard this important feature in the Constitution.”

“The President is the one and only Head of the Executive and State,” Zuhair explained.

Articles 117 and 122 of the Constitution deals with the responsibilities of the Vice President. It sauys “The Vice President shall exercise such responsibilities and powers of the President as are delegated to him by the President.”

Dismissing Dr. Waheed’s comments on lack of consultation, Zuhair noted “the VP attends daily executive meetings, all weekly cabinet meetings, his party’s ministers work and contribute to the government and attend Cabinet meetings.”

Dr. Waheed’s party has two ministers, two state ministers and number of other political appointees in the government.

“So there are consultations happening all the time in the government, over and above the Constitutional requirement as there is the political element of his own party’s politicians in the government. “

He said “an appeal for any more consultation would be political, outside the parameters of the VP’s role in the Constitution,” adding “the additional engagement would only mean with his party, which is directly related to garnering more public support.”

Source: http://www.asiantribune.com

Maldives president ratifies new constitution

The Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ratified the country's new constitution on Thursday, aiming to pursue a "modern, multi-party, democratic system" and giving more powers to the judiciary and legislature.

Opposition parties welcomed the new constitution, but worried about the implementation stage, while some members of the public hoped the document would bring change.

The new constitution, developed over the past four years, includes a judiciary run by an independent commission, and independent commissions to oversee elections and fight corruption.

The new constitution reduces the executive powers vested under the president and strengthens the parliament, which would be chosen through an electoral system giving each 5,000 people one member, replacing a less representative system that included some seats appointed by the president.

"We are not doing this as an illusion ... but for the benefit of the country," President Gayoom said soon after announcing official ratification of the new constitution.

"The real work is bringing the constitution into effect. Democracy can bind everyone together even if we are different from one another."

Gayoom, Asia's longest-serving leader, has held the reins of the archipelago -- a major tourist destination -- since 1978.

He first pledged the reforms to the earlier constitution following a crackdown on mass protests in 2003, and criticism over his government's human rights record.

The country's constitution was last revised in 1998, putting the president at the head of all government bodies.

NEED CHANGES

"It might bring some good changes. I have seen this man (Gayoom) ever since I was born. It's time to bring a change," said 27-year-old housewife Mizna, who like others interviewed gave only one name.

"The new constitution says we can get freedoms, but we don't feel it now. Maybe electing a new president will give us the freedoms in reality," said Ibrahim, a store cashier.

Tourist resort worker Aram, 18, said he didn't believe the new constitution could make a difference and thought Gayoom would retain his power.

Gayoom is expected to contest in the country's first multi-party presidential elections, due to be held by Oct. 10, after six terms in which he was nominated by parliament with the public given the chance to approve or disapprove him.

"It lays the groundwork for a new era providing, of course, the constitution is implemented in the spirit it (is) intended to be," Ahamed Shaheed, former foreign minister of Gayoom's government last year on slow pace of constitutional reforms and now a member of opposition New Maldives Movement, told Reuters.

"But we still want to see how it is implemented, because we do need to see the composition of the election commission and supreme court."

The opposition Republican party said true independence for the new bodies is critical.

The Home Ministry said Gayoom had pardoned 13 prisoners on Wednesday night, a day before he lost his pardoning powers under the new constitution, including a pardon for relative jailed on terror charges in the 2003 unrest.

Source: in.reuters.com

Maldives minister quits over tourism resorts plan

Maldives Tourism Minister Mahmoud Shaugee said on Sunday he had resigned from the government over plans to lease more than 30 new resorts to make up for a $180 million budget shortfall.

"The submission of my resignation is now official. I submitted it on 3 July," Shaugee told Reuters.

"My intention today is not to challenge the government, but we have differences of opinion -- on policy issues."

It was not immediately clear if President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had accepted the resignation, which follows that of Finance Minister Gasim Ibrahim on Thursday.

Shaugee's resignation follows the government's decision earlier this month to lease 31 new resorts to bridge a $180 million shortfall in revenues.

The funds had been expected to be generated by a privately funded investment in a new trans-shipment port on the popular tourism destination, but the project has been postponed with no start date fixed.

The new round of resort leases had not figured in the Tourism Ministry's 2007-2011 masterplan and would have been carried out "without any planning," Shaugee said.

Shaugee is the sixth minister to leave the cabinet in the past 18 months.

On Thursday, finance minister Ibrahim quit, a day after an auditor's report revealed the 2008 state budget faced a deficit of 4.4 billion rufiyaa ($344 million).

The International Monetary Fund early this month warned the Maldives government to cut its "extraordinarily high level" of expenditure on state wages and subsidies and increase revenue collection or face possible high inflation.

($1 = 12.8 Maldivian Rufiyaa)

Source: in.reuters.com

Maldives finance minister quits over budget criticism

Maldives Finance Minister Gasim Ibrahim resigned on Thursday after an independent auditor general criticised the country's budget.

Gasim confirmed his resignation to Reuters.

"I don't think I should be [in the minister post]," Gasim said, declining to comment further.

His resignation comes a day after a report by the Auditor General and the Financial Committee of parliament revealed the 2008 state budget faces a deficit of 4.4 billion rufiyaa ($344 million).

In his first report since being appointed the country's first independent Auditor General, Ibrahim Naeem also said the budget failed to meet some basic accounting principles.

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had rejected the report at a news conference on Thursday before Gasim's resignation.

"The auditor general's report does not have to be accepted by everyone," Gayoom said.

The International Monetary Fund last week warned the Maldives government to cut its "extraordinarily" high expenditure on state wages and subsidies and increase revenue collection or face possible high inflation.

The IMF said the 2008 budget posed risks to the Indian Ocean island nation's macroeconomic stability due to inadequate revenue and high government spending.

"The budget envisages overall expenditures of near 70 percent of GDP, an extraordinarily high level historically and internationally," the IMF said.

However, after the last week's IMF warning, Gasim told journalists there was no deficit.

Gasim is the fifth minister to leave the cabinet in the past eighteen months. ($1 = 12.8 Maldivian Rufiyaa) (Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by David Fox)

Source: http://in.reuters.com

Maldives Aid urges citizens to 'Go vote'

Maldives Aid, as part of the Civil Society Network of the Maldives, today launched a new campaign in the capital Malé to urge citizens to vote in the country's first multi-party elections, expected in the coming months.

The 'Go Vote' campaign kicked off in Malé with a press conference introduced by Mariyam Seena, Co-ordinator of Maldives Aid. The conference included a keynote speech from Dr Peter Hayes, British High Commissioner to the Maldives, who gave his full support for the campaign and reform process in general. Questions from the press were answered by representatives of participating NGOs.[pictured above]

The campaign, which will last until the week before the presidential election, promotes voter awareness through a series of forums and music concerts, posters, TV and radio programs, and the dissemination of voter education booklets. It targets traditionally low turn-out groups such as women and young people in order to ensure the population of the Maldives participates as fully as possible on polling day.

The campaign will also travel to remote islands to verify the voter registry and educate islanders about democracy and the importance of engaging with their country's political future.

Source: http://www.maldivesaid.org

Nasir Critically Ill In Singapore

A source close to former Maldivian President Ibrahim Nasir has said he is critically ill in the intensive care unit of Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

The 82-year-old former leader, exiled in Singapore since his presidency ended in 1978, has previously suffered kidney problems and the prospects of a recovery are “gloomy”, according to the source.

Ruler of the Maldives from 1968 to 1978, Nasir is credited with bringing about Maldivian independence. The country had previously been a British protectorate.

But he was criticised for a crackdown on a 1959 breakaway republic in the south of the country.

Nasir has been in retirement in Singapore since resigning the presidency in 1978. His family still has “hopes that he will recover,” according to the source, but his prospects of recovery are slim following several weeks in hospital.

Nasir – a descendant of one of the Maldivian royal families - first served as Prime Minister under Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi from 1957 to 1968, before becoming first president of the second Maldivian republic in 1968.

He held office until declining to accept nomination by the parliament for another term in November 1978.

Some hail him as a national hero due to his involvement in deal which saw Maldives, previously a British protectorate, gain independence in 1965.

He is also credited with introducing the current school curriculum, modernising the fisheries industry and initiating tourism in Maldives, which now generates 30 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

However he faced criticism for use of authoritarian methods against opponents. As prime minister in 1962, Nasir sent a militia from the capital, Malé, to suppress islanders of Gaaf Dhaal Thinadhoo after they declared a breakaway state in the southern atolls.

In 1981, he was sentenced by President Gayoom in absentia for alleged corruption and planning a coup, but he was later pardoned.

But the source says Gayoom has not “created the conditions” under which Nasir could return to the Maldives, though he retains his Maldivian passport.

Source: minivannews.com

Maldives first ever issue based presidential poll

Maldives first ever issue based presidential poll

Source:

Maldives to hold multi-party polls before October

The Maldives, pushing ahead with democratic reforms, has decided to hold its first multi-party presidential election before October 10, the first popular test of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Asia's longest-serving ruler.

Gayoom, in power since 1978, has said he will stand for re-election, defying opponents who describe the 71-year-old as a dictator who rules the island chain, famed for its luxury tourist resorts and fine scuba diving, like a sultan of old.

The constitutional assembly of the Indian Ocean archipelago voted on Sunday to hold presidential elections before October 10, 2008 and parliamentary elections before March 31, 2009.

"We wanted an election scheduled as soon as possible to renew Gayoom's mandate or to elect someone else. This way there will be a new president in office on 11th November 2008," said Ibrahim Shareef, a constitutional assembly member from Gayoom's Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP).

The DRP says Gayoom can stand in the election for a seventh term, although the constitution sets a two-term limit, because this will be the first election under a new constitution.

Opposition parliamentarians say he cannot run again and vow to take the issue to the Supreme Court if necessary.

Gayoom first pledged sweeping democratic reforms in 2004, reacting to harsh criticism of his government's rights record in this nation of 300,000, mostly Sunni Muslims.

Opposition parties were legalised in 2005, but a new constitution for the chain of 1,200 mostly uninhabited islands 800 km off the toe of India is still being drafted.

Critics accuse Gayoom of cracking down on dissent despite his reform promises, and of stifling opposition parties to hold onto power and keep control of lucrative tourist resorts.

Opposition groups, concerned the elections might not be free and fair, formed an alliance last November to press for an interim government.

"We think it will be a relatively free and fair election. But we are still concerned that Gayoom will be head of state and have an unfair advantage in the election process," said Hassan Hussein Rasheed, a constitutional assembly member from the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

But the government used its strength in the constitutional assembly to pass an article on Sunday allowing the president and cabinet to remain in place until elections are held.

In a referendum last year, the Maldives voted to adopt a U.S.-style presidential system, a victory for Gayoom and a defeat for the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party which wanted a British-style parliamentary system of government.

Gayoom, in power for 29 years, said after the referendum that he would run for re-election in the multi-party poll for one more five-year term.

Source: http://in.reuters.com

CPC delegation leaves for Vietnam, Maldives

A delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) left Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Thursday for friendly visits to Vietnam and Maldives.

The delegation, led by Lu Hao, secretary of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee, was invited by the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party of Maldives

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english

India looks to ramp up presence in Maldives

Maldives, located just south of Lakshadweep islands in the Indian Ocean, has somehow slipped below the radar of India's strategic consciousness all these years.

But this is changing. India is ramping up its presence in the tiny Indian Ocean island nation that is now being seen as a potential strategic and economic hotspot. Maldives — for long a political fiefdom of its longest-serving president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — is in the middle of a political transition.

Now, it's changing into a multi-party setup, with some Islamist parties being part of the political mix. This has lent a sense of urgency in pushing India's interests in that country.

The coming week will see foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon travel to Male, and following hot on his heels will be minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh. On February 6, Gayoom himself will be in Delhi to participate in a conference on global warming — an enduring nightmare for Maldives.

MEA will try and remove some of the strains that have crept into the relationship with Maldives, particularly following terrorist incidents, and a less than acceptable stand of Maldives on Kashmir. But, most importantly, it is India’s opportunity to tell Maldives that it matters big.

The underlying message by India next week will be that Indian globalization is incomplete without a proper relationship with Maldives.

Strategically important, Maldives has suggested it be made a logistics hub for India on the high seas. Maldives has even offered to give an entire island to India's IT industry, to set up shop there. Since India is expanding its presence as a maritime power in the Indian Ocean, leaving Maldives out of the calculation would be short-sighted to say the least.

India has a strong-enough defence and security relationship with Maldives — apart from supplying it with defence equipment and fast-attack craft, India takes care of almost 75% of Maldives' defence training.

But, there needs to be greater economic interest. Despite its proximity to India, it's Singapore and Malaysia that have the greatest investments in Maldives, not India. There is negligible tourist traffic from India, particularly when one considers that Italy sends 131,000 tourists per year as compared to 11,000 from India and 20,000 from China. And, tourism forms 35% of Maldives' GDP.

The new impetus by India seeks to move beyond the visible projects like building the Male airport to getting into Maldives' education sector and fisheries, both high earners for India, as well as exploring other rewarding avenues to set up Indian presence.

At the bottom of India's calculations are several other factors — India doesn't want to lose an existing friend to the Chinese due to short-sighted political and economic calculations. Besides, if Islamist parties are going
to have a say in Maldives' future, India needs to make sure they don't impact India's security interests.

Source: indiatimes.com

Four more arrested over murder bid

POLICE in the Maldives have arrested four more people in connection with an unsuccessful attempt to kill the Indian Ocean archipelago's president.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has ruled Maldives with an iron fist since 1978, escaped assassination while touring the atoll's northern islands on Tuesday thanks to a teenage boy scout who wrestled back a knife-wielding attacker.

"The attacker is being questioned. We don't know the exact motive yet, but four more people were also arrested in connection with this attack," police spokesman Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said.

Local media reported that two of those arrested were former classmates of Mohamed Murshid, 20, who tried to stab Mr Gayoom with a kitchen knife while he shook hands with residents at Hoarafushi Island.

The 15-year-old rescuer, Mohamed Jaisham Ibrahim, cut his hand while grabbing the knife. He was brought to the capital Malé for further medical treatment amidst cheers from residents who turned up at the jetty to greet him.

Murshid had shouted 'Allahu akbar' (God is greater) before lunging at the president.

Authorities have accused Islamists of trying to turn the islands into a safe haven for them and wreck the country's vital tourism industry, which accounts for a third of the nation's economy of just under a billion dollars.

Despite the attempt on his life, Mr Gayoom is going ahead with his pre-election tour of the northern islands, as he prepares to face multi-party presidential elections in August, his spokesman, Mohamed Hussain Shareef said.

Home to 330,000 Sunni Muslims, some 199 islands are inhabited, with 87 developed as tourist resorts.

Source: news.com.au

Liberal Party is Deemed Registered in the Maldives

In the press conference I had this afternoon I was asked about the validity of the claim made by Male’ MP Ibrahim Ismail as regards the deemed registration of his Social Liberal Party. The facts surrounding registration of Social Liberal Party are well publicized. Is it deemed registered as claimed by Ibrahim Ismail? Well, that is a moot point that may be argued both ways. However much one may not like the present set of circumstances, it is my professional belief that his party is now deemed registered. Read full story on live-pr.com

Maldives Attorney General Azima, made it clear that she is not fit for the job. How?

The hard truth is that the government secretly gave up 35 miles of the EEZ in 1993- and it cannot be won back! This concession was made by Attorney-General Azima Shukoor on live TV and radio, seen and heard in Colombo. There is joy today in Sri Lanka as the Maldives concedes that Sri Lankan fisherman can freely enter and travel through Maldivian waters.

The hard truth is that the government secretly gave up 35 miles of the EEZ in 1993- and it cannot be won back! This concession was made by Attorney-General Azima Shukoor on live TV and radio, seen and heard in Colombo. There is joy today in Sri Lanka as the Maldives concedes that Sri Lankan fisherman can freely enter and travel through Maldivian waters.

Our jurisdiction over the EEZ arises from the Law of the Sea. We had no right to claim 200-mile EEZ before we ratified the Law of Sea Treaty in 2000," said Azima, in explaining why the Maldives did not object to UKs' declaration in October 1991 of sovereignty over some 70 miles of Maldivian EEZ south of Addu.

"How can we claim 200 miles for us before we ratified Law of the Sea? We ratified the Law of the Sea only in 2000," said Azima.

Azima may not have known the minefield that she was entering. President Gayoom had asked her to go on TV and bash Dr Hassan Saeed. But Azima ended up bashing the Maldivian fishing community and Maldivian sovereignty; and in the process proving to the rest of the country that she has no clue about international law.

What did Hassan Saeed actually say?
On Friday night, former Attorney-General, Dr Hassan Saeed said that President Gayoom did not take national interests seriously and cited refusal to hire an international expert to contest UK's claim over 70 miles of Maldivian Exclusive Economic Zone south of Addu Atoll Gan. Hassan warned that if the government did not act fast enough, it risked losing sovereignty over the waters forever.

This allegation immediately set the midnight oil burning in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Attorney-General's Office and the President's Office. Teams of lawyers sifted through reams of paper in stacks of boxed files to refute the allegation. A press conference was called for the following Sunday. The mission of this endeavour was not to protect national sovereignty or to inform the truth to the people, but to lambast Dr Hassan Saeed, and if possible, his associate the former Foreign Minister and if possible Hassan's new found political ally and predecessor, Dr Munavvar.

Enter Janet Reno
The stage was set, and the lights went out, and in marched Janet Reno and her team at Dharubaaruge. The intention was to accuse all three of neglect. But what happened was quite the opposite.

Azima ended up confirming that, yes, part of the EEZ was being claimed by UK and that the Maldives has so far not forwarded a counter claim. She also confirmed Hassan's allegation that his request for government funds to hire an expert was refused by Government in November 2005 and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked to find a donor who can provide an expert.

While conceding this, Azima used the platform to say that the President had fired 8 letters to the Attorney-General and the Foreign Minister between 1998 and 2007, as if to say that the President was on the ball on this subject. She lied about government already having surrendered a 35 mile area to the UK in 1993- even 100 letters from the President's Office to the AG since 1998 cannot erase the previous crime committed in 1993.

Azima's incompetence?
But Azima conceded much more than the accuracy of Hassan's allegations. Azima in fact made it clear that she was not suited for the job. How?

A reporter asked her why the government had not protested to UK's claim over part of Maldivian EEZ, ever since the UK advanced the claim on 1 October 1991. Her response was shocking: "You see, we could not advance a claim to 200 miles before we ratified the Law of the Sea Convention. We ratified the Convention in 2000."

That was a shocker! How can the Attorney-General say that we had no legal right to a 200-mile EEZ before we ratified Law of the Sea Convention? Is she not aware that the Law of the Sea Convention codified what was already widespread State practice? Is she not aware that our own current maritime law, dating from 1998, in fact claims 200-mile EEZ? Is she not aware that even before that time, we had been claiming 200-mile EEZ?

This point would not be worth noting if it was only to point out Azima's incompetence. Any person who claims to be a lawyer without reading for a basic law degree will definitely be incompetent. But there is more to this. The fisheries ministry in Sri Lanka has at last got the government of Maldives where it wants. For years, they have been trying to force the Maldives to concede that it will abide by the Law of the Sea provisions and allow right of innocent passage to Sri Lankan fishing vessels. Now they have got it straight from the horse’s mouth – our very own Attorney General.

What Azima did not know!
Azima's answer was clearly wrong. The Maldives right to 200 mile EEZ does not emerge from the Law of the Sea Treaty. Being the Attorney-General of Maldives, her ignorance of international law is nothing short of a catastrophe! International law is not just based on conventions and treaties. In fact, the traditional source of international law is customary law. The 200 mile EEZ has long been claimed by most states of the world, apart from maritime powers like the US who advocate freedom of the seas for their warships. What Law of the Sea Convention did was to codify existing State Practice. Thus, the Maldives claim to 200 mile EEZ arises from our own Act of Parliament. The current Act dates from 1998. According to Azima, that Act was meaningless until we ratified Law of the Sea Treaty in 2000! What rubbish! In actual fact, long before the 1998, the Maldives has been claiming 200 mile EEZ and arresting trespassing fishing vessels. It was our customary practice.

Azima went on to contradict herself in every department. The UK ratified the Law of the Sea on 25 July 1997. In that case, how come the UK could claim 200 miles for Chagos in 1991?

Government Failure
Clearly, the government failed to protest to the UK in 1991. Clearly it should have done so when the UK claimed 200 miles of EEZ. However, one of the most serious failures of this government was in 1993, when the government agreed with the UK on dividing the waters equally between the UK and Maldives, with each getting some 165 mile EEZ.

The million dollar question is did anyone take bribes for agreeing to that? Why is that document kept confidential? Why did Azima lie about what is in that document? Has the Maldives ever told the UK that we do not agree to give up part of our EEZ? The government also failed to protest to the UK in 1997 when UK lodged a claim for part of our EEZ at the UN. Why? The government also failed to protest to the UK in 2003 when it declared an EPPZ over part of our EEZ. Why? The government failed to give the money Dr Hassan Saeed to hire an expert to protest to the UK and take UK to the Court. Why? The truth is, in 1993, we had given up 35 miles of our EEZ to the UK!

Source: by Badruddeen Naseem Live-Pr

Maldivian parties form National Alliance

Maldivian political parties comprising the Maldivian Democratic Party, Islamic Democratic party of Maldives, National Maldivian Movement and SLP of Maldives have established a political party called the National Unity Alliance to protect the democratic rights of the people and to restore harmony and peace in the country, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed the representative of Maldivian Democratic Party said yesterday.

A new constitution will be introduced without jeopardizing stability of the nation to formulate a democratic environment within the country.

He said more than 95 per cent of the Maldivian population are frustrated with Mahmoor Abdul Gayum’s Government. Everybody’s desire is to establish a new democratic Government putting end to the 35 year sole governance of President Abdul Gayyum. Gayyum has been elected as the President for the 7th consecutive time.

Addressing the media at Hotel Hilton Dr. Shaheed said that The National Unity Alliance hopes to enlist the support of People of Maldives and the support of the members of the People’s Special Majlis Government of National Unity.

He said that National Unity Government must be established upon coming into force of the new constitution to govern the nation during the transitional period leading to the first Presidential and Parliamentary elections under the new constitution and assumption of duties by those elected.

Shaheed said that the new constitution will come into force within one month from the date of its adoption by the People’s Special Majlis. The existing constitution of 1998 shall be repealed upon the entry into force of new constitution.

Asin Mohammed and Sh. Hussain Rasheed from Adhal Party, Dr. Mohammed and Mohammed Nasheed from Maldivian Democratic Party and several others spoke.

Source: Daily News

Maldives opposition push for interim govt. ahead of polls

Five Maldivian opposition parties Tuesday urged President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to put in place an interim government ahead of the archipelago's first multi-party polls next year, officials said.

"We are urging the international community to support us, to support our cause for democratic reforms," former Maldivian foreign minister Ahmed Shaheed and spokesman for the five-party opposition alliance told reporters here.

The newly formed alliance, which includes main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the religious Adhaalath Party, the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), Social Liberal Party and the New Maldives Group, plan to field a common candidate to contest in next year's presidential poll.

They accuse Gayoom, Asia's longest serving ruler since 1978, of being a dictator and leading the country to anarchy and mismanaging the economy of just under a billion dollars.

"Traditionally elections are rigged in the Maldives. This must stop," said Umar Naseer of IDP.

"The crime rate is rising, the jails are full of people, inflation is rising. We call on the international community to put maximum pressure on Gayoom, to accept our proposals," Nasser said in the presence of western diplomats.

Ex-Attorney General and presidential hopeful Hassan Saeed accused Gayoom of wastefulness and arrogance, and said he looked forward to the "task of rebuilding our nation" in the next government.

MDP chairman Mohamed Nasheed asked Gayoom "to stand down gracefully" and claimed the alliance controls nearly 98 percent support of Maldivian people.

The Maldivian government has so far declined to speak directly to the alliance and Legal Reform minister Mohamed Nasheed has dismissed the grouping as a "single issue three week alliance," which will dissolve once a transitional arrangement is worked out.

Home to 330,000 Sunni Muslims on 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered across the equator, Maldives has built South Asia's most successful economy based on luxury tourism, but the atoll nation is now facing religious tensions as it undergoes a difficult transition to democracy.

The tranquillity of the paradise holiday destination was shattered in September when Islamic radicals set off a home-made bomb, wounding 12 foreign tourists.

The attack was followed by a clash between troops and Taliban-style fundamentalists who want women to be totally covered, singing banned and no schooling for girls.

The government has hit back with restrictions to prevent militant Islam spreading in the moderate nation.

Source: LBO

The longest-serving leader in Asia fights for a seventh term

The President of the Maldives is facing a mutiny, with the resignation of three key cabinet ministers in protest at his "autocratic" behaviour. One of them is preparing to stand against him in forthcoming elections.

The beautiful Indian Ocean islands, a luxury holiday destination for Britons and many other wealthy Westerners, has a less-publicised dark side with claims of repression, torture, censorship and, recently, terrorist bombings.

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the longest-serving leader in Asia, deflected international criticism of his human rights record by agreeing to sweeping reforms, a new constitution and saying he would step down after 29 years in power.

The cabinet resignations came after the President, who is officially 60 but whose real age is said to be 76, changed his mind and said he would carry on in office for another five years.

The Justice minister, Hassan Saeed, the attorney general Mohammed Jameel and the Foreign minister Ahmed Shaheed, all in their late thirties and early forties, said other members of the government were likely to follow them by resigning before the election scheduled for next year.

The defection of the three ministers is a serious blow for Mr Gayoom as they have widespread contacts among politicians and the media in the West as well as neighbouring Sri Lanka and India. The President had brought them into the government proclaiming that this was concrete evidence that he was preparing to move forward and hand over power to a younger generation.

Mr Saeed has promised to stand against Mr Gayoom for the presidency and the three former ministers have established contact with other parties, including the main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party, with the aim of presenting an united front.

The three ministers are currently in London meeting parliamentarians and members of the small Maldivian community. They are due to meet Foreign Office officials today.

The Maldives was hit by a bomb attack last September which injured 12 tour-ists, including a British couple. The blast is thought to have been the work of a growing Islamist movement but President Gayoom also blamed reformists and pro-democracy activists for creating "instability".

Mr Saeed said yesterday: "The fact is it is in the repressive nature of this government that they are trying to use the attack to blame the pro-democratic forces. I know for a fact that the government was warned about the dangers of rising Islamic fundamentalism and we put together an action plan to combat it. This was presented to the President seven months before the attack and they failed to act on it."

The former ministers claimed they had been subjected to intimidation and threats since they announced their resignation. Mr Saeed said: "Our offices were broken into and documents removed. Our houses have had paint thrown at them and we have received threats."

There are said to be widespread feelings in the Maldives that the "Islamist" attacks were not as straightforward as the government had painted them. Critics claim that the security service may have had a part in organising the bombings.

Source: Independent Uk

Inhumane Treatment of Migrant Workers

The Maldivian government was able to prevent Bangladeshi migrant workers’ community in the capital Malé from holding a demonstration on Friday, by using the threat of deportation. The Bangladeshi community, consisting of mainly unskilled workers, was trying to protest against the rise of xenophobia in the Maldives, and increasing attacks targeted at Bangladeshis.

In August organized gangs in Malé repeatedly attacked some Bangladeshi workers in their living quarters while in the northern island of Kulhudhuffushi a male worker was castrated and brutally murdered. Police claim that the murder was sexually motivated and has arrested a fellow Bangladeshi worker of the victim. In two separate incidents two Bangladeshi workers were found chained in two houses in Malé. One of them was chained to a tree.

The Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Maldives was so alarmed by the developments that he cautioned that he might have to pull out Bangladeshi workers from the Maldives. [Read more from Global Voice]

Source:

Shahid And Muiz Replace New Maldives In Cabinet

Abdullah Shahid has been appointed to the cabinet as Foreign Minister one month after he tried to resign from the government. He is joined in the cabinet by new Justice Minister Mohamed Muiz Adnan.

The appointments come as President Gayoom grapples with the resignation of the three most vocal and recognisable advocates of reform in his cabinet, in the space of three weeks.

Dr Hassan Saeed and Mohamed Jameel resigned from cabinet in early August blaming Gayoom for delaying reform, while Dr Shaheed resigned as Foreign Minister on Tuesday.

In a separate move, Rilwan Shareef has been promoted to State Minister for Finance, following the appointment of Abdullah Jihad as Governor of the country’s central bank.

A Tale Of Two Resignations

Dr Ahmed Shaheed quit the cabinet on Tuesday, in what was believed to be his third resignation attempt in a week.

He has been replaced by Abdullah Shahid, who himself handed in a letter of resignation from the government in July, only for President Gayoom to reject it.

Shahid has been promoted from his position as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, where he had been working under Dr Shaheed.

He has pledged to continue Dr Shaheed's initiatives, especially in the field of human rights, but said he would have preferred the promotion, "under different circumstances," than his former boss' resignation.

Following Shaheed’s departure many expected President Gayoom’s daughter, Dunya Maumoom the current Deputy Foreign Minister, to be promoted to cabinet.

But Shahid denied Dunya presents a threat to his job, saying, “I do not regard her as the President’s daughter but as a qualified and experienced professional.”

Preferred Choice

Mohamed Muiz Adnan has been appointed Justice Minister to replace Mohamed Jameel.

Muiz is not himself a qualified lawyer, having failed to complete his law degree at Colombo university. But lawyers have expressed relief at his appointment.

On Wednesday it had been widely reported Ahmed “Thaggandu” Mohamed was to be appointed Justice Minister.

Thaggundu’s nickname, meaning stamp, stems from his tenure as head of the criminal court, when he rubber stamped every police request to extend detention of suspects.

Many lawyers actively lobbied against Thaggandu’s appointment yesterday. And most lawyers are understood to be comparatively pleased with the appointment of Muiz, who is regarded as an independent voice.

Muiz’s brother is a former Legal spokesman for the opposition MDP, and he himself used to work at the Anti-Corruption Board.

Two To Go

The two promotions mean President Gayoom has now filled eleven of the thirteen positions in his cabinet. Following the resignation of Dr Shaheed on Tuesday, the cabinet had shrunk to nine. The position of Attorney General is proving difficult to fill. Information Minister Mohamed Nasheed was the favourite to win the coveted post, after being appointed temporary AG.

But Nasheed has said he is unwilling to take on the former position of his mentor, Dr Hassan Saeed’s, saying it would be like, "marrying the ex-wife of my best friend.”

The Higher Education and Employment portfolio has now been vacant since the resignation of the President’s half brother Abdullah Yameen in April. It is believed the cabinet position is being kept open for Yameen’s possible return to government.

Source: Minivan News