Anni may not stand by his word!

In my previous article here, I argued that it would be best if Anni stood aside and let a more charismatic and genuine leader come out of the “Inthigaalee” movement to compete for the presidency. I argued that as the winner of the MDP primaries, Anni could perhaps be the running mate of such a candidate. One of the readers commented that who else (other than Anni) has the mandate to contest the election. The reader argued that Anni has just won the primaries of the biggest opposition party and no one but he has the mandate to contest the presidential election. But our reader has forgotten one very important point. Anni contested the MDP-primaries on the platform that he would work with the alliance to find one single “Inthigaalee” candidate.

Many MDP members voted for him, trusting him to do just that. But the signs coming out of Anni’s camp in the aftermath of the landslide victory are very ominous. One source close to Anni said that Anni – when pushed about finding an “Inthigaalee” candidate – became enraged and said: “Kon Inthigaalee Eththa?”

The ex-foreign Minister, Dr. Shaheed, who is the spokesman for the alliance was reported by Haveeru Daily to have asked Anni to honor his statements about finding an “Inthigaalee” candidate. The fact that Dr.Shaheed had to make this request on a public forum instead of discussing it directly with Anni shows that there could very well be a breakdown of communication between Anni and the alliance. A source close to Anni has told me that they have video clips that could discredit Dr. Hassan Saeed and Umar Naseer and other alliance leaders. These video clips, claims this source, will be part of the propaganda campaign that Anni’s camp will initiate soon to discredit other alliance-leaders and make him the alliance-candidate.

Now there’s an sms circulating among many MDP members, apparently sent by Anni’s camp, directed towards the southerners, which says:
“Dhekunu Meehun Vathanee Vegen Kurevunee Kon Kameh. Dhen Ves Party Ga Thiben Beynumeeyaa Madun Thibey.”

It is unfair to say that the people of Addu were “Vathanee”, when Anni got a higher percentage of votes from Addu than Munavvar got from Male. It is also unfair to belittle the immense contributions made by the masses of Addu Atoll and other southern atolls in bringing MDP and the reform movement this far. There are wild elements within Anni’s camp that are blind to reality and believe every rosy word that Anni says. The fact of the matter is that Anni won the election based on his promise to put the “Inthigaalee” movement first. If he turns his back on that this wouldn’t of course be Anni’s first u-turn. If he goes on to become president, I bet this would be one of many u-turns that will come out of the rosy tongues of a leader who has an abundance of political cunning.

The onus is now with Anni to prove his detractors and doubters wrong. If he is a genuine reformist who doesn’t want to mislead the public he should dissociate himself from radical elements in his camp and come to a unifying platform and genuinely discuss the possibility of finding an “Inthigaalee” candidate from within the alliance. @

Munavvar: A defeat of his own making! (Looking beyond Anni)

The results may have been shocking for the supporters of Dr. Munavvar but frankly I wasn’t surprised by the victory for Anni. What was a bit surprising perhaps was the huge margin of victory. For the last week or so many of us have seen this coming. I view this more as a defeat of Munavvar’s own making, rather than a clear-cut endorsement of Anni.

Friday night a friend of mine asked me if I had voted. I said none of those three deserve my vote. ‘Why’ he asked me. I said that from what I had seen in the preceding days of the campaign none of the three had convinced me that they can lead this country out of the quagmire that Gayyoom has leisurely created over the last 30 years!

My friend assumed that, as I was from Addu, that I would naturally vote fro Dr. Munavvar. Friday’s vote has shown that the people of Addu – just like the people from any other atoll – are more concerned about finding a leader for this country, rather than trying to satisfy the ego of one particular atoll. I told my friend that over the period of the campaign, Dr. Munavvar couldn’t show me one single reason why I should vote for him.

I first started suspecting Dr. Munavvar’s capabilities after listening to the first debate of the MDP-primaries. Munavvar’s answers in that question-and-answer session were labored and he seemed nervous. This was surprising given that fact that he had been our Attorney General for ten years and that he ahs a PhD in law. His in cohesive statements lacked any substance. Whereas Anni talked about the need to introduce “less-labor-intensive-industries” and the need to workout a way to reduce “the country’s international debt” and “erasing the debts of the poor families”.

Many people criticised the unpreventable way that Dr. Munavvar was. Some of Munavvar’s supporters thought that Anni was egoistic by wearing a suit; but the fact of the matter is that Anni and Moosa looked more presentable and Munavvar shot himself in the foot by appearing like a cat out of a dustbin. His campaign team should have advised him to be more presentable and more aggressive in his answers. He wasn’t dressed for the job and he wasn’t showing any enthusiasm to lead either. It was a limp and spineless performance. Even Reeko Moosa got more points.

Now some of Munavvar’s supporters are hanging on to the flimsy idea that somehow there was some fraud in the vote. I think it’s time that we all gracefully agree that the defeat was of Munavvar and his team’s own making. This is a bitter lesson for all politicians in the future. Let’s take an example of two sales men. One is selling branded Armani shirts and the other one is selling non-branded shirts. A good sales man could convince the buyer that his non-branded shirt is a better buy. This is the case in politics too. Even though Dr. Munavvar is perhaps better qualified to lead, his team wasn’t able to package him and sell him to the general public. Munavvar himself was, I believe, too arrogant and over-confident.

Let me state one good example of the arrogance of Dr. Munavvar’s team. In the run-up to the election, a senior member of Reeko Moosa’s team approached Dr. Munavvar’s team and proposed a deal. Moosa’s team proposed that Moosa would withdraw his candidacy and put his support behind Munavvar in exchange for some political deal. This is common practice in the many developed democracies. This proposal was rejected without even due consideration. Munavvar’s team said that they were “one hundred percent sure” of victory. Now they are paying the price for arrogance (or perhaps ignorance).

Many of us remember the famous saying of Presidential candidate Bush Senior, during his campaign. He said “read my lips, no more taxes”! But did he standby that statement? No he didn’t. We all lookup to the ideal case of being truthful, but the fact of the matter is that in politics some little white lies are always used. Whether we agree with it or not, that’s the reality. Anni talked about wiping the debts of the poor in the corner shops (Kanmathee Stores). Anni himself would know that it would be nearly impossible to ascertain the right figures of this debt and carry it out as he stated. If he gets to a position of influence he may carryout this promise in some half-baked way but this policy for sure cannot be carried out as comprehensively as Anni stated. But Anni got a lot of votes from the islanders for this stating this policy.

The same can be said about Anni’s policy of introducing a minimum salary of Rf 4000. We all know that the new constitution is being revised to make way for a minimum salary. The question is not whether there would be a minimum salary but how much. I can bet on my house that neither Anni nor any other leader could set the minimum salary at RF 4000 without raising the inflation. If Anni get’s to a position to make this decision he may set the minimum salary at RF 2000 and explain why he couldn’t set it at RF 4000 as he promised! This is all part of the white lies of politics. The fact of the matter is that Anni got plenty of votes for this too. Dr. Munavvar didn’t seem to know how to score vital political points in this way. Surprisingly he seemed to lack the cunning of politics – something that he professed that he had.
Anni also scored points when he said that he will reduce the costs of the presidency, and specifically stated that “Hilaaleege” would be big enough and good enough as a presidential residence! This was sweet news to a public who hate Gayyoom for torturing us and hiding behind the iron gates of a huge presidential palace. We all know that our future president will not reside at Hilaaleege. He may more likely reside at Muleeaage – but Anni scored political points from this statement whereas Munavvar lacked creativity and political ingenuity in his statements and lack of specific policies that touched the hearts of the people.

Another little political game that Anni played was criticizing China as a dictatorial communist power. He specifically said that the communist’s were atheists who didn’t believe in any god. This was a challenge to Gayyoom’s party (DRP) which is cozying up to the Chinese Communist Party. Anni knows that if ever he comes to a position of influence he will try his utmost to strengthen the trade and diplomatic relationship between China and the Maldives. His criticisms of China most probably were meant for the ears of the unassuming islanders and not really meant. This is how you package and sell a candidate to a political mass. If Dr. Munavvar has political ambitions he should learn to be a bit more creative and start cultivating some political cunningness. Anni for sure has abundance of it.

In conclusion let me repeat that I did not vote in the MDP-primaries because I didn’t find any of the three contenders worthy of our presidency. Anni had the political cunningness but that’s probably all that he has. It’s time that we hold him accountable for his words on an “Inthigaalee” candidate. I look forward to see a more charismatic and genuine leader come out of the “Inthigaalee” movement – and as the winner of the MDP primaries, Anni could perhaps be the running mate of such a candidate.

2008 would mark a point of no return!

The year 2008 would be written in our history as a pivotal juncture in the broader picture. Whether it gets recorded as a starting point of a bright future, or whether it gets recorded as a point of decline and destruction, is up to us. Either way it appears that 2008 would mark a point of no return.
The most important thing that would decide the fate of 2008, and the fate of our future, I believe, is who will win the upcoming presidential election. If, as Gayyoom wishes, he gets elected - by hook or by crook – it will be the darkest day in our life. The country and its entire people are crying for a change; yet the old man who has suppressed and controlled us for the past 30 years is still running for presidency. He has overseen the systematic destruction of our religion and economy. A whole generation is drifting with no cultural or religious anchor.
Widespread corruption and favoritism and nepotism in the Gayyoom regime has stifled the need for hard work. Weak and corrupt characters are rewarded while hard working and ethical people are suppressed. The creation of the Civil Service Commission and its fair functioning may go a long way in changing this culture. It is the collective hope of all of us that we start to change this corrupt culture this year.
The shape of our future will also be decided by whether we are able to control the mushrooming drugs crisis in the country. When I say “drugs crisis” I include the current problems in dealing with the medical drugs as well. As reported in the local media recently, many pharmacies are selling so-called controlled drugs without any prescriptions from doctors. Some youth are abusing “cough syrup” as an alcoholic drink. Many elderly people are being slowly poisoned because they are taking medical drugs that were prescribed by doctors long ago but without renewal. There seems to be no control in the business of medical drugs. Quality control is also an issue here. Maldives seems to be a dumping ground for poor-quality medical drugs from third world countries such as India and Pakistan.
Coupled with this grave problem in the medical drugs, we have even graver crises in narcotics drugs. This crisis needs no further explanation, as it is clear to everyone that the growing gang violence and robberies and many other social ills are directly or indirectly related to the mushrooming narcotic-drugs crisis in the country.
The dramatic growth of the tourism industry without a proper plan for the expansion of the related infrastructure is another crisis that is looming high. Gayyoom couldn’t care less. He wants the millions of dollars in advance, for these islands. He doesn’t care how the tourists are transported or whether the investors can recover their investments. Naturally, as an old man in his seventies, he is thinking of the short term – maybe the next five years. But the lack of a proper infrastructure for the growing tourism industry could become a major economic problem if we do not plan for this.
Another crisis that is cooking is the incredible rising of the food prices in the world market and in our country. There does not seem to be any signs that the food prices could go down in the near future. Coupled with the rise in the price of crude oil, the increases in food prices could escalate in to a worldwide depression. Being a small country with a fragile economy, the middle class and the lower class of the country could be hard-hit if we don’t get a responsible leadership who could plan and guide us through these murky waters.

Caught between a brutal regime and a bunch of selfish figures who call themselves “opposition-leaders”!

Whether this is a process to amend the constitution or the formation of a new constitution is really irrelevant. The spirit of the constitution is that no one who has served two presidential terms in the country can run for a third term in office. Gayyoom and his cronies (with much twisted help from Buruma Gasim) have “raped” the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.
This isn’t a constitution that is being amended or formulated for the people of this country. It is more like a constitution that is being tailor-made for the benefit of one old man who is hell-bent on ruling this country for the rest of his life.
This country is being hijacked by a gang who appears to do whatever they want. They have control of the two houses of parliament and they seem to be winning the tussle with the opposition. While all this is going on, the leaders of the main opposition party (MDP) are engrossed in a bitter fight for the party ticket to contest the presidential election. Neither Dr. Munavvar nor Nasheed (Anni) has said anything about the desecration of the constitution by the ruling gang.
Many of us still believe that we Buruma Gasim is a “reformist” who is “forced” to join the ruling regime; and that we cannot free the country from Gayyoom’s grip without the help of Buruma. This is a misconception. Even in the recent events in the Special Majlis, Gasim has shown that he a weak character that cannot stand up to the dictator. We can never achieve anything fruitful as long as we continue to believe that Gasim is our messiah. He will continue to make moves for the benefit of his empire and take our side only when that benefits him. The same could be said of Gayyoom’s brother Yamin and his diabolical association (PA).
While Gayyoom and his cronies continue to twist events in their favour, the opposition leaders (i.e. Anni, Dr. Saeed and Dr. Munavvar are fighting for their egos). We are caught between a brutal regime and a bunch of selfish figures who call themselves “opposition-leaders”!
Many ordinary citizens who have made great individual sacrifices for the reform process are disillusioned while the hyenas of the regime seem to be laughing all the way back to their bureaucratic offices.

Herethere’s bid has been cancelled: Gayyoom’s new political game!!!

It hasn’t been officially released to the media, but the bids for Herethere Resort have been cancelled. MTDC demanded fifteen million Us Dollars (interest free) advance from the person who won the bid. The interest of 15 million dollars for 15 years would be more than ten million dollars. This is the dictator’s way of siphoning money for his upcoming election. When the winner of the bid disagreed about the legitimacy of this demand, MTDC promptly cancelled the bid.
Herethere currently has occupancy of less than 25 percent. It is estimated that the occupancy of Herethere would fall to 20 percent over the next four months. While most of the other resorts are full year-round, Herethere is being neglected and managed by a government-owned public company that seems to want to destroy Herethere.
The government brings one bureaucratic obstacle after another in to the Herethere project. First it was the refusal to disjoin Hulhudhoo and Herethere due to environmental. Now it is the refusal of the government to handover the management of the resort to capable private bidders. This is the only way to develop the resort. As long as MTDC holds onto the management of Herethere the resort would continue to decline, just as resorts such as Bandos and Kurumba declined when the government managed those resorts some decades ago.
The people of Addu Atoll have waited patiently for over two decades to taste the rewards of tourism in their atoll. Now that it is so close, Gayyoom’s regime is continuing to cerate unnecessary bureaucracy and obstacle to the successful operation of Herethere. This is a regime that hates the people of Addu and we should all join forces to say “No” to Gayyoom and his dictatorial cronies.
We demand that Gayyoom and his political and private-sector cronies give back Herethere to us – the rightful owners of the island.

Gayyoom’s “Created Chaos”!

Speaking at the anniversary meeting of Maldives Police, Gayyoom has added some new vocabulary to the political language. Quoting some Egyptian scholar, Gayyoom said that the current burst of media (radio stations and newspapers) in the Maldives has led to a situation which can be described as “Created Chaos”!
He accused the private media and some individual citizens of spreading lies and false news in order to “create chaos”.
Gayyoom has a habit of blaming others for his crimes. When he’s responsible for spreading the drugs disaster to the country he blames the parents! When he’s the one responsible for a retarded educational system, he blames the academics. When he and his state media are responsible for any “Created Chaos”, he blames private media.
If anyone is creating chaos in this country it is this old man! This is our country and we want him to handover our country to us. We can govern it. We don’t recognize his dictatorial legitimacy. This country is heading down a black hole and we are in for more chaos and more uncertainty. It is all due to this selfish leader who has no regard for rule of law. He is more interested in the continuity of his dictatorial rule than the future of this country. So Mr. Maumoon, stop talking about false news and chaos. You are the one who is spreading false propaganda and you are the one responsible for all the chaos.

Joining Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo as one island and joining Maradhoo and Maradhoo-Feydhoo as one island

After Male, S.Hithadhoo is the most populous island in the country. There are four administrative islands in the Addu Atoll that could be joined to create two administrative units, whereby making the resulting two islands the sixth and seventh most populous islands in the country.
These four administrative units are Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo and Maradhoo and Maradhoo-Feydhoo.
The current population of Hulhudhoo is 3,307 and that of Meedhoo is 2,464. The current population of Maradhoo is 3,318 and that of Maradhoo-Feydhoo is 1,531. If we join Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo to create one administrative unit -which could be named as Hulhumeedhoo - the population of Hulhumeedhoo would be 5,771.

Similarly, the current population of Maradhoo is 3,318 and that of Maradhoo-Feydhoo is 1,531. If we join Maradhoo and Maradhoo-Feydhoo to create one administrative unit -which could be named as Maradhoo-Feydhoo; the population of the new island would be 4,849.
If these changes are brought about we could save administrative costs because instead of four island offices we would then have two island offices. This would immensely reduce administrative costs and bureaucratic costs. By implementing these changes, Hulhumeedhoo would become the sixth most populous island and Maradhoo-Feydhoo would become the seventh most populous island in the country.
We should forget about one-island mentality. We should say “no” to Gayyoom’s 30-year-old divide-and-rule autocracy. We should think of the best way to develop the island and the atoll and the region. The “government bureaucracy” should become small and the capitalist activities should increase with a solid social services network.
In a previous article I wrote about joining some of our atolls into their natural boundaries. http://clubescapemaldives.blogspot.com/2008/03/having-15-atolls-instead-of-20-atolls.html
Naturally Huvadhoo Atoll is one atoll but for administrative purposes we have made it into two atolls. The same is true fro Haa Atoll and Alif Atoll. By doing this we could reduce the number of atolls in the country to 15.
This would let us save millions of Rufiyaa in recurrent costs – whereby we would have 15 Atoll Offices and 15 Atoll Chiefs instead of 20 Atoll Offices and 20 Atoll Chiefs. This would also cut bureaucracy – and even more importantly this would unite the peoples of Haa Atoll and Alifu Atoll and Huvadhoo Atoll.
Just as we can unite Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo and Maradhoo-Feydhoo in Addu Atoll, there would be many islands in other atolls that could be united in this way to help development.
If we can bring about the unification of some atolls and islands in this manner, we would be able to immensely reduce bureaucratic costs and help boost our economy at a tremendous rate.

What are the priorities in developing Addu Atoll?

Without going into too much detail let’s list some of the prioritized project that could be implemented to give a much-required boost to the economic development of Addu Atoll.
Developing Kandihere as a resort: Now that Addu Atoll has two resorts and one hotel – Herethere, Villingilli and Ocean Reef – are there any other uninhabited islands in the atoll that could be developed as resorts? Kandihere is a small but beautiful island that could be developed as an exclusive luxury resort.
Building a yacht mariner in Gan: Many international yachts stop at Addu Atoll even now. If we can build an international yacht mariner in Gan that would immensely boost the Addu economy.
Building a golf course in Gan: Despite the internationally popular luxury resort services in the Maldives, we do not have a single golf course here. Being a relatively large island, which has fertile land, Gan is an ideal island to build a golf course. A luxury hotel could be built to accompany the golf course.
Building a seaplane base in Gan: With the introduction of tourism to Addu Atoll and Huvadhoo Atoll and Fua Mulah, Addu may become the economic and transport hub of the southern tourism zone. Many tourists traveling to this region may fly to Gan International Airport and then take seaplanes or light-aircraft to various resorts. This would justify the investment to build a seaplane base in Gan.
Upgrading Ocean Reef Hotel in Gan: The old hotel in Gan (Ocean Reef) needs a facelift and an upgrading that would make it an ideal transit hotel for those tourists traveling to the southern tourism zone. The proposed city hotel for Hankede also needs to be developed soon. The winners of the bid for that hotel do not seem to have the necessary experience of the funds to develop Hankede city hotel. The Tourism Ministry needs to address this issue urgently.
Joining Maahera and Dheerondi and other similar islands by land reclamation: The islands of Maahera, Dheerondi and other similar islands are in the shallow lagoon of Hithadhoo. These islands could be joined by land reclamation quite easily. This could be either done to increase the land of Hithadhoo or, a yacht mariner could be developed there, or even resorts and hotels and other industrial work could be carried out joining these islands by land reclamation.
Extending the runway of Gan International Airport: An airport cannot really be called an international airport just by displaying a name board which says so. That’s how Gan became an international airport. If we want to develop tourism in the southern zone, we need to really upgrade Gan airport and make it truly an international airport. The runway needs to be extended and the terminal services need to be at least tripled.
Build a five star hotel at Koatte: Koatte is an area of Hithadhoo that has a rich historical and natural history. A five star hotel could be developed at Koatte, without disrupting the historical demography of Koatte.
Building a museum in Gan: Addu Atoll in general, and Gan Island is specific, has a great history of British presence. As a tourist attraction we could build a museum in Gan that describes the era of British presence and the times of southern separatism (Suvaadheeb Government under late Afeef).
“Whale Submarine” in Addu Atoll: Being a great diving spot, which has been relatively untouched, and with great shipwrecks too, Addu Atoll would be a great place to introduce tourist submarine services similar to the “Whale Submarine” services given now in Male Atoll.
Flying School and Diving School in Gan: A flying school has already being proposed for the airport being built by Burma Gasim in Maamigili Island in Alif Atoll. A similar Flying School could be built at Gan International Airport. This way, we could save a lot by training our seaplane pilots in the Maldives instead of sending them to US and Sri Lanka and other overseas flying schools. Similarly we could train Maldivians as PADI certified diving masters by building a PADI Certified International Diving School at Gan.
Building a Transshipment Port at Hithadhoo: Providing transshipment port services and dry-docking facilities in Addu, by upgrading the existing regional port in Hithadhoo, would immensely help the economic development of the southern region and the country as a whole.
Improved general services in Addu Atoll: If Addu Atoll needs to develop as the hub of the southern economic zone, we need to improve the level of public and social services provided in the islands. Examples of such services include the provision of piped desalinated water similar to Male, easy access to cooking gas by building a gas-bottling plant in the atoll, proper sewerage system in the islands similar to Male and proper public transport system by bus and ferry between the islands of the atoll.
Develop and International Hospital in the atoll, with the aim of introducing medical tourism: A large international hospital needs to be built at the atoll, with the aim of providing proper medical facilities for the people of the southern atolls; and also with the added aim of introducing medical tourism to the region and to the country. We could do this in partnership with an international hospital such as Apollo Hospital or even a European investor. We could also develop and international school (with foreign investment) and phase-out that project to later include an international university and research facilities at the atoll. This could attract educational tourism at a national and international level to the region.
Relocating the Link Road: The current Link Road was built on the wrong side of the island. This has meant that the beach on that side of the islands has been difficult to access. A proper and better Link Road needs to be built on the “Kalhibith” side of Hithadhoo and other islands.

Majlis War On Civil Service Amendments

We call upon all fair-minded Maldivians to wakeup from their sleep and realize the evilness of this government. We should standup for our rights and not allow Gayyoom and his parasitic government to amend our own constitution to fit his personal requirements. It is widely agreed that the much-criticised amendments to the Civil Service Act 2007 are a politically motivated attempt by Gayyoom’s corrupt government to retain presidential control over a large and influential section of Maldives’ public servants. The government proposes groups, including the police, elections commission staff, island chiefs and the anti-corruption board should remain under the control of the President’s Office pending new legislation to deal with them separately.But opposition parliamentarians justifiably argue that if the amendments pass, President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom could retain direct power over twelve to fifteen thousand of the Maldives’ 40,000 government employees in the run-up to the country’s first multi-party elections.If the proposed a amendments are passed, it would reduce the number of employees falling under the independent Civil Service Commission (CSC) by around a third. The CSC’s head, Dr. Latheef has said that his office was not consulted about the amendments. It is believed that Dr. Latheef is with the reformists in this matter. Latheef probably realizes that this is a dying regime. The CSC had previously announced it would use from May its power to compel civil servants over 65 to retire on a government pension.The proposed amendments also include a two-year delay before compulsory retirement for 65 year olds, to allow retirees to “mentally or physically prepare”, according to DRP’s Aneesa. With the Maldives’ first ever multi-party elections due later this year, the MDP has argued the President’s power to appoint atoll and island chiefs and their assistants – a total of 473 individuals – is a threat to electoral fairness. The amendments would see the chiefs continuing to report to the President’s office until local elections, which the DRP propose should take place after presidential and parliamentary polls.High-ranking civil servants including “staff at the level of ministers”, state ministers, special advisors, and ministers’ assistants, would remain under the President’s office permanently, a situation the CSC has said could cause “difficulties with lines of authority”.
A number of NGOs and reform-minded organizations and individuals have started a campaign to pressure the government to withdraw the proposed amendments. We call upon all fair-minded Maldivians to wakeup from their sleep and realize the evilness of this government. We should standup for our rights and not allow Gayyoom and his parasitic government to amend our own constitution to fit his personal requirements.(A Face-Book group formed by some of these NGOs can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9779137865)