144 Not Idealims, just 'Realism'

2011-11-17T05:23:00.001-08:00

Expecting the president to do the right thing is not idealism, and accepting them corruption and mismamangement by him or his subordinates cannot be realism. On the contrary, I think 'idealism' is not a valid entity, which is just a label for the 'undesired'. An achievement is not a reason to overlook a misdoing. Hence, SAARC summit and the subsequent development of Addu city although a commendable achievement, is not a pardon for all the corruption and misdoings by the government. The ECC is yet to unveil its scandals, and with this kind of track record, they would not fail us. The only question many ask is 'what would make you happy?' (in a political sense), and the answer is this : do the right thing or at least try to do it. A common response is that, Anni is pure like a white bunny but it is the people who surround him that are culpable for the crimes of corruptions and misdoings which is like déjà vu. President, was elected with a lot of authority and he is free to eliminate all the bad apples. This is not idealism. This is real, we got to believe it.

No salvation for Maldives

2011-11-10T08:30:00.001-08:00

It is like yesterday that we heard the story of the wide old man advising his two sons, on his death bed, by demonstrating that a single stick can be broken effortlessly whilst the bundle is virtually unbreakable. Today we have a society that is fragmented into innumerable thoughts, on almost all the issues. It is true that we live by expressing our thoughts, our feelings, but how often does it make a change. Human virtues are mythical and legendary whilst materialism and wealth is the key of the day. We can't even measure human character without accounting for wealth, nor can we judge without it. Expecting for anything less will end up in the abyss of idealism. Material gain, individually, or in corporations, in governments, isn't this the doom of humanity. Why did we even invent the atomic bomb when we have our own destruction inherent to us. Our greed, our vanity, disrespect to the next and our own narcissism is enough.

In an era, where everything will be 'commodified', even our drinking water, reveals the disgusting level of greed amongst us. Humanity is down the drown and society is in the bin. Nevertheless we are so good at pretences that we have invented systems and technology to deal with this. More into it, we have created diversions for our minds, from humanity itself. Today you can even measure the character of someone from the hand phone he carry. And if it has the emblem of the half eaten fruit, then you have touched the plutocracy of it. We are so disconnected from reality itself that, sense has become nonsense and nonsense itself is adopted here. Deception is passed on as business. There is no loyalty in anything. Education is for the sole purpose of getting a well earning job, if there is fame in it, there is an added bonus there. Education itself has become and investment, and it would not be surprising that soon it will be omitted from the constitution that 'free' basic education is a right. An investment with expected returns in wealth, without responsibility nor duty.

'With great powers come great responisbility' has become the comic book phrase for super heroes alone. Legends of great leaders who'd fought selflessly and relentlessly for freedom of mankind itself has become myths, that will soon be forgotten even from the text books today. Today the only concern is to make the mind wander and reduce its capability to fix on specific goals. Its no surprise that everything can passed over on psych grounds itself. Education has become taken for granted, and is nothing of an achievement. Destruction, though not physical, is the sole purpose of man. The destruction of himself and his immediate surroundings. We preach for sustainability but how often do we act for it. The human parasitism will never end and the nature of the human mind, its desire for wealth and the notions that it has created will be the destruction of it. Its immeasurable, the extent of damage or even impossible to determine if anything is left at all. Likewise, Maldives on its self destructive path, and the high pace of achieving it due to the shallow numbers of its populace, has shown signs of so. It is highly improbable of salvaging anything from this mess.

Maldives: You can get away with anything

2011-11-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

I think the re-branding of Maldives tourism to "Maldives: Always natural" is a mistake. It should have been "Maldives: You can get away with anything". True, to the very core of it, you can get away with selling baked products from expired goods as old as 2 years old and keep the license to do it also. You can be the chairman of a 'plc' and form subsidiary companies, usurp earnings in the range of $800 million and still deny all allegations, still stand strong and adamant as a member of parliament. You can also borrow from world renown lenders, misappropriate the priorities of the country and make the people believe that dredging a waste land is prime for development, and usurp funds in the range of $ 21 million (with a 5% commission to his party), and still deny to pay his borrower. More, he can even disclaim any borrowings, be tried in court, deny it, be found guilty and asked to pay and yet withhold the payments. Here in Maldives, the president can bend the laws and regulations to split and make one geographical island into three, under a decree.

This is yet a preview of such associations and misdoings. Maldives, where you can even get away with murder in the first degree. You can get away with infanticide too. Here you can get away with breaking any law, and if you are from the ruling party, that is an added bonus. In Maldives, you can also be tried for a crime without a basis and get convicted with a sentence far more in magnitude than that charged for, especially when there is political intent. You can also lobby to make bed rent for resorts to be reduced into a per acre one, which is far less than bed rents by many orders in magnitude. You can even purchase Members of Parliament and hold up functions to celebrate such events, and even be proud of it. Here someone will shout out that the benefits of tourism is not distributed equally amongst the populations, forecast widening gap in income inequality, propose to make a public limited company where none can hold more than 1% of shares and find out that the tourism tycoons hold more than 10% shares each.

You got it all wrong.. "Maldives: You can get away with anything"

Feudal state of Maldives

2011-11-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Image from Haveeru

I think it is about time that the councils and related parties pay up these people. Sounds more like extortion of labor from desperate souls nowadays.

links from Haveeru Online:

"Kuni kehi faisaa nulibigen enmefahun molhadhoo rai'yithun ves nuruhun faalhukurane" - 24 July 2011
"Hanimaadhoo Council Idaaraa adives anhen veringe belumuge ashuga" - 12 Sep 2011
"Kunikehi faisaa nulibigen alidoogai muzaahiraa kuranee" - 1 Nov 2011

Typical, extorting by creating the desperate situation or perhaps this is coming close to feudalism? The lords and the vassals, with (resort) owners being the lords. The workable working population is enduring hardships in the capital city, because the government would opt for a very centralized policy or assimilate all resources on personal gains. The remainder have to find some kind of employment, and the situation is dire.

The Lesson of Unique Democracy

2011-10-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

"This is a unique democracy" says they. I say things are far from a democracy and the way it is headed, the propensity is towards an ill formed autocracy. When the hull leaks, patch it, cork it or do whatever it takes to keep the vessel afloat, certainly there is a day of demise. The trick is, that the captain and the first-mate (and the high ranking) would abandon ship in secrecy, since the capacity on the life boats are limited. I don't see how this can be kept 'afloat' anymore. It is more like that a misguided captain has navigated us into a sea of mines, its a matter of time for us to blow out of the water. And when that happens, we would want someone to take the blame. I wonder what good that would do.

However, if we choose to act now, we can turn this vessel around into the dead sea and pick up the previous crew, or we can remain obliviously bliss about the current state of affairs. Fact is, the uniqueness of this system is crippling whatever it is, that is holding this hull intact. And these mechanics do not know scrap about fixing a hull. "Vote for Change" they said, we all assumed it to be a good change, but they never did say 'good' in their manifesto, did they now? I guess when we are put in desperate situations, like back then, they we opt to overlook the minute details. We never look anything under scrutiny, with obvious reasons though.

Lessons have been learned.

Two Set of Rules in "Common Law"

2011-10-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

This society is divided, and has been so for centuries, into the aristocracy and the working class. Evidently there are two sets of rules when it comes to the application of 'common' law. This bifurcated society's rules are out in the open with the ruling of the Criminal court, regarding article 46 of the constitution. Some may label it as corruption, and some may label it as a bad or coerced judiciary. I say these are only 'means', and the undeniable fact is the working class is kept at ease while they are searching for scrap in a backyard where the masters throw their rubbish. This ever widening divide between the entrenched political class and a disenfranchised working (under) class would be the doom of this society.

Anyone notice that the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has been investigating and indicting many low class civies for their corruption, (which we hardly notice) while the big guns remain adamant with their corruption and the ACC has done nothing? Take the Thilafushi Corp dredging project by Heavy Load Pte Ltd (allegedly/evidently) so corrupt, or the corruption of STO Plc which allowed (allegedly/evidently) to take $800 million in to the pockets of some individuals. True, these are allegation, but with proper and simple investigation can lead do the inevitable truth. As said before, the plutocracy has a different set of rules. A lenient form of "Common Law". Besides this, anyone aware of BML Plc liquidating assets (with court orders) of customers defaulting on the 15,000 loans? It is true. But then, some aristocratic 'good' customers are allowed just about anything when they default on loan payments which exceed a 100 million.

There is no cure for this. This has been the case as far as recorded history of mankind is concerned. True that it is in a more disguised form, just to misguide the working lower classes. Some may call it 'free economy', others might call it 'democracy' or even 'judiciary ruling' depending on the situation. It all boils down to one hard truth. Materialism, greed, vanity has lead us into this classed society where wealth is power, and power dictates rules. Freedom is a myth and a misguided missile. Truth as clear as day is to night. None of us would admit the class divide, call this a modern society and deny all its existence. Deep down, everyone can feel it, and we have felt this for a long time. Why did he get the job when I deserved it more, on merit? these are the kind of questions we have been asking ourselves for long. We elected representatives in to a Majlis where we thought we would be 'represented'. Truth is they have developed their own plutocratic circle where they dictate their own benefits in a herculean magnitude. When you actually sit for a while to consider and picture it out, I guess you'd be overwhelmed with grief and anger.

Why is this gap widening? Unjust rule, attitudes, partisan politics and so many factors that can't be listed out easily. The list is long, and the factors (most of it) are inherent to human nature, make it highly improbable (or maybe even impossible) for it to be abolished totally. What is the best system to avoid the class divide? I say none. Just some systems disguise it better, or in certain cases the attention is diverted. The flaw is not in the system. It is in us, humans. We have been parasites, never thought of sustainability. We have devoured the environment in which we live. The people who pretend to care about the environment are also doing it for materialistic gain. We don't care about our surroundings, and we are incapable of caring about other human beings. We just want to believe that we can, and that we are not a bunch of narcissists. What hope is there? none so far.

The Crisis That Is Our Government

2011-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

At first we started voicing our concerns, over the lack of 'freedom of expression', the autocracy, the nepotism and the wide spread corruption in the previous regime (aka. Maumoon era). This was an era which began with a culture of oppression, cruelty and a waveform harmonic with non-educational, non-information and ignorance, with no characteristics of a democracy whatsoever. Voices arose, to be hushed by a cruel and merciless dictator masked by a pretense of caring, national security and religious unity. Over-confident with their schemes they filled their personal accounts whilst acceptable economic stability was maintained, and falsified development was shown.

What is different today? Nothing besides economic instability. The "Golden Egg" laying goose was passed on to the next management, and still we haven't seen the "Golden Egg". The "Champion of democracy" are somewhat autocrats in disguise. Today we are also faced with the epidemic of partisan politics. The magnitude of the crisis is immeasurable.

Freeing the Judiciary?

2011-10-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

We elected a 'democratic' Government in a fair-election. Same can be said for the Peoples' Majlis (some may beg to differ, which would not make sense, as they would call a democratic Majlis when it becomes their majority). By Law (law drafted/endorsed/lobbied by a certain someone/people/party who now claim the Judiciary as an influenced and politically inclined entity) the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) is composed of appointees by the democratically elected president & members of the Majlis & independent individuals approved by vote from Majlis. So far, everything is by abiding by the law and it is quite evident that peoples' representatives are involved in the formulation (directly and indirectly) of the Judiciary. The Supreme court is appointed & approved by the Majlis. The Prosecutor General is appointed and approved by the Majlis. The several Judges are appointed by the JSC which is appointed and approved by the President & Majlis (as per Law).

Everything being said, how did this happen? Why this campaign to free the Judiciary? Why the baseless claim and criticize it as being politically inclined? Should the Judiciary rulings favor this political party, and neglect justice? Is that the issue? There might be corruption inside the Judiciary, then why not substantiate it with proof. Where is the Anti-Corruption Commission. Also if the formulation of the JSC is so unsatisfactory, why don't you change the Law? Free the Judiciary? No, I think its time to free this country from the clings of Partisan Politics.

Gun Safety Regulations Overlooked.

2011-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

The tragic accident during the bodyguard training at Laamu Kad'dhoo, which saw the death of Cadette Shaukath is a text book case of non-adherence to 'Gun Safety'. Always treat a gun as a loaded, says the Gun Safety rules. This because of mishandling, mechanical failures and misunderstandings of the status of the firearm in question. The report by MNDF (Maldives National Defense Force) states they carried out their own training exercise (which seems to be allowed & not a big deal) in the rest area of the training facility (without the supervision of an instructors).

How they conducted this 'self-exercise' is also baffling, as it seems they made a circle while making targets of each other to practice 'wounded-shoot'. Obviously, the Gun Safety regulations state that the weapon or firearm should not be pointed at 'non-targets' (non-target is defined as something which you do NOT intend to kill/destroy) by any means. This was also a "self-authorised-carried-out" exercise which puts the whole point of 'training' with instructors under question.

I don't understand why Lieutenant Muaaz (whose firearm's status was misunderstood) should be the only one at fault. It is quite evident that this training facility is over looking Gun Safety regulation beyond acceptable norms. This facility should be under scrutiny, for it is responsible for the training for these bodyguards who are to protect VIPs (esp at the upcoming SAARC summit in Addu Atoll). The circle positioning and shooting each other as targets, or playful targeting should never be tolerated. Normal safety precautions aren't followed. Why is it overlooked. Why is the absence of a medical doctor, or ambulance the highlighted issue in this report? What possibly could a doctor do in a situation where a bullet has passed through a trainee's head? Accepted that they are also an essential part of a training facility, but confused as to why it is the issue at hand in the situation under question.

The Predictably Unpredictable Dhonjeymu Umar & Deputy Leader Umar

2010-12-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Dhonjeymu Umar, was an enthusiastic former basket ball player and policeman who disappeared circa 2003 following the invention of the Whale Submarine (claims to be the next big thing after Napster), allegedly a stolen World War II U-boat from the museum of Science+Industry, Chicago. However, rumors are that, he was abducted by aliens in their endeavor to capture the apparently 'perfect' human being to conduct their humanely inhumane tests. The current Umar (Deputy Leader DRP, IDP etc..) is a clone of the real Umar with his mixed DNA (human+alien+domestic turkey+Maumoon Abdul Qayoom:the non-human part).

It is suspected that infiltration, into the top-notch of the DRP is "the test", which will decide our fate, as far as conquest, zapping, pulverizing and all those alien things are concerned.

Following the decision by the disciplinary committee of DRP, to expel Umar from their 'prestigious' party has aroused our evil dictator, Maumoon, far far away in lah lah land (Umar must have had very good first "impression" with the demented one). The speech however contradicting, this dictators very existence, since the foundation of DRP was to re-invent democracy, streamlined towards aristocracy and relieving the public/people from the rule. This is quite evident since the DRP has re-modeled the essence of primaries in a political party (in a democracy), to become as a self appointment (as in their ideal democracy). Alas, the ambassadors of the evil one have blown their trumpets, orchestrated by none other than the 'clan'. The escalation of this situation was so sophisticated that even Einstein could not have predicted that the outcome would be Thasmeen throwing out Umar, and to our surprise, not done according to their symbolical Articles of Association.

Umar has become the the leading role, for many DRP activists (identifying themselves in false aliases), have become equals with the hypocrites who stabbed Julius Caesar. The funny thing is, no matter what, the blues are loyal to their cult and their 'Zaeem's' say is rule. Sometimes, I even doubt if there is any articles of association for DRP? or are they being written as Maumoon has his verbal diarrhea? There is growing doubt, in the leadership of DRP, and their secret affairs with our schizophrenic president, Anni.

What will be Umar's next move besides blowing things out of proportion or screaming the irrelevant thing at the top of his uvula? Who knows? They are predictably unpredictable.

Coercive Democracy

2010-02-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

The current democracy in Maldives is so liberal, that it allows minute dictatorships to form and operate. When and if they coalesce, we could be back in square one. This is not alarming, if we look at the historical facts from Maldives. However, the good news is, when the whole systems is over-loaded by an autocrat it is encoded to reset by default (inherently). When the system gets rebooted, the level of liberty is higher than the previous instance.

This maybe an global effect, of the current trends. The appearance of coercion, is relatively soon and the proportion of autocracy in the illusion of a democracy is high. The remnants of a previous autocracy, are the viruses that chronically infect the infant democracy. This is exemplified by the current DRP congress, which has authored the leader as their presidential candidate as well, in their own liberally coercive way.

"Over-regulated" regulations mask the dictatorship as democracies, while the authorities need to restructure themselves in a liberally 'liberal' manner. When a regulation is formulated, the requirement is mostly overlooked. The housing regulations, the import regulations are examples of over-done regulations in Maldives.

Too much liberty, from such a constraint infested system lead to this pathetic situation where, liberty and freedom are not as clear as black and white, but it comes in 256 shades of grey.

Apollo Hospitals to Manage IGM Hospital

2010-01-26T23:06:00.000-08:00

Apollo Hospitals has been awarded to manage and run, I.G.M hospital (IGMH) for 15-20 years (varies from source to source). This move can be categorized in the 'A' list of the 'stupid moves' by the incumbent government. Why? There are many reasons, with the main one being the absence of a medical institution/facility owned and controlled by the government. Medical services, is a basic need which needs to be facilitated, closely monitored, and if possible it should be provided free or subsidized to the maximum.

A license for a hospital could have been given as an extra medical facility in addition to IGMH. There are so many useless plots and mis-planned plots in Male (courtesy of the hyper-qualified planning team at the former Ministry of Housing and Urban Development). Most likely, the prices of services (if Apollo were to run IGMH), would be the same or higher with minimal or no benefit as per afford-ability is concerned. However, the quality of services would be matched with prices, in the most probable scenario. Such a cost-effective mode would mean that a certain proportion of the population would be satisfied. The development in the health sector would rise, to a certain expected level.

Numerous attempts have been made, in the salvation of a mis-managed ego-centric staffed IGM hospital. This, however, is not reason enough for such a move. There are many able people in Maldives, capable of putting a leash on IGMH. The current move seems to be ill-informed and mal-formed.

The Dual Salary Sheet Theory

2010-01-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

The "Dual Salary Sheets" being submitted is an insane phenomenon, which is lurking due to a 30-year old brain-washing exercise, perfecting the apparently ideal "Civil Servant", who is capable of both avoiding responsibility (& conviction), yet reap the maximum benefit of the situation in case his second option is to succeed. The main and incomprehensible issues with this phenomenon are, is it even possible? Is it allowable? is it normal?

In the current era of political insanity, the submission of such dual or even multi-optional salary sheets does not surprise most. The Civil Services Commission (CSC), has been a nuisance to both the Civil Servants (at the beginning when they revised and restructured the salaries), and the government (by not complying with its light-weight civil employment policies). My question is, if the Civil Servants are to obey the CSC and formulate the salary sheet as per their instructions, are they being loyal to the country and its people or to their selfish needs? Or if they comply with the instructions from the government and institute the salary sheet, are they putting the well being and development of the whole country before their own? I guess the question itself has the answer, and the sane choice seems to be obvious.

The whole reason behind the current fiasco of a situation is the CSC itself. Handing over the CSC to a bunch of PhD's with no actual common sense, seems to be a colossal mistake. Perhaps the CSC is the most ill-formed commission in the bunch, yet it seems to play the most crucial role amongst all. In a certain perspective, this could be a politically orchestrated move, by which certain factions are to achieve the higher grounds. Or it could be the loyalty of certain PhD holder(s), that they would like to jeopardize the whole administration, in order to stage a 'failure', by the government.

The government has done a good job, in the mishandling of this issue. When the CSC, started blowing off their gases, the big-fishes in the government were asleep. This lead to a toxic emission of gases from the CSC, which made it evident that they are better suited as objectified gas cylinders. The explosion has started, with the end of the month, when the salary sheets needed to be drafted. How these top-brasses of the CSC have reaped off the public funds, during the old regime is a totally different story, but the connection and its affect remains. These are the remnants of that pesticide resistant vine, spread through 30 years in tyranny. The whole CSC needs to be restructured and their PhD's need to be re-educated.

The government, should have learnt their lesson of "excessive democracy", or "pure oblivious idiosyncrasy". Which ever, the heightened misuse (lack of use), of their minds have lead to the current point of tragedy. Buds of the old vine, cannot be harvested in a field without corruption and selfless ideas.

The only thing that could baffle someone is, where are we being led to? What is better, and how well is common-sense used here!

Civil Circus

2010-01-20T20:04:00.001-08:00

There is a huge misconception amongst most Maldivians (especially those in the Civil Service) that the government has an obligation to employ all/most of its able citizen in its service. Where as, my thoughts are that, a government should operate at a minimal cost, whilst employment should be facilitated through government policies, the government is not obliged to provide it directly. At least in a democratic way of thinking, the government is a body elected by the people, to run their affairs in a participating manner. The people expect/should expect the elected government to spend their money in the most economical and appropriate manner. Which means, the government cannot and should not employ people just for the sake of giving a job, but in a more efficient manner. This was overlooked, or ignored in the 30year regime of dictator Gayoom. His policy was to win loyalty through his favors, in a cruel way.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) came into being, at the era of democracy, but the nature of this commission is yet undetermined. Recently, due to the salary cuts, the main objective of the CSC has been to increase the salary of the civil servants. Is this right? Shouldn't their mandate be to act in the best interest of the country, while being fair to civil servants? Just because a cruel regime has increased the size of government to fits its selfish need, does it mean that following government should follow the same steps just to keep a few happy.

If a person's job is terminated, the common rumor is that " Oh, how is he going to support his family now?, he has this many dependents," etc etc. Does any one think of how many are depending on the government and its responsibilities? Why is that once a person is in Civil Service, he has to be immune from termination.

This ridiculous claim, by the CSC to re-increase the civil servants salaries, indicate that they are way out of line, and do not act in the best interest of this country. The question is, what is the purpose of this commission? They haven't created anything but nuisance since formation..!

The Real Deal

2009-06-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

Let the market forces decide the economy, and our future. This is the cry of capitalism, with a minimal or no intervention by the authorities. Monopolization, inflation, credit-crunch, are words commonly used these days.

If you take a look at the situation in Maldives, it is quite simple. All you can see is the 'Dark Side' of capitalism. The public is exploited in the name of a 'free market' governed by a 'democracy'. Apparently, the beneficiaries are a selected few. We have seen that 'free market' is anything but free, with all kind of influences on it.

Everything about Maldives is unique. Likewise, the Maldives is dependent on a Import Tariff as the main taxing system. Which means that the businessmen who import the goods will be taxed, and they will sell the goods to the public with inclusion of this tax in the price, and at the end of the day the public is indirectly taxed. This means that even if you earn a billion or earn in mere hundred, you end up paying these indirect taxes, which is absolutely why Maldives is a safe haven for investments in a certain perspective. It is established that Maldives is run by a clan of entrepreneur factions, who have infiltrated into the political avenues, deciding their own fate today. This is the main picture in the Majlis, and the government. Politician Businessmen, who decide what is best for their businesses. Isn't this the reason why, there is no firm discussion about an Income Tax system yet.

So the poor keeps paying indirect taxes (fixed), taking a huge portion out of the low income class, while scraping the surface of the higher income class. Disparity between income classes become more and more profound. The poor bank their money in the only Maldivian bank, and they are loaned (minute) amounts at a high interest rate, while the high class reap the benefit of huge loans (even at times of crisis) at the lowest available interest rates. Another avenue of exploitation. The rich invest this, and become even more rich.

There aren't any Anit-Trust laws (and there might never be), no security for new enterprises, or anyone from the low class to do any sort of business. Today, you see the top factions in exploiting all ranges of business, with understandings among the factions (of this top clan). Shipping lanes, ISPs & Media, Travel, Tourism, Import of common goods, Tobacco and everything is controlled by a few of this so called 'elite' with the rest at their mercy, since they are in control of themselves as they are also the government today. Over the past, the National Treasury had been divided amongst themselves, and they have secured investments abroad becoming self sufficient, even if they are to be exiled from Maldives (which is quite unlikely, given today's situation). So, if you want to import onions or eggs, they'd make sure that you remain at he end of the qeue at MPA (Maldives Port Authority), making every possible delay for you vessel to dock and load the shipment to be transported to you store. At the end of the day, you'd end up with a wastage of a shipment, whatever can be salvaged has to be sold at a extremly high price or you'd run the risk of getting in to debt ( think of the loan with high interest you have to pay the bank). The elite who imports and controls these goods, is enjoying a nice meal and laughing it off, another mere adversary slaughtered for him.

The government itself has instituted some companies (apparently for the public benefit) with actual interests of these elites. One day they decided to go public, for a company to exploit tourism in Maldives, the apparent justification being equal distribution of income (especially that from tourism in Maldives). When everything leveled up, it was evident that the elite had (illegally) bought off majority of the shares, which was brushed off without any action by any authority. Dividends were paid, with improper accounting principles, to show off high profit and lure in more and more scape goats. This scandal cannot be anymore clearer.

Another, single shared company, is the Maldives Airports Company Limited. This is a place where the roots of corruption run above the soil, but ignored for some unknown fact. For years, foreign aid came in as staple food, which was meant to be distributed for free (or maybe even at a low price), but the government decided to sell it at the usual price. The money accumulated from such sales were meant to be used in a much more 'meaningful' area of development. This might have been for some Turkish carpets used in the presidential palace. It is also inconceivable that in a span of 25 years, the capacity of MIFCO storage vessels remained the same while those of the local fishermen surpassed those of MIFCO vessels. In the 20 years of business, MIFCO could not afford to increase its fleet, nor upgrade them, but it seems that certain elite have reaped off a good portion from it. Dhiraagu, is another company which has benefited from exploitation of the public.

At the end of everything, the interest is that of a few, who are sitting at the top.

Bank fo Thieves

2009-06-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Bank of Maldives (BoM) has announced profits in excess of Rf 20 Million for the first quarter of 2009, while increasing its basic services at the other end.

A close examination at the bank could reveal that, only a very few banks would charge for withdrawals on their own ATM, or have an annual fee for internet banking services. Most of the banks who provide internet banking services, also provide numerous services like account to account transfer, internet payments, bill payments for free. Deposits are done by cash deposit or cheque deposit machines, 24 hours. This is done to reduce the amount of customers acquiring services at their offices everyday. If you have tried to make a deposit or clear a cheque at BoM, one would understand the frustration behind this, and would prefer to do it online, at their own desk given that these services are promoted free.

What the bank can gain from such services given free, is reducing their operational costs via reduction in tellers and cashiers, as less and less number of customers attend the bank to deposit only large sums of cash or special services. Right now the bank is charging Rf 2 per any transaction on an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), and Rf 1800 for internet banking services with account to account transfer services (apparently targeted for businesses alone).

It is true that most Maldivians aren't online folks, but taking a fee on such basic services are inappropriate and kills the future of such services. The Bank can always argue that implementing such services incurr a huge cost, but then it does not neccesarily mean to tax on that same services to cover up its expenditure. While other avenues can be explored, such as reduction in operational costs, the bank has failed to take any such measures indicating their reluctance in providing proper services.

It is extremely difficult to borrow a loan, for the middle class or lower class, while those at the helm of the financial ladder have been enjoying the benefits of the bank in full. While the small loans are sanctioned at a compounding interest of 11%, it is a big burden which people take with lack of choices to make in this sector. It is a fact that the bank has loaned money to the top tycoons of Maldives with a very low interest rates, and at times of financial crisis. This makes it evident, that the agenda behind its operation is not public, nor share holders interests but those of a few and mostly obscure. The directors of this bank have been working hand in hand with several business avenues, which can be deemed as corruption. This was quite clear during the issuance of bank guarantees for most of the resort biddings.

Serious thought has to be given on the ventures and actions of this bank, and their method of operation. If given a choice, I would prefer not make this my bank.

Melancholy

2009-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Political and Social mayhem is the only potential issue in Maldives. One might ask, why the power struggle by the aristocratic factions has indulged the average person to follow the path? The numerous reasons are evident, but denied by almost anyone involved in this spectacle.

At the beginning, it was an autocrat. His disposal required drastic measures, which never removed the cancer, but left it to be spread. To live and try to forget those atrocities, in its shade is next to impossible. Accomplice of this treacherous snake are as atrocious as him, with his hand bestowed on them at the moment, the fruits seems to be falling on to seeds we sow. Despair and melancholy amongst us today is the deceptive veil put before us, by those traitors to the country.

This is not an attack on any political idea /philosophy or faction, but merely a reflection in right and wrong. Cascading events, have unveiled in the past few days, which has infuriated these traitors to an extent at which they are crying ‘foul play’, ‘terrorism’. What more can a traitor, fraudster cry out in such dire situation?

It was only yesterday, when people protesting on the streets (for justice) were dragged, cuffed, beaten, gassed, hung upside down. This was without consent of the courts, without any kind of warrant. This was outside the legal circles and the constitution. Mobsters like Yaameen and Naazim were enjoying their moment when today justice has become bitter medicine for them. It is not only essential, but inevitable, that these criminal are to be brought to justice if the constitution of Maldives is to prevail. The actions of the Police are not only appropriate, but a requirement in such cases, and was quite within the legal boundaries and upheld the rights bestowed by constitution. The fallacy which is retched out of Yaameen and Naazim (and Mavota) seems to be quite desperate in nature.

Careful examination of the situation can lead to only the prosecution of these criminals, which is going to be a milestone for the Maldives (meaningful justice).

The Brigand's Heir.

2009-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Qassan Maumoon (heir to the stolen wealth of the renown brigand Maumoon Abdul Qayoom), seems to be dissatisfied with his inheritance that he has shoved his head in to Maldivian politics. This guy has no shame, after what his family has put us through. And the people of Maldives (especially Thimarafushi) are goons, as they have seriously considered this clown. The guy was educated in the top brass educational system of the United Kingdom, at the expense of our blood and sweat, illegally. He has enjoyed the luxury of a limitless presidential budget, and lived like a prince, as if the whole treasury of the Republic was his inheritence. Yet he has no shame, when he walks into the highcourt to demand justice in a feeble matter in comparision to the atrocities caused by his family, especially his father Maumoon Abdul Qayoom, whom we consider a tyrant.

The matter of Thimarafushi, and the whole situation arising because of it, is a circus act. The evidence produced in to court is quite unsubstantiated and inapporpriate in many aspects. Like the pictures shown, which just expressed of an unrestful atmosphere did not justify illegal procedures? Unrest in a multi-party election is common face. The clowns who are acting as legal counsel, are watching to much of soap operas! Who do they think they are? I guess this happens only in a democracy!

Arithmetics for Elections

2009-05-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

It does not take 2-3 days to announce the results of a parliamentary elections, in a country like Maldives. There is no more complicated mathematics in this, but the simple arithmetical additions. The simplicity of this task is such that:

The ballot papers are color coded. Assuming a ballot box had 900 papers and 10 candidates competed in the constituency, those 900 paper need to go into 11 slots (the additional slot is for 'canceled votes'). Then you verify the same 11 categories. Count the sum for each category. Verify the count again. Verify these subtotals against the totals. Then you send it via fax or electronically to EC head-quarters.
Once the provisional results are in, EC can announce the result for that box. As simple as that.

The lack of transparency in this elections is a sign of foul play. The reasons which EC have given in the press conference, are beyond logic. This is not anything requiring so much calculations and measuring. This is a simple addition. Even if the EC headquarters decided to verify those counts by themselves, and withheld announcement before the actual box arrived, it would not take this long. Unfortunately, the people of Maldives are not stupid.

Parliamentary Elections a Failure

2009-05-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

Once again, the Elections Commission has shown its incapacity to manage and run a simple elections in the Maldives, despite the adequate time given. Today, it is evident, that the parliamentary elections has become a complete failure. The most concerning thing is that counting and verification became a 'behind closed doors' event. Somethings, unless they are transparent to the public, become meaningless. The media was requested to stop reporting and halt their live coverages, due to differences in reporting. Why should it be difficult to report a simple amount and why should there be differences, unless the agenda is to cause unrest.

At the moment, all media are respecting the EC's orders and refraining from informing the public. We have voted, and we deserve to know how it is going. The EC can't be above the public or law. This is exactly the kind of dysfunction caused by allowing Maumoon's roots in these influential positions.

The Elections Commission, since the last Presidential Elections, could not strengthen their administrative capabilities nor their logistic capacity. Voter registration is a simple concept, simple database management, but it has turned out to be a complete mess in their hands. The security of their documents, and information is in question. Their website is being hacked every now and then! Since the last election, only a face lift was given to the website and no security measures have been taken in to account, or whatever has been done seems to be insufficient. Their preparation to count 350+ ballot boxes, seems to be drastically inadequate. If they are unable to perform certain tasks, they should perhaps outsource it to more capable and trained professionals. There have been incidents in this election, where voting station's electricity was cut-off. What happened in the black out is uncertain, but the reason of the black out seems to be unsatisfied voters. Certain constituency's ballot boxes were being counted while a few ballot boxes of the same constituency were still in voting. When logic and reason fail to prevail, there is corruption, mismanagement and failure.

This election, and everything related to it, is a failure and beyond the acceptance of a voter. It is huge waste of money, from public funds. This current EC is incapable of handling anything beyond a press conference.

Grave Issue, Lack of Picnic Islands?

2009-05-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

Hamid Abdul Gafoor (at MDP Rally, release of their 65 bill legislative agenda):

"legislation would establish laws on sea travel and enable new ferry services, create more jobs and provide greater mobility between islands."

“I’ve been telling my constituents that if we had such laws, apart from just Kuda Bandos, we could go to other islands in the atoll for picnics, stay in a guesthouse, and come back after the weekend,” he said.

Source: Minivan News

Nice way of putting things, eh? Try and find a competing moron for this fellow, because what the people need is more 'Picnics', and there is no greater issue than 'Kuda bandos' being the only picnic island.

The Lord of the Drugs: The 6 Ring Wraiths.

2009-05-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

It is ridiculous that a president should overlook crime, for the sake of partisan politics. When Anni stated that he (the government) had solved the source of the illicit drug traffic in Maldives to 6 individuals (and it is most appropriate to assume that there should be ample incriminating evidence), but he would refrain from taking any action. The reason being that everyone (again this can be assumed that he is referring the other political parties or even the independent public) might think the motive is political. This is the height of BS'ing. One might ask, why is such a serious criminal offense to be overlooked, for the sake of politics? The incapacitation of an entire generation is to be weighed off on the opinion of a few incapable politicians, who feel that someone might feel their actions are to gain the political high grounds?

However, our ever-capable Saeed, is accusing the president under some criminal laws. This is also true. But laws do not precede common sense. Why is such nonsense being tolerated amongst ourselves? This is all related to the 'completion' of democracy. This is all such a veil of fallacy, and a deep pit of deceit called politics. The outcome of such politics can never be anything selfless. Evidently, Anni also has prioritised his party's dominance of the parliament, over the well being of the Maldivian people. Justice has become a big joke, in the previous regime and the current regime to be (under the circumstances).

One should ask the question of who these 6 drug-lords are? One thing is clear from what Anni has spilled out, and that is these 6 or most of them are in politics. A common trend worldwide. Once Maumoon said, that it was a multi-million dollar market, as if it was a legitimate entity, and one would wonder if he himself had roots in this. The same suspicion arises today, of what are the linkages in the political network with the illicit drug trafficking network. The street dealers are selling their merchandise without discretion, and almost anyone would point out the source in their neighbourhood. Something which the police failed to locate and apprehend. If apprehended, one would see that guy roaming in the streets after a few days. Today, we have new laws and regulations giving the police more freedom and organization. Despite all this, the incumbent commissioner is failing to take any significant action in these situations, clearly stated by Dr.Saeed.

It is becoming crystal clear, that the motives of the incumbent government is to sustain its roots into Maldivian politics, for their self benefit, rather than to work for the development of the country. This is true for the opposition as well. This is something to ponder a lot, before casting a vote for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The current majlis is equivalent to a circus, and would we like to reinstate that?

I.Q test: Requirment in Politics.

2009-04-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

In Maldives, it is essential that, a law or regulation that requires all Cabinet Ministers/ Majlis Members to take an I.Q. test, needs to be formulated. Currently, almost everyone is acting strangely stupid, including the incumbent president.

The current A.G is exceptional though, as she is running a separate government inside the current one. Everyone, at least most of us, were (and are) under the impression that A.G is an appointed post in the government and he/she was supposed to defend and justify the government's act. I think, the best course of action should/would have been to discuss the matters with president, and work hand in hand with him, rather than act as an opposition leader. At the moment, the A.G is inquisitively searching for anything, which she can use against the president and current government, being the defender of the same. If she is part of something, which is doing something so unconstitutional (like influencing on an election), maybe she ought to quit. The sad thing is, having a degree in law, doesn't necessarily make you A.G material, does it? Mrs. Diyana Saeed/Jabir, should control her verbal diarrhea at the moment, and someone should knock in some sense into this numb skull. This is a big joke, since most Maldivians feel she is doing a noble thing.

To govern smoothly, it is not a requirement that all the incendiaries be scholars, but they do need to be sensible, reasonable, open and most importantly have similar thoughts (mostly). One of the reason that this coalition wouldn't work is, that the coalition was formulated for the bare necessity of ousting a regime. The ingredients of this formulation are immiscible. The chapter of 'ousting the dictator' should be left behind and serious reforms should be brought about, if we are to survive as nation. The current skirmishes on the political battle ground has been so common that the development of the nation and our economy has become as secondary to it.

I think the people, should give a serious thought into this, and refrain from voting those individuals who are absolutely incapable of doing anything for our nation. It is as clear as the sky is blue, which of these individuals are morons, or good only in a poor Maldivian comedy serial. We the people have the power, and it is your choice and wisdom which reflects at the top as our leader.

Robbing the Poor to Feed the Rich

2009-02-03T01:46:00.000-08:00

Its ironic how the poor are paying taxes, for the rich to stay rich and protect their investments, in the name of democracy. When a poor person commits an act of corruption, he is punished to the maximum extent stated in law, but when the rich are robbing the state in broad daylight (as stated in the various Audit Reports by the Auditor General) they are given a chance to explain themselves in a press conference. When the poor are awarded housing, he is forced to pay a large lump sum in down payment in a matter of days, but when the rich are awarded resorts their down payments are levied and extensions are given, as not to disrupt the apparently 'delicate' tourism industry (on which we would like to depend deliriously). When the rich comment on issues, it is substantial but when the poor raise their voices, it is ignored by saying that no government can satisfy all.

Is this what Democracy is? Democracy is a system in which the rich are capable of exploiting the poor, and drive them to desperation and then buy out their voting power, to come to power to extend their riches and to make the poor more desperate and poor in a non-ending chain reaction. It is also a system which allows a few to monopolize the entire economy, and deceive the rest that it is a free and fair market. It is a system in which neither is wrong, nor right and every matter rests in the gray area. It is the system in which hypocrites are everywhere. It is a system which allows us to interpret the constitution in a number of ways which is equal to the total population of country.

Maldives is experiencing true democracy. The extent of freedom in our ideal democracy is shown by our famous Jail, Maafushi. The Jail is a symbolical name, given to a Spa which is overbooked. The extent of human rights achieved is the 4 course meals (better than what we get at our homes), and the leisure jobless days they have to pass. Many of us thought that a Jail was a place where the rights which you enjoy in normal society are lost, and that it was supposed to a place where people should not like to go. It was a place where vocational training should be given where they should be rehabilitated and not just kept. It should be with a lot of restrictions and hard labour, as some benefit should come to society with regard to the amount spend from state funds to keep them there. The whole focus of our nation today (more than anything, the media) is to maintain the publicity for inmates, their rights and all that crap.

Democracy, is it the system where everyone can live in virtual freedom and speech, with the full package of rights, but without any meaning?

Hulhumale Is Real, Affordable Housing Is a Myth

2009-01-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom never intended to build a city with affordable housing for the commoners, instead it was meant to be an aristocratic society, duly to be named 'Mamoonabad' or 'Gayoomdeebiyaa' (These names are actual suggestions by Seena Zahir, in an article published in Haveeru years ago).

Hulhumale is not natural land, and the dredging of this artificial island had been extremely costly. In accordance with the previous regimes policy, if the government had to spend on a project (even if the funds were donated by a foreign government), it should be reclaimed from the public, as Maumoon and family considered it their personal wealth. In this manner, all housing in Hulhumale is sold with a high margin of profit. Further to mask the whole scheme, false promises were made, apparently fair selections were performed, but the imposed down payments and monthly installments were sky high and out of reach. Only 14 days is given to make the initial down payment. The investment was too much of a burden for the average person. This is meant to filter out the commoner, and to build the high class society in Hulhumale. The fundamental thought behind this was, Maumoon and cronies thought, that only the high class society was capable of keeping a clean city, maintain a high local economy and live in harmony. If you think about this carefully and look at the facts, this is quite evident.

Today, there is a petition for a levy on this initial down payment. Ideally, why should there be a down payment. Not only should the down payment must be reduced/eliminated the whole cost of the unit should be reduced, with eventual reduction of the monthly installments. This will only allow them to leave a peaceful life. The payment of amounts in excess of Mrf 4000, every month, for a very long term is a very huge burden which the government should try not to put on the people. There are many ways in which affordable housing can be affordable for the government also. Hulhumale was never meant to be such a scheme, and today it should be given at a loss for the government, which does not matter, as it benefits the people. In the end, the losses can be covered in other arenas. A lot of pre-planning, procedures have to followed in order to start and maintain a long term project of low cost housing. In the construction of Hulhumale no consideration is given for low cost design, nor low cost construction materials and techniques. And the projects are never tendered with a low cost contractor, nor on a low cost scheme. HDC has maintained its status as profit making agency, building posh designs which is to be sold at a high profit margin, not matter what the cost is.

We do have a lot of planners, designers and contractors qualified in the field, capable of handling such projects. Why are these projects being contracted to foreign parties, with irregular tendering methods? We can keep the funds within our economic circles, by using our resources. We have to give our designers and builders a chance to gain the experience and come forth as affordable real estate builders for the future. These thoughts have never crossed our policy makers in the past. I hope the present government will tackle the whole issue with a new perspective. Sometimes, quality and quantity has to achieve the optimum balance. The balance is tipped towards the quality side right now.

Without a proper housing policy, and without the signs one being formulated, we can only hope and dream for a day which we can live in peace of mind. Affordable housing would mean, low cost living. Isn't it one of the objectives of our current government. Higher incomes and lower cost of living. Today, living in Male (due to necessity rather than luxury), is a burdensome affair for non residents. The rent has risen to ridiculous rates. With every sign of a general increase in salaries, would come a knock on the door, with the land lord demanding a raise in rents. Government agencies raise the utility costs. Merchants raise the cost of day to day durable items. Eventually, the raise in salary is meaningless. Living in Male has become so much painful, living in crammed spaces at unaffordable prices.

The other problem arising from populating Hulhumale is the transportation issue. The transport by boat is inefficient, costly and time consuming. The dreams of a bridge still remain unrealistic. A bridge would cost a lot, it would mean many sacrifices for years to come. I don't think we can afford such a project when all other regions of the country are so under developed. The main root cause is this, unequal distribution of resources. Everything had been poured onto Male, attracting the whole crowd here. To reverse the process, and loosen the effects, our thinking has to be turned back in to time, on how it all began. It all began with improper planning (or total lack of it), improper analysis of those situations. I believe this was done intentionally. The whole agenda was to develop Male, and Male alone, in the previous regime.

Its a bit early to comment on the current governments policies, but it can be clearly seen that there is no sign of affordable housing from them too.

The Villa Dilemma

2009-01-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

It is quite unfortunate that Villa Foundation has lost its capacity to support their scholars, due to the huge 'financial' impact on the Villa Group. The alternatives for these scholars are to continue in uncertainty, or return. Many would question the relation of Qasim's failure in the presidential elections and with the current situation. It is undeniably true that, there is a global financial crisis and that losses are incurred worldwide without exceptions. The shipping industry got a major blow, by the reluctance from banks to issue LCs, and Villa Shipping would have suffered. Indirectly and directly, the many sectors of the economy are being affected, and Villa having its investments in a variety, the affects could be vast.

There is little or none, which the scholars can claim due to the current circumstances and their contract with Villa. It is a misfortune, yet the unfavourable conditions have pushed the benefactor. The unfavourable conditions could be the economic crisis or/and his demise in the elections. The benefactor has clearly stated that he intends to keep up the scholarships, and would not withdraw from those agreements unless otherwise necessary, and would be the act of last resort. The sheer number of scholars, and their uncertain future is a saddening thought. We have to be thankful, for the benefactor that he has provided so much so far, and it is undoubtedly his right to withdraw, in his downturn.

However, it is once again a hope, that we want to rely on, that everything plays well for the benefactor and the beneficiaries in the end.

Hollow and Dividing Education

2009-01-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

Education is not a license to greatness nor fame, it never was and it never will be. Academics benefit, when it is achieved with the motive of acquiring knowledge. Education today is not necessarily acquiring knowledge. It is more like acquiring a piece of paper, which certify a certain level, to reach with established shortcuts. Today, majority do not study because of their curiosity in the knowledge of the field, but to acquire a graduate degree, with minimalistic learning. It is a lifestyle, rather than a prestige. Most opt to take the easiest course, or the most earning career, of the most popular one.

In this demeanour, we are willing to give them a very high degree of respect. Not for the learning, but the piece of paper which says, he/she has done so. Simply put, today we would rather see a higher post occupied by an educated person, rather than a loyal and just leader. Educated people are needed, in every field, without doubt. But they do not have to be leaders, and leaders should listen to these educated people. Being loyal, and being passionate about something, is rather different from knowing something. Having a thought or a dream does not necessarily create it by action. The executioner need not be the scholar. We debate and assume that the educated person is superior to the one without an education, or with a comparatively lower level of education. But sometimes and most of the time, common sense prevail, and the informed decision is taken in counsel with the scholars. This is never difficult and should always be done in such a manner. The decision which comes with counsel would always be wise.

These senseless standards should be thrown out. We should be better, with better thinking. Better thinking does not necessarily need any form of education.

In a time, which claims freedom from the roots of racism and differentiation, we have another form. It is common for most educated people to look down on people with a lower level of education. It is even more common, for the non-educated or lesser educated to feel inferior to his adversary, and keep on misconceiving this. The society is greatly divided, and sometimes we push our siblings too hard, to achieve goals out of scale from requirement. This divide has been created, of the learned and the ignorant. Ignorance of what? Sometimes the learned has a different concept of right or wrong also, which can be arguably said that he is more ignorant than that of a person without a degree. In truth ignorance cannot be the lack of education. These two can never be attributed to one another. When the educated can be deluded by grandeur, why is he not so ignorant after all?

The Fear of Fear Itself

2009-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

Looking back into 20 years, we have seen fear in a regime obsessed with power. Today, after gaining freedom, and in a potential era of democratic reforms we still have fear. Fear exists in our society, no matter what, in different forms. The fear of the government is less today compared to before, but the fear of street violence is more today. Although we live in fear, there is no need to fear the mortals. We only need to fear, fear itself, as it is the fear that weakens us. We are held back, by bonds of blood and responsibility, of fear of harm to loved ones. Fear, is an entity which is holding us back from achieving a helm in a pyramid of development. The foolish risk and the fearless mindful are different.

There is no need to fear. Come forth.

The Physical Entity is a Mental Image

2009-01-21T23:10:00.000-08:00

The mind works in mysterious ways. Every person sees everything, as projected by their minds. Objectively, the two mental images of one physical body might not even be similar. Today, in a Capitalist society, everything is a mental perception. People are portrayed and labeled in the mind of each individual, uniquely and differently. It is something like the DNA strand, or the fingerprint. This can be simply put as that, no two minds would think alike. Following the Democratic system means balancing the power (as no human being can be trusted, by another to rule the former) between different systems. The Judiciary, the Law Makers and the Executors of the Nation. When the mental perception of these concepts cannot be similar in each of the minds, of those controlling these institutions, we see a failure or an inefficient achievement of an obvious and easy goal.

For example, take the current situation of the Majlis and the upcoming elections. To explain further, we have to look in to the meaning of the word "Constitution" which means the Fundamental principles. It is/has to be simple and basic. It has to be clear, concise and without ambiguity. This is quite evident from the Dhivehi words "Qanoon Asasee". Now think very intensely on the "Asasee" part, and ponder on what it would mean. It means what it says, basic and simple. Yet today, the constitution can and is being interpreted by each individual, in his terms and understanding. Not only that, the Higher Courts are finding it difficult to make a ruling on these issues, making blunders while these rulings contradict each other, as the arguments put forward based on such ambiguity can be reasoned and justified so easily. If I am not mistaken the Laws for General Elections are already passed, and the constitution is in effect, with an "Independent" Elections Commission presiding over the relevant matters. Yet, their independence is doubtful and questionable, since every little detail is dependent on the Majlis, once again. Once the basic principles and laws are made, why can't they administer with their rules and regulations? So is the EC really independent, or is it following a detailed protocol set out but the Citizen's Majlis. In a quest of Balancing powers, have we not given excessive authority and power to this Majlis.

Now looking on this Majlis, and the mental perception of humans, another issue arises. The amount of our brain we use will differ from person to person, irrespective and irrelevant of the status of education he/she has had. A graduate degree is not a certificate of the utilization of his/her brain. This is quite evident from the unthoughtful diarrhea of speech we hear from our Majlis today. Common sense prevails over most of the issues discussed in there, yet it eludes most of them, but they are surely deluded by grandeur.

Mentality, of us Maldivians, need to change. For once, we need to use our own minds to perceive things our way. When facts are put forward, it is an inherent ability to analyze them objectively and conclude. When no one bothers to use their minds, and listen and accept what what is told blindly, what is the purpose of the democratic system? In the last presidential campaign, people almost believed everything being told to them, without analyzing what is being told. The mental perception of some candidates were quite heinous and exceptionally similar in a lot of minds, thanks to their laziness.

What is the use of a mind, which is not used. The truth is evident, most of the time, but perceived differently, once again. 300,000 is being ruled by a few, with an illusion of a democratic system. The true power is not in the governance, and it is mostly in wealth today. Those who possess their wealth, will govern directly or indirectly (directly in our case), and continue to increase their wealth with the authority gained, and continue to gain authority with gaining wealth. What a chain reaction this can be. We have to sit in awe, and accept illusions shown, quitting our most powerful ability. The ability to think on our own. Something which most of us have forgotten over a realm of tyranny by Maumoon.

Today, we see, that those of us who are/were at the helm and who thought as intellectuals of themselves are not so intellectual after all. They are continuously making fools of themselves by contradicting those laws which they drafted and pushed to come in to effect. Conversation of "Constitutional Voids" are the fictional creation of such minds, who are deluded by the poisoning of a misconceived thought that education alone creates a great mind. A simple mind, and thinking mind can sometimes surpass the sophisticated mind. We live in a society which is blind to the simple wrongs, and worry on the sophisticated matters which are neither wrong nor right. The society as a unit, is neither a unit nor functional as anything close to it. We are all individuals with a more unique attribute than the fingerprint or DNA. We have to start using it, rather than let it rot and fall out our ears.

The truth about what is wrong with our society and our country is out there. We can decide individually, what it is. It is only a thought away.

The Tentacles of Tyranny is Long

2009-01-05T21:49:00.001-08:00

Free from an era of a tyrant, we still find that the grasp of a foul system is strong and still common. The extent of the grasp is not the government and associated systems, but the mentality of a stubborn race. This is quite evident from the number of 'DRP' supporters who gathered to wish Maumoon, after he returned to Male, recently from his shopping trip. Mentioning the shopping trip trip reminds us that the poor fellow would be devastated that he is not at the liberty to spend state funds for his personal needs now.

The grasp of the tentacles of his tyranny takes several forms. 30 years is not a short duration, and it has been proven to be enough to corrupt the mentality of a simple person. The simple person includes the educated person too. It would be a long time till we can be truly free from the culture that he has spread. The culture of slavery to the government, and opression.

Moving Forward

2008-11-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

With the resignation of Adam Zahir, and the appointments for a new Police Commissioner and Chief of Staff, a big step was taken.

Indications of a government downsizing, and local governance has brought more hope. Although, most are still skeptical about the changes being brought about. It might be a little too early to judge the new government, but then again an equal argument can be put forward on a fact that the initial decisions will mold the state of the government.

The resultant effects of these changes are not very evident at the moment, but the long run benefits are priceless. It can be assumed that the track on which the train is traveling, isn't so bad after all.

Speculation needed.

Witch-hunt

2008-11-04T01:16:00.000-08:00

Our president elect has made it very clear that he has no desire for a 'witch-hunt'. In that case, does any Maldivian have the desire for a witch-hunt, which is defined as:

In modern terminology 'witch-hunt' has acquired usage referring to the act of seeking and persecuting any perceived enemy, particularly when the search is conducted using extreme measures and with little regard to actual guilt or innocence.

Is this what we desire? No. We want justice. Not persecutions with extreme and harsh measures, and with actual and realistic considerations to the crimes committed against Maldivians in the past 30 years. As said before, Vengeance and justice can never be mixed and it is misconceived today. I am sure, out of the 54% who voted for change, majority would vote in favor of justice.

Failure to do so, will result in bills like what we have seen yesterday. A ridiculous bill, which says an ex-president deserves a full salary of a president, with allowances, security, transportation, accommodation in a nice place, secretary, funds for research, office space and what not! This is the heights of lunacy.

Think again.

What Constitutes a 'Good' Government?

2008-11-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

The speculation today is, of the coalition government led by our President-elect, Anni. In the past 30 years, systematic corruption and negligence of the public interest projects had led to these expectations today. Our economy is a disaster, despite of the high earnings from the tourism sector which does not benefit the public collectively. The education infrastructure is in shambles, as even after 30 years,until recently, we can't study any further than higher secondary education in Maldives. The housing crisis due to localization of all facilities into the small capital city is disastrous. The annual budget is mismanaged totally, and there is no transparency in anything associated with the government. Major projects are procrastinated due to excessive bureaucracy and power fights within the system. There is a Ministry established for every little issue, with a huge spending on these with little or no benefit, and a dire requirement for optimization.

The system has been tuned for the past 30 years, to maintain power, to open 'back doors' and embezzle funds in to private accounts, in a pyramid system of corruption with the dictator at the apex. The system was optimized to keep the general public away from education, which was risky to it. The smooth operation, required that the system should hunt and terminate the small number of dissidents. This was successfully carried out, until a few years back, when the system could not cope the general awareness. Today the root of the system is ousted. The system remains, and we need to re-establish it.

What constitutes a good government? Is it the government which gives priority to education? Or Housing? Or economy? The question remains to be answered in this case, as all these sectors are pretty messed up. The task for the next government is huge, whilst the expectations are sky high. A proper governance and systematic optimization and good administration will never come over night. There are still elements in this system, which will be difficult to abolish easily. Elements that constitute to the former dictator's agents, saboteurs. Although, we have independent commissions and institutions, these were established in an era hijacked by a tyrant, and hence it is debatable if these institutions are truly free. Every person in this country, with the will to live freely, is skeptic today. Not because of the elected government, but with the past.

The list of amendments to the governance is vast. We can only begin to list them at this moment. But the necessities are obvious. We are all waiting anxiously. The question of what a good government is, still remains at large and arguable.

Vengeance or Justice?

2008-11-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

There is a big difference between vengeance and justice. What the public, and the victims of a regime, demand is not vengeance. They would like justice to be done, for the crimes committed against them. Custodial deaths have resulted in the conviction of those at the bottom of the command chain, while those at the apex are free even today. Who are we to ask them to forgive those responsible. It is true that we are all jubilant with the victory, but should we forget our losses. What about the state funds which were distributed like inherited wealth? Is it one persons, that he can ask the rest to leave it be?

Nobody is asking for vengeance. It is a duty of the government to acquire and reclaim those funds, back in to the state treasury. No one person has the authority to decide otherwise. Not even if he is president elect. Moreover, the president and those in power, have a responsibility to make sure the traitors are brought to justice and the funds are reclaimed. They have responsibility towards the whole nation, not just a faction of thoughts.

Vengeance and Justice, are two different roads.

We Breathe Freely!

2008-10-31T04:13:00.000-07:00

28th October 2008, is the most significant historical event, to date, for Maldives. Maldivians have lived in slavery for ages. The general perspective did not change even in the 20th Century, when the Sultans were driven off, and a Republic was established. On this historical day, by saying no to a 30 year old regime, we breathe freely to achieve the democracy we dream of. I do not believe at any level, that Maumoon nor his cronies had anything to do with bringing democracy to Maldives. In a relatively free election, not only have we beaten Maumoon, but a tradition so viscous that it has held us enslaved for the known history.

Today, was not a win for Anni, but for an 'Idea' and that had a cry for freedom. Today we begin in a new era, in which we can live with hope and express with grace. Today, we can start building our country from scratch. There is a long list of things to do for the next government, which we can only begin to speculate at this stage. The developments and decisions in these crucial days would engrave our paths to a better destiny.

Let us only be cautious, because the fact remains, that the infestations are not eradicated and it has only been contained. Maumoon playing his innocent and sympathetic drama, has an evil agenda behind it for obvious reasons. Every Maldivian has a right to be skeptical after 30 years of tyranny. A tyrant, is always a tyrant. He still denies that he has done anything wrong.

At this moment, it is important for all of us to think, of what can be done to improve and develop our country and community. It is the change that we have all brought, and the changes that come in the next few days, weeks and years should be participated.

Congratulations to freedom.

I Am Voting For Change

2008-10-27T02:42:00.000-07:00

The reasons are evident, only some chose their convenience over reason

Not Ignorant, but Selfish : Maumoon Supporters

2008-10-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

It is not pure ignorance and delusion that attracted these few Maldivians towards Maumoon. Most of them are in it for the temporary benefits, position and power they are promised. Sometimes an informed judgment might not make much of a difference than common and simple sense, like in this case. Anyone thinking it through would know how the past 30 years has been, and what the outcome would be if Maumoon is selected, and yet they vote Maumoon, not with ignorance and delusion but with ulterior motives.

It is true that Maumoon has the 'Delusion of Grandeur'. He really would like to beleive that he has a brought Maldives into the 21st century within 30 years, while when he came to power we were in the stone ages, trying to forage for food. He would like to believe that we were ignorant beyond imagination, lived by eating rare botanic species, and were quite uncivilised. The truth is evident, even for him. The 30 year long tyranny is on the edge of the sword called 'liberty'. But the weilders of this sword should unite for the final blow. Maldives is infested and infected with a disease known as Maumoonism. Like Medievial times, when kings were considered as gods, the Sultanats of Maldives has maintained such a culture even through the transition into a Republic. Maldivians were led to beleive that going against the government was a sin, and this was something which Maumoon wanted to maintain, something which helped him remain in power for long. Something which he defended by trying to keep people ignorant and uneducated. Failing this, he is in a situation today, where he cannot explain himself but shamelessly tries to do so.

This infection, has spread to a very deep extent, and it has spread slowly and will leave scars during a long healing time. Maumoon has compared the corruption in Maldives to the neighbouring countries, stating indirectly that Maldives has 'acceptable' rates of corruption. It was like saying I killed only one man, while the next killed 10, but the truth is that you have killed a man. Things have gone to such an extent that those who support Maumoon, drowned in thier oceans of selfish motives, would beleive any excuze he is to give. Not because it is beleivable, but because it is convenient. People are afraid of change, because they are afraid of losing something they have.

Resorting to religion, Maumoon and his supporters fail to understand that Maumoon himself is the only threat to Islam in Maldives. No one has documented proof of anyone else doing so, but Maumoon has tried to distort and twist Islam for his convenience on the record. But still, he would say that Anni is trying to bring other religions, when everyone would blindly beleive it? It was that in the reign of Maumoon that Islam lost its stand, all because he did not believe in it enough to maintain it.

If anyone is a threat to humanity and soceity, it is Maumoon. I have no need to ask anyone to think it out, cos you have all thought it through and you still would vote Maumoon despite the facts.

The 'Idea' That is Anni

2008-10-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Most of the people I have met, who feel that Anni is not up to the task of leading this country, reason by saying that Anni lacks character. Given the situation, I say it is insignificant. I say that, it is the idea that Anni brings, which I am voting for. It is idea of liberty, the idea of justice prevailing for all, equally. The idea of a fair system where friend or foe, no partisan action is taken. It is the idea of change, from a totalitarian regime, that I would vote for. This idea is enough to vote for him, since a tyrant should not be allowed to lead this country. I would rather have an inexperienced leader than a totalitarian tyrant.

Maybe in a ideal society, and democratic elections, we could compare the character of the candidates. Today neither is it feasible nor is it worth while. The word 'Shahsiyathu' in Dhivehi can be attributed to his general character. Why is it so important that, simple and misleading crap is all what is needed for the confused mind. It is true, liberty died in the hearts and minds of men the day Maumoon accumulated close to 40% votes. More ridiculous is the fact that, after 5 years of living in the temporary shelter for tsunami did not affect the mindset of those victims, and they also voted overwhelmingly towards Maumoon, inclined in the temporary benefits that were thrown away.

Why can't change be gullible. I am even unable to write a single word, on the fact that Maldivians voted that way towards a cruel leader. So much goes through my mind, that it cannot be described in any words from my vocabulary. I will make it short though. Change can be brought with unity. Change can be brought about by being selfless. Start off with the simplest of things, and reflect. When someone accuses another of spreading a certain religion or idea, you need to go out for yourself and assess the proof, or lack of it and decide based on facts. Not otherwise. Long have we lived in poverty, opression and apparent harmony.

Vote for a change, vote with a vengeance.

Voice your Vote!

2008-10-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

Today you have seen the truth being verified by the Auditor General. Tomorrow you can vote someone else, other than Maumoon. Make sure you vote!

It is time for a change, and it shall be better. Make sure you do not miss this opportunity and regret later.

Auditor General's Report on President's Office: Incriminating Evidence?

2008-10-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

If you are a DRP supporter and not aware, you should visit the following website (Aduitor General of Maldives) and read the report, published on 6th October 2008, before you consider to vote Maumoon! If not a DRP supporter also, read it!

http://www.audit.gov.mv/dv/agreports.php

Think before you vote!

Hypocrites for Presidents

2008-10-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

Related:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPzAgaDm54g

Think before you vote!

How to Win Elections Maumoon Style!

2008-10-05T06:53:00.001-07:00

Think before you vote

How Maumoon Intends to Reach "New Heights"

2008-10-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

Think before you vote!

Vote with a Vengeance

2008-10-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Are you voting? If you are voting but cannot decide as there is no suitable candidate for you, then make sure your vote does not go for Maumoon.
Even if you are voting or not, the question you would like to ask yourself would be, are you angry or not? Why should you be angry.

I am angry that Maumoon is accepted as a candidate for the upcoming elections, which we knew as inevitable given the reach of his authority within the system. It is like a web has clawed upon into every single institution, even with an amended constitution. Isn't it awkward, that a constitution gave the president authority to nominate nearly two-third of the Special Majlis which was instituted to amend the constitution? The amendment was to reduce his appointments, when he had the major proportion already voting on that amendment. Ideally, this new constitution could have been better, if not for Maumoon. What I am trying to say here is, to have a consitution by the poeple and for the people, we need to remove Maumoon and his trail fo infectious parasites. If we the people, had had a say directly and realistically, Maumoon would be barred from his candidacy today.

It is natural that, when we see Maumoon campaigning with the slogan 'Gadha 5 aharu' (Better/Stronger 5 years) it infuriates us to limits. Do not ask why? The reasons are numerous and cannot be listed shortly. But for starters, you can see in the 'rear view mirror'. Thirty years of tyranny, no developmental activities, injustices, nepotism, torture, budget mishandling, fiscal crisis and more. Maumoon might claim that when he came in power, Maldives was in a pathetic state and all the infrastructure that we have today, was because of his sweat. That is a straight forward lie. UNICEF, ADB, JAPAN AID, Indian Government Aid, UNDP and other foreign aid is directly responsible for all the schools, hospitals, public building we see today except for theemuge and presidential palace (including Aarah). He made sure that his venues were well developed. Lets see, IGMH was a grant from Indian Government. Almost all schools in Male are courtesy of Japan and UNICEF. All atoll and Island schools are courtesy of UNICEF and ADB. Our Parliament building was a grant from Pakistani Government. Social Centre is by the Japanese. The tetrapod barracade by Japanese. There is such a big list of foreign aid for which Maumoon has deceptively tried to take credit. Today in a golbalised world with flowing terabytes of information, it would be very difficult for him to decieve us.

In this crucial moment, it is our decision that would determine our fates. Look at the bloody 30 years' trail. Think of the atrocities done by the regime of Maumoon. All the funds they have embezzled and all the times they have escaped from justice. Today we can answer all that by voting for a different candidate. It is not a matter of voting for a certain candidate, but 'NOT' voting for Maumoon.

Maumoon has depleted all his lives. Vote with all your vengeance. Make sure your vengeance is for Maumoon, and not your vote.

"Who are you gonna beleive? Me or your own eyes?" - Maumoon

2008-09-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Know Your 'Real' Candidates : Maumoon

2008-09-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

When certain people have blamed the 'archaic laws' of the old constitution for the long political oppression, inequality in how justice has prevailed and inequality in wealth distribution, we can only watch in awe.

Certain people may put a very deceptive veil on Maumoon at this crucial hour, and at the same time claim to be sitting on the fence. This is just my sincere attempt to describe, what lies beneath this veil.

It is rather true that getting elected for 5 terms is an achievement, likewise Jack the Ripper would consider all his murders his achievement. Every achievement, need not be a good deed. Maumoon got elected for the 5 terms, with distortion of the truth, coercion, oppression of the needful, buying out votes, rigging and what not! How is that a positive achievement for anybody? And doing so how can one claim that he maintained political stability and a favourable investment atmosphere? A dictatorship is definitely very stable politically! He ruled with an iron fist, no political parties allowed. Every voice of discontent was equalized to sedition, and Draconian laws were enforced. Certain parties of interest were given the opportunity to pluck all the fruits, and that is now labelled as the favourable investment atmosphere! Despite having such a high GDP, the wealth distribution is quite unequal and those parties of interest hold all the big bucks today.

And when thousands suffered in distant atolls due to lack of proper and necessary health care infrastructure, he was investing most of our budget in to a 'Million Tree' program which was a huge waste given the circumstances. Trees seemed more important than human lives then.Why? Only to selfishly claim the Nobel Prize. He claims to be such an environmentalist, but dredges a reef, killing a whole ecosystem to build an artificial island, when we have so many natural ones. Is environment only about trees? So how on earth did he earn a reputation at an international level for being such an environmentalist?

The other thing is becoming the self proclaimed religious leader, who is not only contradicting with all other scholars, but even with himself. So saying two different things, at two different points of time earns him to be a religious scholar? Aren't we all scholars then?

And yes, even certain gangsters are well known faces in Male. Maumoon being the most well known face in Maldives, does not make it his strength. Far from fitting the 'Archetypal Presidents' image, he fits that of a dictator, torturer, liar, hypocrite and worse. Nostalgic attachment with the old, maybe in minor circles. In majority, he has just instilled fear for the past 30 years, that people would show apparent respect. Some fear losing their jobs, in desperate circumstances as the only way up the ladder is kissing his backside.
Why is he vulnerable to charges of nepotism? Is it because he has committed it openly without doubt? It is not only the youth who want change. It is every sane person alive in Maldives (except for those benefiting under the tables from him), who wants change.

There are several faces of change. Today we want change with vengeance. He has caused us unforgettable harm, for which we demand justice and his replacement. If we had had the opportunity, he would have been out of power long ago. Maumoon has killed so many of us alive. I wonder how many of you can even stand it, that he is even running for president.

Think before you vote.

The DRP Manifesto : 30 years of BS, and more!

2008-09-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

The DRP manifesto, was unveiled by our incumbent dictator, with 6 apparent promises. Our dictator, with the so called new constitution, becomes an illusionist. It is quite difficult for him to ban more than 2 people gathering, unlike old times and hence has resorted to mystifying the public with the illusion called 'Gada 5 aharu' (Strong 5 years) which never came in the past 30 years. The illusion is that:

The 'Center for Quran' will be integrated into the University (Which one? The imaginary illusion of a University?), and will be upgraded to a world class Religion Research Center. Since only Maumoon studied religion in 'Arabic' only he has the full understanding of it, and apparently all other scholars did some mischeif in Pakistan and India, studying in Urdu and other degraded languages (as per the Gayoom Scale of Languages). Hence it is important to research religion, in 'dhivehi' since Arabic is not a taught language officially here. Ah, did he just contradict himself? So he is going to start religious research even before teaching Arabic? I think the poor guy is really demented, and his staff (and DRP) are too dumb to notice it.

The University which could not be established in the past 30 years, will be established, with a snap of his mighty fingers. Just like that! Out of thin air! And it will also give 6,000 scholarships in 5 year! That is 1200 scholarships per year? How many students can they take in even if they establish a University at once? And they wanna educate 6,000 Scholars in 5 years? That too on Scholarship? And he says, he has the only 'possible and realistic' manifesto?

500 teachers would be trained per year. So? What about their salaries? And why not in the past? 'Vocational and Technical College', We did have VTC (Vocational Training Centre) which is upgraded to a college status right now, with a different name, MITE (Maldives Institute for Technical Education)! So he's gonna change their name again? What a load of BS.

For 30 years, we haven't had proper Medical facilities. We are having expensive, low level facilities. Today he wants to put in 'Kidney' and 'Heart' specialist centers in 3 regions, one specializing more in cancer. Ha ha! So it seems, people have a Kidney and heart only. In those regions, you could still die of Liver disease or a simple dengue fever. And he did not mention the cost and pricing of services provided, did he? It seems, its gonna be free. How? Clever. Today IGMH claims, they are subsidizing all services at 80%. Meaning if you pay for an X-ray for 100, 80 is paid by the Government and we are only paying the 20. So why didn't we get the total 100 free, for the past 30 years? Does he expect us to believe this bull shit!

It seems the solution to the Drug abuse crisis, is implementing a up to date, technologically advance system to screen for drugs, at all ports (why not in the past?). And 500 capacity rehabs? Excuse us please.

Airport, and Internal routes network? Ha ha! Ha Ha! Ha ha ha!

Ha Ha Ha!

I feel sorry for DRP members, and Maumoon lovers. What an embarrassment to humanity itself!

Maumoon In His Defense: Pathetic

2008-09-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

Maumoon's latest tactic is alleging 'Persnoal Attacks', and that he had to confront 5 allied candidates against himself. This purely to overcast a shadow on the fact that he was totally humiliated in that 'Questions and Answers' session. In a certain perspective, what he is saying might be ture. A 30 year old regime, with a stubborn dictator and he expects other candidates and the public to be sympathetic to him?

The allegations of cronyism, lack of 'rule of law', inequality in weath distribution, dictatorship, autocracy, toture are all true and he knows it. But he still imagines, in a portion of his pathetic mind, that Maldivians would still buy anything from him. The statement he made that all other candidates' policies and promises are stolen from him, is actually true. Maumoon and cronies had hired many consultants and devised numerous development plans, and infact all the policies like population consolidation and relocation, housing etc are all existing policies. The problems with these policies (as Ibra highlighted in the Questions and Answers session) are that, they are only on paper for years and years, in the corner of a dusty filing cabinet. Ibra was bold enough to admit that he will be only cleaning up these dusty documents, and cleaning them up, to follow them if he is elected. This was very practical.

If anyone can download the various development plans, on the Ministry of Planning and National Development, one can see that no candidate can devise any new policy. Maumoon is actually saying that, he had all these development plans, during all that time without any action! So he is actually saying he couldn't deliver. He is campaigning against himself, is it not? Or maybe he thinks he is some kind of saint? Maybe he has committed so many atrocities that he does not know right and wrong anymore.

He also said, he did not make any promise that he could not fulfill, which is totally ture. But he would not fulfill it, even if he could. And the 'Bridge' was a long shot. It was a really pathetic thing to say at that moment. Maumoon, can't do anything for us anymore. We have to put him out of power, with our power to vote.

Think before you vote.

Budget Cuts on HPSN to Save the 2008 Budget Deficit

2008-09-06T03:03:00.001-07:00

The Budget Crisis ended in a few resignations, notably the Trade Minister and Finance Minister, and appointment of the puppet Jihad (former MMA Governor), as the new Finance Minister. In the obvious desperate attempt to save the Government from the dilemma of deficit, it resorted to major cuts. All major projects were halted without further notice, Government implemented the low expenditure policy, and most crucially HPSN (Home for People with Special Needs) under went a budget cut of 20% this year.

The recent Human Rights Commission (HRC) report is based on the inhuman conditions in HPSN, and the drastic effects of the budget cuts on the operations, and conditions of its inmates. While there is no evident budget cut on the (enormous) allocation for Presidential Palace, the Dictator and his family are enjoying leisurely shopping extravaganzas abroad, while People with Special needs are suffering due to budget cuts. There is enough to spend (misuse of state funds again) on Maumoon's campaign trips, but not enough to provide a decent living for the needful.

Think again before voting Maumoon.

Read the full Report

Relocation and PDCP: Population Development and Consolidation Programme

2008-09-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

Is it really necessary to consolidate the population, to facilitate development? The argument is on and we find it as the 'hot' policy to be judged, for the Presidential Campaign 2008. Unquestionably, consolidation is necessary but is very subjective when it comes to the extent of requirement. Maldive islands being scattered, with little communities in each island, are seen as a hindrance by many to apply developmental goals. This does not have to be true, if the whole perspective is changed. Today what is seen as our 'Achilles's Heel' can be our stronghold tomorrow.

The main rationale for consolidation or PDCP and the Relocation for Population consolidation programme is claimed to be the logistical nightmare of administering the development more than 190 Islands. This need not be true. Maldives only unique due to it's geographical feature of many islands. Why is it that our unique identity becomes our weakness? It need not be that way. Communal seclusion can be an advantage, if it is made that way. A few days earlier, I would have bought the total relocation policy. I would still say that, a very small amount of relocation would be needed, and consolidation is actually not a necessity.

What one might argue very practically is that, how can anyone provide the numerous services for each and every island. That is like providing more one hospital, school, power house, harbour and many such facilities to maybe a community of less than 700, and adminstering all of them. The whole approach, if changed can be more convincing. What if, the people are taken to these services instead of the services being taken to them. Lets analyse them part by part.

Even thought many islands are with small communities, they are in close proximity with one another and usually within the same reef. When it comes to electricity, why does every island need to have an individual power house, when there is something called 'cables', which can carry the electricity. Let's ponder further into it. There is say, hypothetically, 4 islands in one reef, with 3 inhabited and 1 uninhabited. Why can't the power house be on the uninhabited island (pollution isolated from residential areas), and power cables can run via power poles via the span of the reef to each island. This is better than having 3 different power houses, on theree different islands. The logistics become easier. Only one trip (fuel transportation) would be needed. When it comes to Hospitals and Schools, 1 island can have it (one with abundant land area). The others need a good and free medium of transportation. Why can't simple and cheap bridges be built between them, the reefs are not that deep actually. It would be actually better than building 15 storey (wasteful) office spaces in Male. Better allocation of the budget can mean the development of a better infrastructure. The need to consolidate the population in large and reclaimed areas (reclamation of land is costly, and damaging to the environment in short run and long run) would not arise if a good transportation, (by sea) is developed.

Now comes the question of adminstration. Can it be distributed by means of local governments in every atoll, and the responsibility is divided, and all the locals come under the central government. This would divide the responsibilities further, and much can be achived localized. Today, Maumoon appoints his faithful, powerless iconic Atoll chiefs as mascots. They can't sanction anything, does not have any funds, resources nor authority, so how can anything be adminstered? So the whole issue is due the governments incapability, and Maumoon's inability to trust anyone. When you are a theif, it is difficult to trust anyone else, is it not?

I would go with Ibra's policy, for population relocation and consolidation, which as he states clearly is not needed. Development is needed in all islands, and development can come by minimizing the wasteful expenditure. Expenditure like the Presidential Palaces' parties, dinners, trips, distribution of welfare funds at his fingertips. Today we do not need to develop 4 or 5 main regional centers, and move large quantities of the population to those areas. What we need is someone who can justly execute a simple set of policies and someone who will make sure that everyone has to abide by the law, which ever is the value of his assets and business. There are only 2 candidates who can deliver in this regard, Ibra and Anni. Hassan Saeed, has a history of corruption and deception during his era as the Attorney General of Maldives. He knew that the dictator was using his power to oppress free and fair, and did everything in his power to cover up tracks. Gasim has shown his true colors, and Umar can't handle anything.

The actual fact is, today we are immersed in a sea of pormises and policies, when what we actually need is a just and fair leader, who can give the rule to the people.

Milestone: Presidential Race 2008, Televised Q n A!

2008-09-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

September 3rd, 2008 is yet another Milestone, for Maldivians, in our endeavor to a better tomorrow. It was for the first time, that we have broken the bubble and surfaced into the vast ocean of free and fair system of life. The shore to 'freedom' is close, but only if we all (or majority of us) paddle in the same direction. Last night, was the first in 30 years, that our dictator had to be nervous while speaking. A few years back, questioning his authority and autocracy was considered a crime and sin for which everyone had to fear for the atrocities that befall on anyone who commits it. Today, we have witnessed presidential hopefuls, challenging him for the first time, on public media. I can understand how threatened Maumoon would have felt, sitting there talking nonsense in his defense.

I guess it was obvious, that Maumoon could not hide his anger in the calm veil of lies, which he used to do before. Ibra and Dr. Saeed spoke well, with wit and confidence. I can see how Hill & Knowlton would be pissing in thier paints, after seeing Maumoon's reactions. The guy actually claimed that it was impossible to provide basic services to all regions and communities equally. I don't think for once he cared about the difference in equalities others were talking about. The whole time, he kept inisisting not to ponder into the past and keep focus on the future, but himself boasted of had done in the past. He had the audacity to claim that our country has developed this far because of his policies and hard work. What he knows, and would not admit is that the development in the past 30 years is something which should have come in less than 1/3rd of that time.

Gasim, as usual blabbered nonsense to me. Anni and Umar had good policies, but they failed to impress with the extra little something. Ibra and Dr. Hassan were well spoken, confident and with excellent policies.

The whole televised extravagaza was like something between all candidates vs the current regime. All what anyone can promise is something better than today. Maumoon was clueless, and had to admit that he had no novel policies, but would continue what he had been doing the last 30 years. He had the audacity to bring up the University and Bridge dream in to the picture, but only to humiliate himself, amongst the many of us. I am sure, all of his cronies would be swallowing their words today, after seeing their end at their doorstep.

Give Someone Other Than Maumoon, a Chance

2008-09-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

At every corner, in every neighborhood, in every community, in every island of the Maldives, the talk is about the 2008 Presidential Elections. Thirty years is a long time. Even before that, we have not known what a free and fair society is. Today, we face the opportunity to our freedom, without a hint at what it can be. It was not long ago when such talk would have been ridiculed by almost anyone. It was indoctrinated that standing against the government was a moral sin, which has turned out to be a 'basic right' today. The avalanche of changes that came in the short time span has made us wonder of what might it actually be, if Maumoon is to be defeated in this elections. If a fair and just president is to lead us in the next five years, what would that freedom be like. It is like tasting chocolate for the first time, after reading about its flavors.

We are on the edge of a blade, and can tip in any direction, either freedom or oppression. Why is it that even today, many of us fear to embrace change. We see today, at the quality and character of the other candidates who are challenging Maumoon. The fight is not between each other, but actually between us, the public, and Maumoon. Maumoon was successful to instill the fear and demoralization in us to such an extent that we cannot even beleive that anyone can lead us fairly and justly. The thought which runs in most of our minds today is that what change or good can come of electing someone else. It would be the same, or it could become worse. Many have surrendered their hopes, and neglected the whole thought of it.

It is quite true that, today we face a very difficult decision. A decision to choose amongst many candidates, and risk in a change that could and might be worse given the choices we have today. It is quite obvious that certain candidates do not have selfless motives. Then again, there are certain candidates who are in the gray area, and who are capable of bringing a better change and give us a better, free, fair, sustainable and just society than what we already have. It is quite common to find hearts filled with terror, frustration, agony and misery in our community today. We are literate and educated, most of us, but we do not act so. We are blinded and trapped in the most obvious and simple lies. We are so blinded that we cannot see beyond a simple selfish and temporary need.

The tactful and deceitful have been quite successful in the past, which creates grave concern amongst most of us who are still hoping for a better tomorrow. It is the wealth and power which had driven them from their humane duties, into extorting the poor and helpless. As it is said, when certain traits are embedded bone deep, it is hard to eradicate them. Such has become the situation of date. Today we have lost the demarcation between what is right and wrong, and see everything in shades of gray. If we lose ourselves, and vote for this tyrant once more, we would fail to differentiate between the shades too. Most who have lost their morality, and allied with Maumoon, will look back at their lives and regret the day they sold their souls for something which didn't amount to anything at all. Anyone can choose to sell their vote, or not. Who can stop it? It is inevitable that this is going to happen, and votes are going to be sold and bought, for money, for position, for power. But the hopeful and the determined will keep on fighting till the end. Because, freedom is something which is not bought back, but earned. Today after 30 years of tyranny, we have earned our freedom. Freedom to equal opportunities for all. Freedom in a lot of arenas. Today we have to lose our fear in change and risk the challenge of it, and give a chance to another to lead us.

DRP's attacks to disrepute other candidates

2008-09-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

It is stated by DRP that while Dr.Saeed was the Attorney General the general situation in Male was a state of 'terror'. Adaalath party has sold their religion. Republican party is trying to buy out votes. MDP is a threat to the statistical '100%' muslim status of Maldives in alliance with foreign 'gangs' apart from being a major threat to our sovereignty, and Ibra is a hypocrite.

So Maumoon has done everything for Maldivians, including the reform process being his sole idea, there is no one to carry it out, if Maldivians fail to elect him for the next 5 years. This is quite priceless.

The actual truth is, obvious as it is, that Maumoon has spread the terror in Male and Maldives as a whole. Why didn't Maumoon fire his Attorney General then, if it was in a state of terror? As I see it, Maumoon is confessing his failures. About the accusations regarding religion, it has been his right hand tool, used on the left, right, top and bottom. Religion was the universal excuse when the need came, for Maumoon. Who could sell it anymore, when Maumoon has already sold it out? MDP is a threat to the sovereignty of our Republic. I say we do not have any sovereignty. The only sovereign authority here is Maumoon, and his cronies. We are just being enslaved by their authority. So what threat can anyone pose to something which we do not have. Frankly I do not care any threats to Maumoon's authority. I would very much like to see him being strip off it. I would not dare to ponder on the statsitical 100% Muslim state, as all of us, including the claiming party knows the truth. Hypocrisy, is synonym to Maumoon. I am not surprised that a hypocrite would accuse others of being one.

This is the truth, but still there are many of us who would vote for this tyrant. Why?

The Promise for Black Gold by Gasim

2008-09-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

In the recent campaign launch, Gasim entered the Presidential race with his purchased ticket from the Republican Party (Pte Ltd), with a bold promise to drill for 'Oil' in the Maldives. Is this what we really need at the moment?
For 30 long years, being deprived of the basic human needs, being enslaved in a system of tyranny we face the lucrative business proposals from a bunch of wannabe's. I want everyone to think about this a bit seriously. We have not seen a fair Justice system in our life. We have not seen a developing education system, nor had any opportunities for a good a decent college education. We haven't had affordable housing nor health care. In the midst of all this, do we really need promises of 'GST taxes', 'Offshore Oil Drilling' and crap in unachievable time frames. What people like Gasim would like, is to incorporate everything in mega projects, which could generate billions of dollars and then take his cut from it. Gasim has shown his corrupt side, while being the finance minister, offering projects to Amin Construction under the desk. And what about the chunk of land given to Villa Gas?
At the moment, we need someone who can be fair and just. Someone who would not touch teven a dime of the state and public. We need sincerity, not promises of Black Gold.

Tainted Promises: Elections 2008

2008-08-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Maumoon is touring the Maldives, spreading lies to the public, who might to some extent listen to him. In a morbid twist of the facts, Maumoon claimed himself as the 'Father of Democracy' and that he was the person who made it possible to 'amend' the constitution. He also seems to be in conception of a very confident victory in the up coming presidential elections. While certain people are pointing the finger at the state funds and resources being taken for these trips, I wonder if even anyone is aware of the state funds being distributed, to win votes.

It seems, he can make the next 5 years, a very successful term (being confident that he would win it). It had been in fact, a very successful 3o years for Maumoon and Co. It was us, the public, who suffered. If only Maumoon knew the meaning of 'shame'.

The Sin of Silence

2008-08-20T03:15:00.000-07:00

Today we live in a community, which is much politically aware compared to 10 years back. A part of us have been raising their concerns and voices against the injustices faced collectively by us, while the others are in silence. Many have the attitude of not caring who rules us, and the notion that nothing will change. But this is an idea which we have to leave behind us if we are to overcome the current regime and move into an era of freedom. We have to break the silence and have all our voices heard at once, at a deafening tone, so that those who are responsible for the long oppression which we face today, would tremble at the change they see.
The following weeks, leading to the first ever 'Multi-party Elections' in the Republic of Maldives, is going to be a very crucial time. Many of us have lived in an oblivious oppression, that we are unaware of freedom. Many of us do not know what we have missed because we do not know anything further than what the regime has shown us. Today we have to believe in something more than what our eyes can meet. Today we are at a stage, where we can identify between empty promises and lame excuses to stay in power. Today we can identify between what is ours, and what is being unjustly spent in our name, without our authority. Its not long since we only learned that, the government is something we elect, to run things for us because its difficult for all of us to participate in the governance. But its been a long time since we have learned that something is not right, and today we know that it is the self rule by someone to whom we trusted in. It was his manipulation of the public, through the spread of ignorance and deprivation of basic needs that he has propagated his unjust regime. Today, he hides behind a veil of legitimacy, while beneath it covered with total deception.
It is our silence today, that can dearly cost us for another 5 years or even more. It is important that we all break our silence, and not by shouting slogans. The silence can be broken by actions as simple as giving your vote. Every individual has a right to vote, and it is important that you vote. Many have the attitude of defeat already, and refuse to caste their vote. Many have accepted defeat to an extent that they are willing to participate in the circus of deception, and get a little momentary benefit out from it, by selling their loyalty or vote. But today, we have have to remember that you can benefit this minute, and know that you are killing the hopes of an entire nation including your loved ones and future. It is for the greater good, that today we should refrain from allying with them. The offers would be lucrative, but we have to publicly deny them. These offers are going to be tempting in the form of money, power but we can out cast them. In truth, it is not late, but many have already fallen into the traps. But they can still free their conscience and change the lane. This is not a dead end that we follow. We walk the road, hand in had, chanting for change and will accept nothing less. The road to future is written today and heard today, if only we break this silence, because this silence is a sin, and it will cost us dearly.

Televised Debate: Maumoon vs Gayoom

2008-08-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, Maumoon refused to take part in the televised debate organized by 'Think Nation'. This was not surprising at all, considering the ridicule he has to face in a debate after 30 years of atrocities against freedom and humanity. But then, DRP had to make a fool of themselves by stating that any candidate would have to surpass and defeat (in debate) their hierarchical structure of staff (starting from Peons) in order to reach the 'Zaeem' at the Pinnacle. This was the quote, which made even morons to feel as intellectuals when compared to the DRP media committee. Yet, today Maumoon wants to have a debate. So this guy contradicts himself in every second of life. It would be like having a debate with himself on whether to have a debate, is it not? A bunch of cowards!
Maumoon, nor any member of DRP can justify the continuous and systemic atrocities he has caused the Maldivian public in the past 30 years, let alone the cronyism, coercion, extortion, twisting justice, torture... and what not! If there is a crime against humanity and freedom, this guy has done it. And I am sure, anyone can shut this guy up in a debate. He will lose a debate with a 5th grader, if the latter gets his facts right. Maumoon can only face one debate. That is again, the debate with himself.
DRP is a big circus. They have the policy of having no policy. It seems other parties are making empty promises by revealing policies. And DRP urges the public to see what the 'Zaeem' has done for the country in the past 30 years and they would know what DRP has in store for us in the coming term. So in this regard:
Education
We can expect to have the same 1980 curriculum, with low paid, dissatisfied teachers (putting an effort worth to their salaries), with only a 'dream of a university', and a handful getting the chance of higher secondary education. The loyalist's children would get the foreign aided schols' as a reward for their loyalty (and as a price to buy future loyalty).
Economy
There would be 40-90 Islands sold every year, in order to compensate extra high government and (personal theemuge spending). All mega projects would be stalled for a record time, commodity prices would rise, inflation would hit the ceiling. Salaries of Ministers and top executives who matter (to remain in power), would be increased till they are satisfied, and if Maldives wins any sports trophy in the coming years it would be sent to each and every island, despite the cost or desire of those communities. Government will be the 'single share holders' of a lot of companies, including Airports Company, IGMH company, Stelco, MWSC, Dhiraagu etc. Corporate taxing would mean reaping out his campaign contributors, relatives and self investments. So all taxing would come via indirect means which affect the lower classes, like from Customs duties etc. More and more office buildings would be erected in Male and all the projects would be handed over as grant to select construction companies.
Health-Care
All Maldivians can suffice with IGM Hospital, and since they are making an unplanned 12 floor extension, it would suffice in bed capacity for a couple of years. Equipment and staff training will be done on a demand basis. If it is not a profitable venture, even though it can save lives, it would not be accepted. If you are not happy with the services of IGM hospital, you can acquire services from ADK hospital, and fund that moron Nashid for a change. If you live in a far away island like G Dh., Ha Alif, you can say bye bye to who ever is in a critical condition. We will build your local hospitals, unplanned, in a 'Lego block' fashion (where all project benefits will be cut to Iliyas and Jausa). Still further, if the poorly equipped staff of IGM or local hospitals make a wrong diagnosis and you find that out in the trip to Trivandrum, you can punch around that Doctor a bit when you come back.
Housing
Male is becoming an urban slum. And the 'royalties' and big shots in Male cannot stand all the Islanders in Male, crumming up in small holes. So DRP will make it a priority to develop a high class and luxurious get away, called 'hulhumale' and sell it at prices (in an apparently fair and open manner), unreachable to the low and average Maldivian, so that Maumoon can build his aristocracy there. We can go on living in our rat holes. Heavy loans will be given to high ranking officials (who really matter, again to stay in power and those who knows his dirty secrets) on a 'Pay when you can' and 'Pay if you feel like' basis. The Housing Ministry can go and make the Urban Plans of all Islands, for all those who care. Decentralization is a myth. Maumoon and Hamdhoon will continue to lobby for Tsunami relief, and use those funds for things which 'matter' like DRP salaries, bribes, Fatuhulaah Jameel, Umar Zahir, Male beautification, Theemuge and Majlis Member's salaries. It would be pointless to move those in temporary shelters to permanent ones, since it would solve the tsunami homeless problem forever and Zaeem would have no excuse to ask for aid regarding them. Brilliant eh!
Drug Trafficking and rehab!
It is helpful to keep it going, only a bit of control is required according to DRP. It is a million dollar business run by Zaeem's brother Yamin, so stopping it is like throttling a family business. Just a bit of control, to make sure low shots do not enter the business, will do the trick. Those would be caught and agents in Police would seize it and re-distribute and reap the profits. Everyone is happy according to Zaeem. Those who wants to rehabilitate can go to the Rehab resort, which has more supply of heroin and illicit drugs than the outside, with inept security and staffing is the place. If they become too notorious, Jail them for a few days, move to house arrest, let them deal a bit, move back to jail.. and so is the circle of life.
Foreign Policy
Run around the globe, with the slogan "Its simply not true, not true at all!" Groom Zaeem's daughter for the future, Foreign Minister and lobby with the Bangladeshi counter-part in order to import more and more skilled and unskilled labor in order to drive Maldivians out of jobs and remedy the unemployment in Bangladesh.
Energy Policy
Even though the oil prices in the world market is to go down, STO can keep it high since they import refined oil. And the price hike in the world is pertaining to 'crude oil'! Ha ha (They think we are still dumb as in the 80's). Also they never seem to run out of a high cost shipment, although they are keen to increase the prices of oil even when they have a low cost shipment. Energy will be handled mostly by stelco, and they can reap and do anything they wish. More than that, they is a huge influx of money, from all those power bills. It is evident that keeping a Maumoon loyalist is important, as chairman, and he can take a few millions into his pocket without a big deal. Further more, anyone can embezzle any amount of money as long as it is public funds and not 'Zaeem's' and take a trip to the UK, and come back and re-acquire the post he had (even thought he might be labeled as traitor for a while and mercifully pardoned on return).
Infrastructure Development
Does this mean paving all Male roads with expensive blocks which are actually not meant for driving vehicles? Duh! Zaeem nor DRP has any clues about it any more than the former interpretation! So lets drop it huh!
Income and Wealth distribution
Will be distributed equally, but amongst a selected few.
Environment protection
Million and one trees would be planted, but Reefs would be dredged for new resorts to keep the balance of nature.
Rule of law
Zaeem is the law,..there is nothing above him.

In view of the above policies, Only Mr. Maumoon can challenge Mr.Gayoom for a debate! Right?

Further Reading
President to Take Part in Televised Debate by Judith Evans in Male, 19th August 2008

Easily Marketable Candidate, by Republican party

2008-08-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Easily marketable commodity : Gasim in Oil.

Maumoon's Audacity

2008-08-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

Maumoon is shameless to face us every time, as if he is pure piece of 'white cotton'. For 30 years, he had oppressed us. Deprived us of a decent health-care system. Deprived us from achieving a good education. Deprived us of a decent living, and housing and in fact, deprived us of all basic needs. Still he has the audacity to face us, as if he has done a lot for us. In fact, he feels that we should be grateful to anything, if any, development came within his reign.

He really feels (with his cronies), that whatever is being done, is his personal favor. If he decides to make a 'Power house' for an island (with foreign aid), he puts in the notion that he is doing it out of his kindness and mercy. Like as if he is spending from his own pocket. In truth, he considers the Maldivians his personal slave heirtage, and all the tax owned his own income. Isn't it why he goes on shopping trips to Singapore and the likes to spend thousand of dollars every day.

Why Maumoon has to Boycott a Public Debate.

2008-08-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

In a 'Public Debate' for a "Presidential Race" you have to give a lot of answers, especially when you have already ruled for 30 years. If asked about a policy, like:

Health-Care Policy: All what Maumoon did was to unjustly use government funds to have his health-care in Singapore (his family, friends and loyalists included)
Housing Policy: Provide interest free heavy loans (on a 'Pay if you feel like' basis) to his cronies like Commissioner Adam Zahir, Umar Zahir, Shahid, 'Dandehelu' Ibrahim (list too long)
Education: Send children of self and cronies to UK, Australia (etc) on foreign aid scholarships (meant to be selected on merit basis). Also used to buy loyalty from government officials. Do not build a University or dissidents might increase.
Wealth Distribution: Distribute it equally, but amongst a few selected family members (like Yaamin) and cronies, and loyalists.
Rule of law and Governance: Only Maumoon is above the law, and he is the law. Even the Supreme court shall be over ruled by him. Governance can be participatory, but then, Maumoon was and is still apparently omnipotent.
Foreign Policy: Run around the world saying "It simply not true!", and claim to be the 'Father of Maldivian Democracy' when in truth he is the Grand pa of Autocracy.
Economy: Distribute islands to local businessmen and cronies, to acquire personal 'cut' funds.
Illicit Drugs Trafficking: Good means to debilitate the youth, less dissidents.
Religion: A shield and excuze when there is nothing else to say.
Torture and injustice: Done it all!

In short, Maumoon has a 'Million and One' questions for which he dare not answer. For the past 30 years he had had no policy for anything related to the public. All the policies was for him, his cronies and loyalists. So what can he say today in a Public debate when someone scrutinizes this?

Housing Policies Examined: Part 1

2008-08-17T03:18:00.000-07:00

A good housing policy would feature, affordable renting/purchase of decent homes in an area where they live and work. Most people would like to own a home, which means a low cost housing scheme is necessary. Housing is intricately related to transportation, health care, schools, shops and green spaces.

In Maldives, the main issue is land and transportation. Developing Hulhumale does not ease transportation. It is not uncommon that local dailies report of difficulties faced by Hulhumale and Villimale residents. Ferry transportation is time consuming.

The Land and Jobs

Male' is totally occupied right now. The prospects of developing housing in the capital is low. Rentals in Male has exceeded affordability, and there is a crisis at the moment. Although there is availability of land for development in far away islands, how can employment be remedied. Total decentralization is required in order to achieve employment and land for housing. How long does decentralization itself take? And how long can the housing crisis go on?

The housing crisis

The housing crisis did not emerge over night. It is a result of the negligence, bad strategic planning, inadequate policies by Gayoom and cronies, for the past 30 years. The main strategy was to develop Male. It is an agreeable fact that 19 Atolls with at least 10 Islands in every Island cannot be developed cumulatively, but why wasn't regional development carried out? All health care, schooling and jobs were available in Male (and vicinity resort islands) for a long time.

The Tsunami impact & Foreign intervention

L. Gan was one of the islands which was planned to be developed. All urban plans were made, but and Proposals for Aids were devised. The main reasons for choosing Gan might have been the huge amount of land available, plus connection to an industrial islands and Airport. But, evidently the funds acquired by the Gan proposals were spent on Hulhumale. One such incident was the Qatar Amir School of Gan.

The Tsunami hit, and left many homeless. Tons of Aid came in many forms. But even today, many still live in temporary shelters. The Tsunami lead to Government demanding people of certain islands to

Housing Policies

Housing policies as discussed by Dr. Hassan Saeed promises 5000-8000 units in various islands. How ever, it is not stated that this would be low-cost affordable housing. The main issue behind housing in Maldives is the increased rate of construction services, due to a higher demand in it due to the Tsunami. There are several possibilities of providing low cost housing. Planning large areas and leasing the land on a long term basis to Private Real Estate Developers, at zero or minimal price, for them to develop it according to the design. Even further, the construction materials imported for the particular project can be exempted of custom duties and all relevant taxes. And the contract with the government should state the maximum pricing on which the developer proposes to sell the housing units. This way, a very low cost housing can be provided.
Still this does not answer how jobs can be provided near the housing. The question remains, on selective development. This will take a very long time for people to accept the quality of services which comes with housing.
Even Umar Naseer's policy states building flats, etc and remedying the problem within a span of 5-10 years (by 2018), which is a very improbable task. Although, Umar's policy addresses the issue of affordability. His policy outlines a plan in reclaiming land in places where availability is not there. 'Land Reclamation' has been a major downfall of the current government's housing efforts. Land Recalamtion is a very expensive and damaging (to the environment both in the short run and long run) process. The expenses into reclamation is included in the prices of the housing units sold. So reclamation does not provide low cost housing, does it? Maldives has got islands which are adequate in land. Certain islands are in close proximity, that they can be connected via an 'environment friendly' bridge. Umar also mentions a very important issue in the tsunami aid distribution. Many committed fraud, in faking damage to houses to receive new housing. This has caused wide spread conflicts in these closed communities, and mostly injustice. Umar promises justice to be served in these issues. Umar also warns of the strict measure he would take if an owner is to lease his unit to another person.
Ibra has addressed the privatisation of the industrial process, of these provision, keeping a minimal state owned housing provision (in low cost) for lower income communities. He also pledges introduction of the real-estate development, with introduction of home finance institutions. Time frames for these are not mentioned. How and where development will be taken is not addressed.
Maumoon however, has not put forward any policies, and he intends to mismanage all the housing related issues as he has done in the past. The biggest mistake was 'Hulhumale'. Millions were spent in the land reclamation, and housing units are sold on a profitable scheme for the government. Even the average earning Maldivian cannot afford these housing units. The housing issue in Maldives will never be solved by Hulhumale.
Anni has promised a soft-loan scheme and reduction in construction material pricing, to provide affordable housing to all Maldivians.

The main issue with housing is, its provision is not independent from other facilities and services. So how can all services and facilities be provided in the situation where Maldives lies, in time frames as short as 5-10 years. Even if a 20 year master-plan is devised by hiring a world renown company, after 5 years when a new president and government comes into the picture, they would most likely, disregard it. This is quite common in Maldives, take Maldives Airports Companie's Developmnt plan (which costs Millions in Rufiyya to be devised), and which is not followed (simply because the uneducated and ignorant directors feel they know better).

We need to examine all the housing policies, more closely as Gasim and Anni are yet to bring out their detailed policies.

Poll: Presidential Race 2008, Please caste your vote!

2008-08-16T05:51:00.001-07:00

A poll has been added to see the popularity of the current candidates in the presidential race, please caste your vote, and we will see their popularity in our web community.

The Problem with Maldivians: Vote Marketing

2008-08-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

The 'Presidential Race 2008' is on. It is a matter of weeks before we have to vote, maybe for a 'change'. Gayoom seems quite confident in his campaign. He is avoiding public debates with other candidates, as he has to face questions for which he cannot give a straight answer. Anni officially launched his campaign yesterday, Ibra launched his website and started his own blog. Hassan Saeed, although a little subdued by Umar Naseer's 'un-Islamic' allegations still actively campaigning. Republican 'Business' Party yet to nominate their candidate in an apparently democratic way.

With all these going on, we (the voters) are still not aware of their policies. Although some policies posted on their campaign sites are quite vague and unclarified, we still have our duties to scrutinize them and make an informed decision. More over, we have a huge responsibility to vote, because our say makes a lot of difference. The main problem with us (educated or illeterate the same) is, we are marketing our votes more than the parties and candidates are marketing their policies. We are never interested in a greater change for the good. We have our individual 'single' aspirations which can be fulfilled easily during campaign time.

Mostly we get to point the finger the people from Atolls distant to our capital. Since long, the policy was to spread ignorance to stay in power. The political awareness of the distant atolls (with certain exceptions) remains quite low. In some islands, it wouldn't be a surprise to find a kingdom type attitude amongst people, such as it being a sin to antagonize the government.
But this is not the case. Maldivian, even with full political awareness and quite closely examining the current situation are ready to sell their votes, for a mere return of favor.

So there is a problem with us Maldivians, which I really cannot comprehend nor identify...

Government Compensation to Fehendhoo: Absurd Amount

2008-08-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

The government has decided to provide compensation of RF 500/- per person to B.Fehendhoo residents who want to relocate to B.Goidhoo temporarily. The compensation will be provided to them until the construction of their permanent houses are completed.

source : Ministry of Planning and National Development

Rf 500 per person? Is this a joke? With current prices and the value of Maldivian Rufiyaa, what is 500 worth? When these decisions are made by committees with executives, who get a pay of Rf 50,000 +, per month, I wonder if they really do this as a sarcastic gesture. This is such an insult.
It also states, that this is a compensation for those who want to shift temporarily, till they can provide permanent shelters for those who want to shift.

Falsifying Bankruptcy : Construction Industry

2008-08-13T01:29:00.000-07:00

Maldivan Association of Construction Industry (MACI), has stated recently that they are on the verge of (inclusive of 134 member companies) bankruptcy, which is a totally false and ridiculous claim by an industry which is totally and corruptly interwoven with the current government.

Material costs have increased up to 200 per cent over the past three years and government contracts do not allow for adjustments to cover the increased cost of production, according to the president of MACI.

MACI president Mohamed Ali Janah told Minivan News the construction industry will come to a standstill within a month if nothing is done to prevent bankruptcy.

Janah, who describes the situation as “beyond critical,” says a 5 to 10 per cent profit margin was estimated for 2008, but will not be achieved. “All the [local] contractors in the Maldives are in the red zone,” he stated.

Source: Minivan News

The top companies in the Maldives construction industry, are directly dependent and totally run via government projects.

A total of “80 to 90 per cent of MACI contracts are with the government,” Janah said

The reason for such a high percentage of MACI dependence on government is simply "Easy Money". Normally, when an individual gives out a project for construction, he would be concerned about every penny spent. Unlike this, when the government gives out a project, the person in charge is not really concerned about 'cost control' because it is not spent from their own pocket, nor is it under scrutiny neither do they have the expertise to do so. And most importantly, they are on the payrolls of these construction companies.

The Process

Under law, the construction works have to under go an open bidding, and projects which exceed 1.5 million (Rf) are handled by the "Tender Evaluation Board". Almost all projects would exceed the 1.5 million mark (assuming Rf 1200 / sq.ft as a unit rate of construction for typical projects), unless it is 1,250 sq.ft or less (approximately 50 ft x 25 ft, Usually single floor single class room blocks built for atoll/island school extensions and mostly handled by the Physical Facility Development section of the Education Ministry, under ADB finance). Hence, the TEB becomes the key to obtaining government projects. Most of the members on the TEB are on a regular pay roll of the main companies handling MACI, notably Amin Construction Pte Ltd.
The TEB, the Maldives Monetary Authority, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and key personnel in the President's office are known to be involved in 'major corruption scandals' involving construction projects.

The TEB and the TES

The Tender Evaluation Board (TEB) being the decisive body, the Tender Evaluation Section (TES) maintains the administrative aspect. Both the bodies are known to be in the pockets of the top construction companies in the industry.
When the invitation for bids are made, via local media mostly, (in certain projects, inviations are made for pre-qualification) the parties interested are free to purchase the bid documents. The bid documents usually comprise of:

The Detailed drawings (Architectural/Civil/Sturctural/Mechanical/Electrical)
Bill of Quantities, BOQ (Detailed Bills stating the quantites of elements required ,not pertaining to materials, like Concrete works are given in Cubic Meters of concrete).
The contractors have to fill the relevant fields in the BOQ which usually include the material cost and labour cost.
The usual practice is to estimate labour prices per hour, by estimating the total costs (inclusive of wages, non-productive work hours, medical expenses, insurance costs, sick days, bad weather losses etc) of employing a sepcific type of labour (for eg. Mason, Carpenters, General Labourers) and dividing that by the total productive work hours annually.
When estimating material prices, risks due to price fluctuations are considered. For instance, if the market prices for cement has shown an steady increase of 15% every 3 months, and if the project in hand is 12 months of concrete works, ( a preliminary project schedule is drawn and preliminary costs are estimated) then the appropriate mark up in material prices are made. A 15-25% profit mark-up is usually added for all materials. During initial bidding process, since a high weightage is given to lowest pricing, profit margins are kept low. Usually all transportation and insurance costs are considered as preliminary costing, and included in the preliminaries bill.
If the trade of work involves a sub-contractor (for eg. electrical/mechanical/IT), the relevant documents (drawings and relevant bill from BOQ) are passed to the sub-con. The sub-con estimates their prices (again considering market risks) and passes on to main-con. The main-con includes a 15% mark-up on the sub-con prices (sub-con has included a 15-25% profit on thier materials). It would be difficult to identify the material prices from a labour price in a filled up BOQ, because both are given as sum, in the 'rate' field.
Forms of contract. All bills in BOQ are summed and included into the summay sheet. The total from the Summary sheet is carried to the Forms of contract. The forms of contract include the general bid submission document, and the bid securities needed from relevant banks.
General Conditions of contract for civil works and Special conditions of contract (specific for the project).
The Technical Specifications for Civil Works. Contains all the specifications for works to be carried out, and the standards which should be followed by the consultant appointed by the client when the works are carried out

All these together, comprise the contract, which means everything has to be followed. If it is a pre-qualification, after applying with the pre-qualification documents the companies with the relevant background, expertise, experience and financial backing are selected and the bid documents given.
The main target in such bids (in Maldives), is to have the minimum price. Price is given at least 70-80% weight age (especially when they are pre-qualified). Other criteria could include, duration of completion as proposed with the bid, expertise in certain areas, relevant projects done in the past. Although most weight age goes on least price, it is stated very clearly that the bid with the lowest price is neccesarily not the winner. Mostly, the tender board gives out information and tips, under "the desk", to certain big shots since they on the payrolls of these companies. These tips could include the targeted or available budget for the project or the targeted duration. Mostly, handsome bribes are given to the tender board to win project.

Although, and sometimes a higher valued bid is selected it could be fair. But in most cases, it is not so. This has happened during the awarding of the MMA 9 floor building and the Velaanaage Office 15 floor office complex. Both projects were won by Amin Construction Pte Ltd, via connection with Khadeejaa Hassan (then Governor of MMA and infuential on the TEB), in a well known Khadeejaa Hassan Scandals exposed by Dhivehi Observer (un-proven with solid document evidence yet).
Sometimes, lowering the price to win a project is not an issue. Since the main target in any government project, (in the Maldives again) is to earn via the 'variations clause' in the contract.

Variations Clause

Most standard forms of contract include a clause under which the employer or his representative is able to issue an instruction to the contractor to vary the works which are described in the contract. A change in shape of the scheme, the introduction of different materials, revised timing and sequence are all usually provided for by the variations clause. It will also usually include a mechanism for evaluating the financial effect of the variation and there is normally provision for adjusting the completion date. In the absence of such a clause the employer could be in a difficulty should a variation to the works be required. The contractor could either refuse to carry out the work or undertake the work and insist upon payment on a quantum meruit or fair valuation basis. Calculation of the price for the extra work applying this method could involve payment well in excess of the contract rates.

Source : Longworth Consulting Worldwide Ltd

In Maldives, construction projects go through a lot of variations. There reasons for such variations include the lack of experience in the staff handling the projects from the clients side, and the in adequate consultancy taken from professionals. Part of it may lie on cheap and in adequate and incomplete detailed design in projects. Another part lies in the abrupt, decisions taken by the executives, with regard to design changes, on the client side (disregarding consultants), in the middle of a project. This is due to connections inside the executives of the client, and the construction company involved. The executives subject the project to variations in order to allow opportunities for the Main-con to exploit the variations clause. Once the bid is awarded the client or respective Ministry is in charge of supervising the project. In most cases, consultants are appointed on a monthly fee basis.
Variations are allowed by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury at a value of 15% of the bid value. So if a project was won at Rf 75 Million (with an expected profit from the project of 15 Mil without variations), 11.25 Mil is allowed as variations. The trick in variations is, the works can be done with a huge profit margin, since it is guaranteed work, although it is not how it should be. If a good and clean consultant is involved, they would try to inform the client of mishaps in variation quotes, and advise and negotiate to cut down prices. The main object of a consultant is to control the cost and keep variations at a max of 4-5%. This is not how it happens. Mostly the consultants are bribed, together with the the executives in charge of the project. If the consultant refuses to get bribed, it doesn't change anything. The executives take the decision to override the consultants advice and go ahead, giving lame excuses of hastening the project and so and so, at ridiculous rates. In variations, almost all companies in Maldives, quote on ridiculous prices. If the client denies the price, they can delay the project by refusing to cut down. If the client the decides to award the project as a separate work, on an open bid process it complicates things. The main-con controls the work site including all utilities like electricity and water. Another contractor coming into the picture would not make anything easier. So in most cases, since the money is not being paid from their own pockets, government executives tend to pay whatever is 'demanded' by the contractors and get on with it.
The variations in questions are not a few thousands. It is in millions, and with a very huge margin of profit. There is a lot of this going on this even at the moment. These can be proven by demanding the variations quotes submitted by to main-con in many on going government projects, and they can be audited to see how ridiculous the pricing are.

Why the variation clause is being exploited?

As mentioned before, the money is not paid from their own pockets. It is public money. So it is easier for the construction companies to convince and bribe the executives into going for the ridiculous priced quotes.
The main other reason, other than being corrupt, is the inapt personnel in the Government offices, especially in the executive chairs, to handle such projects. The project manager on the clients side is most of the time, not up to the task, because he has no knowledge, is corrupt and bought, has other duties besides the project in hand.
Government regulations allow offices to hire project management staff on contractual basis. A proper project management team can be hired to manage and control the cost of the project, and make sure it is finished to date targeted. But this is seldom carried out. One excuse is the high cost of such contractual engineers, architects and surveyors. But in truth, the amounts paid in variations and the incomplete and low standard works is not comparable to their fees.

How the variation clause is being exploited?

Mostly due to design changes, even if you decide to change a toilet from one place to another, according to plans, you ask for a quote from the contractor according to new layout. The quote will include erecting the walls, plastering the walls, tiling the floor and walls and all necessary fitting and pipe works. They would all be 50-90% higher than the original BOQ rates. The client/consultant can negotiate to decrease the rates but if the contractor refuses, most of the time it is given a go ahead at the ridiculously over priced rate. This is only how it is done at a small scale. The many variations that comes up, plus the major variations cumulatively culminates to a huge loss on tax payers money.

Claims of increasing material costs and the indulgence in the 'fluctuations clause'.

Janah, and Abdullah Mohamed (owner of Amin Construction Pte Ltd) of MACI have stated that Material Costs have risen to 200% in some trades, over thew few years due to the tsunami and this has resulted in a loss. Even the rise in fuel prices have aggravated their worries it seems. But this is a totally false claim.
Firstly, when a bid is made, their is a validity. In true costing, the rates for materials are inclusive of all the risks, in that validity period. So if the party wins the bid, they immediately place the orders on those materials. But in case that the 5th slab is 3 months away, and the cement price goes up in the next 2 months, then they incurr a loss. But this is not so. In Maldives, the risk is over managed. The whole project duration, plus expected delays are considered. In truth, they are pretty safe. For example, due to tsunami, the Mixed Hardwood prices increased from Mrf 112 per Cu. ft to 144 per Cu.Ft in a couple of months and fluctuated between 140-180, for a long time. Yet, Amin Construction Pte ltd and other top companies, sold to ther government at a rate of Mrf 240 per cu.ft.
Another point is, it was the construction industry which played the main role in increasing the post tsunami material prices. Mainly because, there was an exponential increase in the number of projects, with a very few companies capable to deal with these. Increase in price of materials (although there was enough stock in Male) still could not live up to the up coming demand for those. The demand rose so steeply that the increase at such an unreasonable rate still meant that these top comapnies did not lack projects. So they profited at a very heavy margin. In truth, they have been they only industry in Maldives which benefited by the tsunami.
Most of the influx of foreign aid is going to this industry, with the proper amount of shares and bribes being given to government officials involved.

Former tourism minister Mahmoud Shaugee said the country should be “concerned about the situation,” saying that there was a possibility foreign companies will come in and replace local companies and workers.

This is absolute farce. MACI has been protected by their bribed fellows, including Shaugee. In most bids, especially at Male Airports Company, Amin Construction has won, even being a very high rated bidder apart from foreign companies. The same goes for all government projects. It is a matter of protecting the local industry and putting our cash in unreasonable and unjust amounts into these corrupt people pockets, or letting it go to foreign companies who can do a better job at lower cost.

Value for money?

The main question remains. Does the standards of work being done by MACI is value enough for the money spent on them? I do not think so and many would agree. Why do you think most of the Resort Projects are being done by foreign companies and not MACI?

Falsifying Bankruptcy

So eventually, due to some reason, MACI seems to be warning of a false bankruptcy. This is a crime, had there been a proper Bankruptcy Act in Maldives.

Sources

Maldives Construction Industry Warns Of Bankruptcy; By Emily Reed and Shauna Aminath in Malé ;August 10, 2008
When does a variation in contract become a seperate contract? Longworth Consulting Worldwide Ltd
Ministry of finance and Treasury, Maldives
The Corruptions of M.Maalimeege Khadeejaa Hassan - part 2; DO Investigative team ; 21 July 2005
Maldives Association of Construction Industry

Further Reading

Maldives Pvt Ltd (Part 1) by Other on June 13, 2007

Maldivian 'Republican Party'

2008-08-09T02:10:00.000-07:00

re·pub·lic
Audio Help [ri-puhb-lik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

2. any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth.

3. a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.

4. (initial capital letter) any of the five periods of republican government in France. Compare First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic, Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic.

5. (initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state.

[Origin: 1595–1605; <>république, MF <>rés pūblica, equiv. to rés thing, entity + pūblica public

The whole concept of the republic is to put the power in the people (the body of citizens), and appoint representatives by means of an electoral process. The people are supposed to rule. If you are a true leader, and an authentic 'peoples' leader, when you voice your concern and decide to make a party you do not become a self-proclaimed leader. You accumulate your public and you let the whole mob decide with an election, who the leader is going to be.

The 'Republican party' is nothing like this. One day ADK Nashid, and a handful of MP's decide they would give a news conference to announce the formation of the party. And Nashid self-proclaims the leader status. The whole congress and whatever was performed in Dhaalu Atoll kuda huvadoo, was a theatric perfromance to blind fold his constituency. It was quite adequately, supplemented with promises of primglimages and scholarships, just to soothe the mind and to ready them for the vote 'buying' process when it comes to the Presidential (and other influential) elections.

The supreme power rests in the public, the people. When a few dumb asses like ADK Nashid, decided to coin 'Republican Party', they simply had no clue of what it meant. I mean, look at their members now. Gasim, is a guy who claimed he was right despite reports from top level economists at IMF and ADB etc. His arrogancy actually surpasses his wealth. The main reason being, statiscally he demoniates figures in the Trivandrum Medical Trip assistance and educational scholarship system. Many coin him as a philanthorpist.

phi·lan·thro·py
Audio Help [fi-lan-thruh-pee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun, plural -pies.
1. altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.

2. the activity of donating to such persons or purposes in this way: to devote one's later years to philanthropy.

3. a particular act, form, or instance of this activity: The art museum was their favorite philanthropy.

4. a philanthropic organization.

So, the main question is, does he really have an altruistic concern, or a selfless motive. I do not think so. He can never be called a philanthropist. All his actions were for one motive, which is the political power he seeks today.

They are that dumb, and they are determined to do anything for their own selfish businesses.

It is common knowledge, that whoever is joining the Republican Party, has an ulterior motive which is not serving the public. This is quite evident from the fact that they decided not to have a primary, to choose a candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections. And it was quoted as Jabir saying, 'We would be choosing someone who would be easy to market among the public'. This is the actual statement he made to the media. That really arrogant and dumb of you to say that Mr. Jabir. This is not you private business and we not your consumers that you sell us a president.

We are quite aware of how the Republican Party grew in size, in terms of MPs. That is 'Business Motives'. Modi, is another business man. Shihab was Male MP for a long time. He was un capable, or incarcerated politically all those days, till MDP showed up and released his inner 'economist' side. Today he plays the political game, like there is no other. The main question remains. Will the Maldivian public buy these commodoties? The answers are quite obviously ridiculous. Maldivians, are at the moment also, hungered for fiscal favors which only these guys can full fil. One is in need of a scholarship assistance, another person is need of a few thousand to complete his motorcycle lease, and another guy is lurking for a good status job. So we can understand their strategy. Selling a good politician it seems. What an absurd remark, to make in public. I personally feed disgusted, that we are at such a level to elect these people to represent us. I do not want to be, at any level, a part of this representation.

All we need to do is to wait, and see the product that is brought forward us, by these selfish bastards, to be sold as presidential material

DRP condemns MDP, alleges links to foreign parties which are threats

2008-08-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

DRP, has quite absurdly, accused MDP of having illicit links with foreign parties/organizations which are definitive threats to the sovereignty and independence of our Republic. But then again, everything that is related to DRP is absurd, and this is not to defend MDP.

DRP, is the basis of 'lies' and 'falsehood' for Maldives. That is what DRP depicts to us. Deciet and extortion, coercion. Shafiu can put it very ettiquetly on public TV, but that doesn't change a thing. When anything comes out of the public TV , or any public media, and when it is particularly related to Gayoom, we the people know that it is 'Bull Shit'! So Shafiu, you think you are quite smart. It is not a secret anymore, that 12 months back, you called each and every gang leader in each island, of each atoll, and asked them what favors can be done for them in order, they remain loyal to DRP and disrupt MDP! Yes, it is quite common and old news now.

Just because you, Mr Shafiu, come from a well off family, does not make any more respectable than a local gangster for us. Few may fear you, or even Gayoom, but for us you are just a big joke. I will see how you can run this sort of nonsense for long. And how on earth did you cook up these new agenda's of attacking the personality of MDP and other political parties, with high treason and bringing out examples of Ali Rasgefanu and all that BS. You are so full of BS right to you brains that you don't have the slightest clue that we don't give a rats ass about Ali Rasgefaanu and company. Our whole history is Mohamed Jameel's wet dream, and the cook-ups of some major perverted poets in our past. Can you believe the fact that, they used to teach the 'Ranamaari' story to school children till early 90's as proud Maldivian history? The original incident being a perverted king, who has a virgin girl every day, when the dumb ass public thought it was some sort of Sea Monster. Such is our history. What do you expect Shafiu? That we respect Ali Rasgefaanu as some true heroic matyr?

Mahlouf,.. you have the I.Q of a chimpanzee. I hate to see you making fun of yourself with such statements on public TV. I mean, how long did it take for these guys to reach the center of your petty little mind? Repect yourself young fellow. You do want to have a future for yourself right? Why do you have to suck up to these old, dumb witted people when you can do much better? Maybe you do have an I.Q of a chimpanzee!

Such lame BS from you guys do have much demand in Market these days. We don't buy it anymore. Sorry to say this, but it sounded like a Friday night comedy stand up. You are a bunch of sassies. History can learn things from you, had you guys lived a few centuries back. Of such idiocracy? Maybe you are the true descendents of those in the Ranamaari days. That's quite something eh! DRP is full of this. Aneesa, is the biggest clown of you all.

Try some other tactics.. Like suck Gayoom's belly button on public tv, that would be more amusing to us.

Reef Resorts

2008-08-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Government of Maldives decided to develop 'Reef Resorts', and I have already come across a variety of thoughts on this matter. The most notable, and critical is the environmental issue.

The Environmental Issue

One thing which eludes my comprehension is why, Mr. Gayoom 'Wannabe Green Nobel Prize Winner' has given this project a 'go-ahead'. I mean, clearly there was the 1 million tree program, or whatever it was.

Many are pondering on the thought of the 'Environmental Impact' of dredging such vast areas of the reef. And the question being asked most is, why dredge. I mean we have so many uninhabited islands. Why dredge and risk a possible environmental crisis in the long run. The idea behind it could be simple. Maybe the distance of the development has a directly proportional relationship with the local economic boost. If the reef of the island is going to occupy this resort, it is very probable that even a tourist can kayak his way to the inhabited part, without any issue of a formal and organized transfer system. Another simple issue resolved could be the power. The island can sell power to the resort? Even more effective would be the labor/staff system. More staff can be hired from the island the administrative costs of their accommodations and their 'off-duty' food can be eliminated from the expense picture. This would minimize the operational costs drastically. More usefully, most of the services required for the operation of the resort can be outsourced to the island, like laundry, waste management, maintenance, general cleaning etc...So the only income to the island would not be from measly souvenir shops.
So all of this would come at an opportunity cost. The environmental risks would be unimaginable and unthinkable for the long run. And the right question at this moment would be, did the government do an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) with proper professional, qualified personnel before making this decision? I am not so sure about this.

The Social Issue

Although the economic changes are beneficial, the social impact can be quite negative. I modern hotel being developed in rural society can bring drastic effects to the local community. This has been observed in many islands, which are in close proximity of a resort island. The main factor, for this impact is the educational level and the social awareness of the community.
Recently when Herathera in Addu atoll was developed (by MTDC), there was an issue of theft (increased level of), due to the connection of the island with local community, by means of land.
The blame is mainly on the government. They have been oppressing these communities, and depriving them from education for quite sometime. Mainly, to stay in power. So these communities, are not ready for a modern development like this. The social issue would not be handled well.

So why?

So why dredge and make reef resorts? There are several other advantages when looking at a designer's point of view. The most luxurious sell is the water-bungalow. A reef resort can developed with minimal dredging, and develop all Water Villas and hence increase the number of beds, with minimal loss to the environment. But increasing the number of beds again would increase its support facilities which are directly or indrectly involved. And most of these would require dry land.

Maumoon is the biggest liar

2008-07-31T00:15:00.001-07:00


No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.: Abraham Lincoln
16th president of US (1809 - 1865)
Maumoon should be given an Oscar, at the great big fake Oscar awarding ceremony for the dramatic scene he created recently. How pathetic. Maumoon, is the father of 'liars'. He created lies. In fact, we should add Maummon as a synonym to the word 'liar' in the dictionary.

Maumoon, you have lied to us to the past 30 years, and you are keeping up at it. Who cares, if a few crooks lied to you. It was your deceptive cricle in which you kept you liars. What about all the lies you have made to the 250,000 + people of the Maldives? What does that amount to?

Of Donations and Bribes...

2008-07-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

Recently, Mr. Nashid (ADK Nashid), chairman of ADK Group of Companies (including the ADK Hospital) has promised pilgrimages and educational scholarships. When asked if this was not bribery, in his defence Nashid mentioned that Sun Travel Shiyam donates his parliamentary salary to the committees of various islands in his constituency. What an excuze Mr. Nashid. Who said that what Sun Travel Shiyam is doing, is NOT bribery? In fact, what he is doing and what you are doing is giving bribes in open day light.

It is because of people like ADK Nashid, that our future can never be a bright one. If he can give such excuses today, imagine the kind of circus he would be running when his party is in power. Do you see anything different between him and Mr. Maummon Abdul Gayoom? ADK Nashid has no other agenda, than being an MP and remaining his position. If he pays up a few scholarships and pilgrimage expenses, and stays in power with these expenses, he can gain more profit for his companies by other means. Can you, people of Dhaa Atoll not understand this? He used his position as an MP (the voting power of the Parliament) to re new his lease on ADK Hospital without any public bidding. People of Dhaal atoll wake up. If you are sincere to yourselves, you would reject these bribes and be the proud people you are.

It is a very tempting offer, and I am sure ADK Nashid has made a nutshell reputation of being anti-Gayoom. But in truth, he has his own selfish motives inside that nutshell.

When asked about something, by the press, this guy usually tries to give a complicated explanation, which he himself can't understand. Likewise, when asked about this situation, he thought, pointing the finger at what someone else is doing, justifies his own. I am surprised that he had the guts to say such a thing. But then again, maybe and most probably it had nothing to do with guts, it is all about stupidity.

ADK Hospital

It has been years, since ADK hospital was established. I am sure, there were cuts and deals in the establishment. In these years, ADK hospital has done nothing but to provide inadequate, imporffesional and dreadfully expensive services. The quality of the specialist doctors in the ADK hospital is really poor. Whenever you get a prescrition, there would be atleast 5-8 drugs prescribed with a multi-vitamin in every prescription. And usually, brandnames would be for those available in ADK Pharmacy. It was nothing but commercial. People had to use the facilties of ADK hospital, due to lack of choice. I guess a trip to India, with all medical expenses, would be cheaper than getting it done at ADK hospital (or IGM hospital). Even more, the quality of doctors are far better.

I do not understand, why people support just about anyone who has a few curses for Maumoon. Today it is a good way of getting attention. If you curse and swear at Maumoon, you got our attentions. Nashid used these tactics to gain such popularity. I don't what his promises are to Dhaal atoll people. But beleive me, it is nothing but a much bigger profit for him. If only, you guys would wake up...

Independent, or not?

2008-07-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

26th July 2008 is our Independence day.

Independence :
–noun
1. Also, independency. the state or quality of being independent.

2. freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others.

3.
Archaic. a competency.

REFERENCE: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/independence

And are we free from control, influence, support, aid or any likes of these? Not a single bit. So is it not hilarious that we or some or even Maumoon celebrates our independence on this day?

We are in a reform process. At the beginning, when certain people fought for their rights or rose their voices, they were oppressed and silenced by any means (like in the case of 'Sangu'). It was apparently 'unethical' to raise you discontent about the government, even worse it became unholy in certain cases. This used to be the general notion amongst most Maldivians a short decade back. So since 1965, we are still being 'controlled' by some one or some group of people. So we really were never free, nor independent? Even today, everything seems to be controlled. The level of control can be argued as a relative and subjective matter. Even certain people supportive of the current regime might put forward the argument that control is a necessity for public security? What if the kind of control that is being imposed is not for justice, but it is for leverage and to the advantage of certain people to stay in power. Control is not at an acceptable norm by us (the public).

There is too much influence even today, in our country, at each and every level and all aspects. If you are involved in football, then you would know the kind of influence in FAM. If you are in Airports Company, then you would know the kind of influence inside there and the unique influential corruption it is infested with. If you are a Maldivian, you would know the kind of influence the government is putting to oppress us in our thoughts and actions. The main reason to deprive us from education, by not establishing higher educational facilities in our country, is to leave us ignorant. Unlucky for the dictator, he couldn't control nor influence our determination to educate ourselves and our children. He had a notion, that he would utilize all the foreign aid scholarships to all his loyalists, to keep the loyal and to buy loyalty from new influential wannabes, and in the 'care taker' program for the royalties. Most Maldivians used to have the notion that the government is doing a favor by giving someone a scholarship. Some still have this attitude today. Nobody can see beyond the black veil. But our educational deprivation program failed. We did get educated and our voices are strong and our determinations much stronger. This kind of influence will not work on us anymore.

Did anyone ever hear a project called 'Male beautification program'. This project involved paving all areas of Male, and creating parks, and jogging areas for the elite. Part of the project, once announced for tender a few years back (which would amount for only a fraction of the project) cost around 5 million dollars. Can you imagine the voters in Islands who vote 'yes dictator' every term, while the dictator spends millions on crap like this. There are incidents still today, where many have died in transit from islands without health care facilities to an island which has. Imagine how pathetic the situation is. This is also a kind of control and influence by deprivation of basic rights and services.

The fisheries industry

I used to hear songs about fishing, and slogans like 'Fishing is our, bloodline' . Seems like our blood line changed to tourism over night. But look at MIFCO. Mr. Iliyas was successful in both running away with all the cash, and coming back getting the pardon of the century and getting a portfolio in the cabinet. Even a few months back, a MIFCO offical was heard giving an interview that the fishermen, and their fishing vessels have evolved faster than MIFCO could keep up with. Today a MIFCO's buying vessel has less capacity than a single fishing vessels while there is a long line of vessels with a full catch each day. Sorry, you can't sell these kind of excuses to us like you guys used to in the 80s. Today we have educated people who can make out the amount of profits MIFCO is making and its purchasing capacity and the specifications and storage capacities of vessels in world market. In short, if you guys had bought bigger vessels long back, the fishermen would end up selling all their fish, which would have made them financially better. They could have afforded better education and services. Their local economies would have boosted. This was unacceptable for the dictator and his cronies and the royal sorry asses in Male. That would mean losing control over them, losing thier votes. It could mean dissent towards the atrocities, and injustices. Even today, thousands of fishermen dump their daily catch cos they can't simply sell it. Does subsidising their fuel change anything?

Tourism Industry

Tourism started to booming at the start of this dictator. Many leaned on his good will and became resort owners. This was done unjustly, as personal favors. Today we see these people buying votes with our blood money. They sit in the parliament and decide what is best for their businesses. Today, we sell our votes for a 'medical trip' to Trivandrum. Today we sell our votes for our annual book lists, although Gayoom decided that government will pay for it in a publicity stunt late last year. Today we have a tyrant ruling us, with more tyrants making laws for us in the parliament. The whole tourism industry is owned by a handful. And this ownership is not by just means. Almost everyone, every businessmen in parliament today has or once had the hands of Maumoon on their shoulders. That is how they rose to their positions before they started barking like that.

Our future seams to be written in black ink. Today we see a kind of control. We might expect change in the coming elections. But with so many tryants ruling us, how can we be free of control? How can we be free from influence. How can we be independent? How can we celebrate?

Teachers' strike

2008-07-01T19:27:00.001-07:00

Teachers decided to strike to increase their pay? So what! Tomorrow your land lord is going to increase your rent. STO will increase staple food prices, and fuel prices. STELCO will increase electricity charges. MIFCO increased canned fish prices. Fishermen will increase fish prices. Doctor's will increase their fees. Engineer's will increase their fees. Government will increase import duties and tax the local small time entreprenuers. They will increase their prices. An egg will cost Rf 10. in the market and it'd all be back to square one.

Cost of everything goes up. So is increasing your salary worth it if eventually it would mean nothing. Why don't we all unite and fight to reduce the cost of our living.

Tomorrow, they will increase the salaries for Airport staff. Day after that the doctors would strike. So begins the salary competition.

Amin Construction - Presidents Maumoon Shareholder?

2007-08-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Raa Atoll Member Ali Waheed has accused that president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and his wife, Nasreena Ibrahim are share holders of Amin Construction Pvt Ltd (Leading Construction CO. in Maldives).

Mundhu (Mohamed H. Shareef) the Chief Govt. Spokesperson has defended the president, just by stating 'its simply not true'. My question to Mundhoodhu is, if you claim so strongly that this allegations is totally false, why don't you produce the necessary documents and financial reports. After all, a MP making such an accusation mean he is making it on behalf of his constituency. Which means the Maldivian people are making an accusation. The Maldivian people elected the president to run this country for them. So they have a right to know the truth.

Query: Police Burtality in Maldives.

2007-04-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

27 year old, Hussein Solah of Seenu Atoll (southern most atoll) Hithadhoo was found dead in the north western harbor of Male (capital). The police have allegedly tortured Solah and dumped him in the harbour after his murder. The allegations came from the public, after some serious blunders by the police and the state owned television TVM.

Initally, the Police had stated that there was no evidence of a struggle visible on observation. And the shocking fact was that, they also stated that they had identified the deceased based on finger priniting within a matter of hours of discovery of the body. This is like traveling at the speed of light in the Forensic Universe. Maldives does not have proper identification records for its citizens. The police themselves have admitted on several occasions that it was difficult for them to maintain a proper database, indirectly as petty criminals were kept there again and again for identification purposes. When they lack a proper database to match a finger print, it was unbelievable that a finger print id was done in such a short time.

The state owned media had also, stated on its news (which is the only TV media in Maldives) that the cause of death seems to be a fall and head injury due to the fall. And that there were no visible injuries or any evidence of foul play.

But, it was when the family of the deceased arrived from the Seenu Atoll Island, that evening.. the mystery started to unfold. It seems, the deceased was arrested on 9th April, and brought to the capital Male, for interrogation in a Drug (query abuse/dealing) case. Since then, (in some reports) the family denies that he was released. The police claims he was released on 13rth April... But since the police cannot present a 3rd party as a witness to his release, it puts the police in the gray area for the time being.

The family unveiled the deceased to find that he was severely bleeding from his nose, mouth and eyes. His face was swollen and there were numerous burns on his skin, with lacerations and clear evidence that he was beaten by someone or some people. And there were clear indications of some kind of struggle. Since the public TV tried to cover up, and the police tried to bury the body before the arrival of relatives, have put the police and goverment on a serious allegation. Although, there isn't enough evidence pointing towards police brutality in this case, (but since police brutality is common in Maldives) MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party) wasted no time in exploiting the scenario to their own personal wet dreams, of power and influence and eventual leadership of Maldives. President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is rumored to have left to Singapore since he would have known that such a situation will arise, as he controls the Police in close observation to his benefit.

The Maldivian Democratic Party's chairman, was arrested on spot at the cemetery and so was other MPs. At present Maldivian Police is no better than the Indian Soap Operas. Cos they suck big time and the mess ups are exaggerated a million folds. The human rights commission was quick to respond in condemn this murder.

The public has been hasty (with the provocation of MDP for political reasons only) in pointing the finger at the government and Maumoon eventually, without proper evidence. But the public nor MDP is not interested in an investigation that would bring the culprits to justice.

The Haveeru Daily (which is the most popular and comparatively reliable source of news) fails to state or investigate the matter properly. For instance, it is not clear whether Solih was released on 13th April or not. Nor is it clear on exactly which charges he was arrested. Nor is it clear on which date he was brought to Male for his interrogation. The MDP biased daily, minivan will most probably try to twist the tale in the opposite direction as the DRP controlled media , TVM and the Radio Maldives. In Maldives, the media is unreliable and the Television Maldives broadcasts DRP propaganda which is far fetched.

There is nothing left byt to hope that there would be a proper investigation into the murder of Hussein Salih.