I totally condemn the use of disproportionate force by the Maldives Police against peaceful demonstrators at Reethirah Resort

I totally condemn the use of disproportionate force by the Maldives Police against peaceful demonstrators at Reethirah Resort last night. The staff at the resort were protesting and demanding that they be granted the rights that are due to them under the newly passed Employment Act. If Bandos Island resort can fully implement this labour law and grant all the rights to the staff, why can’t other resorts such as Reethirah and Villa-Resorts implement this law. The owner of Villa Resorts being the Home Minister, perhaps it is more appropriate that he be the first resort owner to grant the rights to the staff under this law.

It is doubly disappointing that the Maldives Police, which is directly under the orders of Home Minister Gasim (who is the owner of Vila Resorts), has to use force against the protesting staff. Perhaps Gasim approved this in order to please the management of Reethirah Resort. Perhaps he wanted to show that he will fight for the rights of all resort operators.

Gasim is involved in this issue not only on the side of the Maldives Police. Tourism Minister Ali Sawad is also a senior official of Gasim’s Jumhooree Party. Sawad got the tourism portfolio because of Gasim’s insistence so it is obvious that Sawad will follow Gasim’s instructions on this.

It is time for Gasim to show that he cares about the people and that he cares about the rule of law. But I do not support IDP-leader Umar Naseer's opportunistic involvement in this. Though I support the claims of the resort staff to get their rights, Umar and the DRP-gang are trying to create trouble to achieve their political ambitions. So, I call upon the government and the Tourism Minsiter to solve this problem in an amicable way so that opportnists such as Umar do not get any room to exploit.

The law has given certain rights to workers, including those who work at resorts. If Gasim and this government use disproportionate force in order to suppress the rights of people, then what difference does it have with Gayyoom’s regime? It is time for President Nasheed and Tourism Minister Sawad and the Home Minister Gasim to show some leadership and solve this current impasse in the resorts before this thing blows out of proportion!

Joining the ILO, closing the “Thauleemee Fund” and the cost of usd 10 million to deport the illegal immigrants!

New Human Resource Minister Hassan Latheef held a press briefing on Thursday, 27th of November to brief the media on the issue of labour – including the growing problem of expatriate labour. Some of the highlights of this meeting are as follows:

1. Maldives joining the ILO:

Minister Latheef said that the new government has decided to join the International Labour Organization (ILO) by 04th December. This is an important step which the old government of Gayyoom has been procrastinating. This means that the Maldives will be a member of ILO within the next five days. It was revealed that the initial administrative cost of joining the ILO will be a relatively meager amount of about RF 350,000 or about usd 30,000.

2. Impasse between resort employees and the resort operators:

Maldives will get numerous benefits by being a member of ILO. We will get technical help to formulate various regulations regarding employees and we will get the knowhow on how to form and regulate trade unions (which is a very alien thing to us). The ongoing dispute between resort employees and the resort operators is one example of the current problems in the sector. Resort employees demand the full implementation of the labour law by the resorts while the resort operators say that this law is designed for civil servants and is hence not suitable for industries such as tourism and fisheries. If trade unions were functioning properly in the Maldives such disputes could be solved without the level of impasse that is prevailing currently.

3. Close the corrupt “Thauleemee Fund”

Joining the ILO would also provide us technical help in running pensions funds and social security funds. This would make the existing funds such as the “Provident Fund” more profitable to the employers and the employees. On this note it has to be pointed out that there are very inefficient and corrupt funds such as “Thauleeemee Fund” (Education Fund) which is operated by the Ministry of Education. This fund has many plots of land and buildings which they rent out and earn a significant amount of money. Employees of the education sector are supposed to get loans from this fund but it is often used as a political tool by the heads of the education ministry to make political rewards. Hence I call upon the new government to take all this land back to the state and close this corrupt fund called the “Thauleeemee Fund”!

4. It will cost the government a staggering usd 10 Million to catch the 20,000 illegal expatriate laborers:

The government estimates that there are about 20,000 illegal expatriate laborers who are in hiding or on the run. At an estimated cost of about usd 500 per head, this will cost the government a staggering usd 10 Million to catch, detain and subsequently deport these 20,000 people. The biggest problem, said Minister Latheef, is to find proper accommodation to detain such illegal immigrants who are caught. The new Controller of Immigration and Emigration recently suggested to me that it could be better to bring the immigration problem of the expatriates under his department. Perhaps this is something that can be worked out between the Human Resource Ministry and the Controller of Immigration and Emigration.

Managing Director, Mayor, Governor of State!

It was nice to see the Vice President come out of the shell (or rather given the opportunity to come out of the shell) a few times over the last couple of days. In one such outing, VP Waheed was sitting with Waheeduddeen at a press briefing at the President’s Office today. The press briefing was regarding the government’s policy on decentralisation or local governance. Waheeduddeen was there due to the fact that it was during his time as the Atolls Minister during Gayyoom’s regime that the idea of local governance first came to the public fold.

I fully support the quick implementation of this policy and give 100% support to the whole idea. I hope that the Parliament (Majlis) will give full approval and backing to the government in the implementation of this policy. I would like to mention some pointers that we can ponder regarding this policy.

1. Could we give a corporate title such as “Managing Director” to the Island Katheeb?

Each island will of course have an Island Council. The members of this Council will be elected by the people of the island. The members can then vote amongst themselves to elect a head of the Council. This person will in effect be the head or the “Katheeb” of the island. Will we call him the “Katheeb” or could we give a corporate title such as “Managing Director”? Since the basis of all development is economics, it could very well have a positive effect if we give such a corporate title to the “Katheeb”! Now if we follow this idea, we could have an “Island Council” in each island and every island would have a “Managing Director”!

2. Could we change the Atoll Chief’s title to “Mayor”?

Now all these Managing Directors could automatically sit as elected members of the Atoll Council. A head of this Atoll Council would be elected by the members of the Council. This “head” of the Atoll Council would in effect be the Atoll Chief. Could we then change the Atoll Chief’s title as “Mayor”?

3. Could we call the “Provincial Minister” in each region the “Governor” of the region?

Since the country will be divided into seven regions for local governance, there will be two or more atolls in each region. The region would be run by a Regional Council. The heads of all Atoll Councils could automatically sit on the Regional Council as elected members. The members of this Regional Council could then vote amongst themselves and elect a head of this Council. This person will report direct to the “Provincial Minister”. Could we call the “Provincial Minister” in each region the “Governor” of the region?

4. Each provincial region could be addressed as a separate “State”!
Now, if we call each head of the region, the “Governor”, then we could address each region as a “State”! Hence, the country will have seven States and each state will have a Governor, and every atoll would have a Mayor and each island would have a Managing Director!

Where has the Governor of the Central Bank (MMA) gone?

At a time of international fiscal turmoil and at a time when the Maldives is facing difficult economic times, it is surprising that Governor of our Central Bank (MMA) is missing. Fazeel Najeeb (a close ally of Yamin Gayyoom) was appointed as the Governor of MMA during the last few weeks of Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s presidency.

I believe that Fazeel, who lives and studies in the UK, has not come to the country since his appointment to the post. While a new budget is being debated and while such drastic changes are coming to our fiscal system, it is shocking that no one is talking about the Governor of MMA. Where is he? Is the new government planning to ask the Majlis to appoint a new governor? If so, why isn’t anyone talking about it?

The Aarah factor in the new budget!?

One striking point in the new budget is that there is no allocation for the presidential retreat (Aarah). This is a stark indication that the new government does not plan to use the island as a retreat for the president. Though the government has not made any announcements on what their policy will be regarding the presidential retreat, there is speculation that the island would be rented out as a luxury tourist resort for the mega rich billionaires.

The fact that not even one Rufiyaa has been allocated for Aarah in the 2009 budget shows that President Nasheed is serious about cutting wasteful costs and that he will close down Aarah as a presidential retreat and find a better and more profitable use for the island which is very close to the capital Male.

How much do we have in our Foreign Currency Reserve?

1. Speaking at the Parliament, to present the new budget, the Finance Minister has revealed that the Foreign Currency reserve of the country has come down by usd 50 million over the past one year. The reserve at present is usd 259 Million. At internationally accepted standards, for a country of our size, the foreign currency reserve should be at least usd 400 million. But, given the international financial meltdown at present, it is unlikely that we can reach this level of reserve in the next two or three years.

2. In fact the government estimates that by the end of 2009 the reserve in our Treasury (MMA) would be usd 241 Million. This is usd 18 Million less than the current reserve. Hence, unless there is surprising turnaround in international finances we are bound to experience financial restrictions in achieving the ambitious developmental targets of the new government.

3. It has to be said that Nasheed’s government has cut wastefulness and cut government and state expenditure drastically. This is reflected in the proposed budget for 2009, which is Rf 7 Billion less than the budget for this year. Nasheed has cut down on the number of Ministers and their salaries and closed down some wasteful or unnecessary offices such as the “Maldives Government Office” in Singapore. The budget for the President’s Office and the Presidential Palace is also proposed to be drastically lower for 2009, compared to the budgets for this year.

Where is the Vice President?

Since the election of Nasheed as President we have barely heard Vice President Dr. Waheed talk (even at a small press conference). Dr. Waheed is often seen standing behind Nasheed (like a poodle) when Nasheed conducts certain ceremonies. What we are seeing is Ibrahim Hussain Zaki (the Special Envoy of the President) taking a more central stage.

Zaki is seen to be playing the role of the Vice President and the real Vice President is seen to be a personal assistant to the President (more like a secretary). I would bet my humble possessions that Zaki is more powerful in the government than the Vice President.

I respect Zaki and I appreciate the role he played in maintaining the strength of MDP during hard times too. But I think it will be folly for President Nasheed to listen to Zaki’s every word as if that’s a revelation! Zaki is a relic from Gayyoom’s old regime, and despite whatever good that he may have done, we will never be able to cut ourselves from the past and soar to new heights as long as we are anchored to the past by people such as Ibrahim Hussain Zaki.

I don’t mind Zaki being in the government but I would like to see Dr. Waheed play a more apparent and effective role in the policy formulation and interact more with the people. I would also like to see Nasheed become more a man of his own rather than feel anchored by “personalities” such as Zaki, Gasim and even Mausoom!

Employment Act: A “Nightmare” for some Maldivian staff?

1. The ad hock strikes by some resort staff!

One reader commented: “About the resorts implementing the law, it’s a nightmare! Those who have implemented have cut down on food costs for staffs. I think this employment act is designed for civil servants. There are some things that you just cannot implement in an industry like tourism, fisheries etc. We need to amend the law.”

Many Maldivian staff in the tourist resorts are obviously unhappy with the design and the implementation of the Employment Act (Law). In some resorts Sri Lankans or Indians seem to be better treated than the Maldivians. It is humiliating for some to be terated worse than foreigners in their own country!

There have been ad hock strikes by some staff at resorts such as Manfaru. These staff claims that many resorts are still not implementing the recently passed labour law. Staff claims that many resorts still do not grant staff the rights that the labour law allows them to get.

This is something that the new tourism Minister and the President should look into. Just because some major resort operators are in the government does not mean that the government could turn a blind eye to this simmering crisis.

2. Would this cutting of import duties apply to all medicine, including over-the-counter medicine such as Penadol?

President Nasheed, at a press conference on 24th November, announced that his government would soon cut import duties diesel and medicine and some food items. This is something that as expected. What I would like to clarify is whether this cutting of import duties would apply to all medicine, including over-the-counter medicine such as Penadol too? I think import duty should be cut for all medicine, including over-the-counter medicine such as Penadol and even food supplements such as Vitamin-C and multi Vitamins too.

3. Import duty would be waived for which food items?

President Nasheed said that import duty would be waived for some food items? My question is what items would that be? I would like to see the duty remain for unhealthy (junk) food and that the duty be waived for all healthy and essential food such as vegetables, fruits, rice, flour, sugar, cooking oil, etc.

Nasiriyya Park, Nasir Gulzar, Velaanaa Building for Nasir (and a post for Ismail Nasir)!

As a nation we collectively betrayed President Nasir. Former President Gayyoom was the one who vilified and mocked Nasir. He misled us into doing this cruel act. When the new government of Nasheed got the chance to repair some of the damage, the government showed courage and humbleness in offering Nasir a state funeral. Following are some points that we can ponder after this sad goodbye to a national hero.

1. Rename the Sultan Park as “Nasiriyya Park”!

Remove the boundary wall of Sultan Park, landscape the park and make it a central park with free access to people. This is an area frequented by tourists with close proximity to the new National Museum as well. Also include at least one newspaper-stand which sells magazines, light snacks and soft drinks in the park. We can then rename the park as “Nasiriyya Park”!

2. Rename the park where Nasir is buried as “Nasir Gulzar”!

President Nasir is buried inside the small park at the eastern end of the old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskth). It would be most appropriate to name this small park as “Nasir Gulzar”!

3. Name the office building being built at Velaanaage as “Velaanaa Building”!

Velaanaage is ex-president Nasir’s own house. But Gayyoom virtually banished Nasir from the country in 1978. Nasir had to spend the last 30 years of his life in exile, in Singapore. During this period Gayyoom confiscated Nasir’s house (Velaanaage) and is now building an office block at the site. The 15-storey office block being built at Velaanaage can now be renamed, most appropriately, as “Velaanaa Building”.

4. Offer a post to Nasir’s youngest son – Ismail Nasir!

Ismail Nasir (Nasir’s youngest son) is the one who accompanied Nasir and took most care of him, especially during the last years of his life. For this reason, and also to keep Nasir’s name in the service of this motherland, I would suggest that the new government should offer some kind of post to Nasir’s family – specifically to Ismail Nasir. Ismail Nasir may not live here so this post could be perhaps served in a foreign country. I would suggest that Ismail Nasir could be made the Maldives Government Ambassador to Singapore. If that’s not appropriate then he could be made “Special Advisor to the President (on foreign investment and trade)” who resides in Singapore!

I think it will be most appropriate that Nasir be buried at Medhu Ziyaarai!!! (and the wake should be held at Theemuge)

Look at the way the destiny works! While a despot (Gayyoom) who has ruled for over 30-years was in his full power, a “small” activist (Nasheed) came and dethroned him. Now, dictator Gayyoom’s political foe (former president Nasir) passes away after a long-standing illness – as if he was waiting to pass away only after witnessing the fall of Gayyoom’s dictatorial regime.

To add icing to this cake, Nasir’s lifeless body is being brought from Singapore (where he has been in exile for the past 30 years), to be buried here after a full state funeral. Now ex-dictator Gayyoom has the nerve to say on Dhi-FM radio that Nasir was a great statesman. If Gayyoom regarded Nasir so highly why did he encourage a whole nation to mock and vilify him?

At this time of mourning, I would like to humbly request that Nasir should not be buried at Aasaharaa-Cemetery. I think it will be most appropriate that he be buried at Medhu Ziyaarai. If this isn’t appropriate for some, then at least bury Nasir in Hukuru Miskyth. It will also be most appropriate if the wake (Moonudhekkun) were held at Theemuge (the "araamuhaanaa" of ex-dictator Gayyoom!

President Nasheed in the Fish Market, Local Market, A Common House, Dhoonidhoo Jail, Rehab, Hulhumale and Villimale!

1. It will be nice if one day, without prior notice, President Nasheed visits the fish market in the afternoon. He meets the fishermen who are there. Chats with them regarding any ideas that they may have, which could improve their vocation and trade. Nasheed could encourage the fishermen and vendors to work hard and tell them some promising news about any policy changes that could help the fisheries sector.

2. It would also be nice if one day, without prior notice, President Nasheed visits the local market and chats to the vendors who sell locally produced agricultural and fisheries goods at the local market. The President could tell them about the government’s plans in the construction of the new building for the local market. Nasheed could encourage the farmers and vendors to work hard and tell them some promising news about any policy changes that could help the agricultural sector. Media (television, radio, newspapers, etc.) could be invited for both these visits. It will be a nice PR exercise as well as good encouragement for the fishermen and farmers.

3. It would be a pleasant surprise if President Nasheed visits a cramped household in Male and meet the residents of the house – and explain to them that his government is working on improving the housing conditions and tell them more about the 25,000 houses that the Chinese government has promised to build in the country. Media would be given an opportunity, during this visit, to question the President regarding his housing policy and the media could also question the residents of the house. The Housing Minister could accompany the President during this visit.

4. A government delegation, including the President and the Defense Minister and the Home Minister could visit the Dhoonidhoo jail. Media would be invited too. A small ceremony would be held. At this ceremony, the President would announce that all political prisoners, including (Sagaru) Luthfee and (Sagaru) Nasir, would be given a presidential pardon. It will also be announced that from that very moment the Dhoonidhoo jail would be closed and that the island would be used as a resort for locals. Due to its history as a jail for political prisoners and dissidents, Dhoonidhoo jail has been a notorious torture chamber over the past decades. By closing the jail and freeing the remaining political prisoners, President Nasheed would be opening a new era of unity and trust.

5. It would also be nice if President Nasheed visits the drug-rehabilitation centre at Himmafushi, unannounced, and meet the patients and staff there. He could chat with the patients and encourage them. He could tell the staff about the government’s new policies on drugs and rehabilitation.

6. It would also be nice if President Nasheed would arrive at the Hulhumale Ferry Terminal, unannounced, take a ferry dhoni to Hulhumale, visit the Hulhumale Development Unit and some of the selected households there and chat to the residents. He could chat to the people about the housing policies of the new government and also about the transport network that the government is trying to build between the islands.

7. The same (as in point six above) could be done for VilliMale. The President and his delegation could visit VilliMale (by a VilliMale Ferry Dhoni) unannounced and the media would be given the opportunity to cover the visit.

Stop patronizing us (and start doing your duty) Mr. President!

President Nasheed and his government now seem to be preoccupied with giving all sorts of allowances, pensions, residences, etc. to ex-president (the dictator) Gayyoom. Nasheed has given special security from the MNDF to Gayyoom (in apparent contravention to the constitution). Now the President’s Office has released a statement saying that the President does not encourage the public to play songs that tell the story of Gayyoom’s brutality and corruption!

Just because Nasheed got the presidency and a fat salary and a lot of prestige, he seems to have forgotten Gayyoom’s brutality. Does that mean that Evan Naseem’s mother will forget the pain of losing a son? Does that mean that Hussain Salah’s family will forget the distorted and tortured face of their son and brother? Does that mean that (Backbone) Mahir will regain the strength of his spine?

Just because Nasheed has now got the presidency, does that mean that someone will now come and give us back that USD 80 million that Zaki said that Gayyoom stole from us? Why isn’t Zaki talking about that USD 80 million now? Is it because that was an election ploy that he used to get votes?

When Nasheed wanted he and his campaign staff were able to call names to the so-called “Golhaabo”! Now that he has got the presidency he is taking the so-called moral high ground and asking us to respect Gayyoom, not call him names and give him hundreds of thousands of Rufiyaa every month from the state coffers!

We are MDP members. We voted for Nasheed. We will remain as MDP members. But just because Nasheed can sit in the comfy surroundings of the President’s Office while a cool breeze embrace him, while zillions of aids serve his every wish, please don’t patronize those of us who have suffered the brutality of the old dictator. No one is saying that we should harm him unjustly. No one is saying that we should call him names unjustly. But please don’t patronize us Mr. Nasheed.

It will be a slap on our collective faces if you (and the parliament that your coalition government controls) pass a bill giving all the luxury and financial packages and protection to a dictator who destroyed our lives and plundered a nation. We are not asking him to be jailed or punished. But at least ask the man to own up to his crimes and ask for our forgiveness specifically before you pass this patronizing bill!

Your government has brought about great changes and we trust you will continue along those lines to bring better development and prosperity and fairness to this nation. So we are 100% behind you on that. But please stop giving undue protection and undue grants and undue respect to a man who so-nearly killed you and actually killed many Maldivian sons like us! We can forgive Gayyoom as long as he owns up to his crimes instead of acting like an innocent victim of some political activists. Please trim-down the “fat bill” proposed by Gayyoom’s “second-lady” Aneesa.

Nasir took our money and fled! Gayyoom took so much from us and is daring to live amongst us as if nothing happened! And you expect us to play along and pretend that Gayyoom was our saviour and our hero and the father of democracy and all that gibberish?

Water disruptions could be the start of disruptions to electricity and more: Before something major happens we should clean all these places!

The disruptions in the supply of desalinated water to the households of Male over the past few days must have taught us all a lesson! We cannot trust the most basic of our services to corrupt officials who are sympathetic to the outgoing government. It is time that we apply the “Thaahiru-Dhiriulhun” formula to the water company (MWSC) as well. It is time that the place is made “Thaahiru” (cleaned) from all the germs of the bygone-Gayyoom-era!

If we are careless these elements could do major damage to our water supply and do even worse damage to our electricity supply. Imagine if some such elements within STELCO sabotage some of the generators at STELCO or sabotage the electricity distribution system!

This applies to major companies such as the IGMH, MTCC, Bank of Maldives, MMA, STO, MIFCO, Ports Authority, Airports Company, Island Aviations, Maldivian airlines, and even the MNDF, Police and the Coast Guard too. Before something major happens we should clean all these places! Change all suspect senior personnel in such places who could be favorable to the old regime.

We should not wait until such a “man made disaster” happens! We should act before a sadistic element tries to disrupt things and blame it on the new government. Replace all the personnel appointed by Gayyoom to political posts in ministries, offices, companies, etc before it’s too late! Let’s take back our country to ourselves without trusting it to slaves of an outgoing-dictatorial regime that is trying to enslave us once again.

Happy to see the “Two Zahirs” go! Now let’s look forward to even more developments and changes!

Of the many things that we proposed to the new government, two things have been done today. That is the retiring of the Commissioner of Police Adam Zahir and transferring of the Chief of Defense Force, Mohamed Zahir to another post. As of now we have new Chiefs at the Police and the Defense Force. This is good news to the people of this country.

We are glad to see the back of the Chief Torturer Adam Zahir. Some people may feel sorry for the guy. He was my teacher a long time ago but I say to Adam Zahir: you got your chance to take the side of the people, but you took the side of the dictator. Now we do not feel any sympathy for you. Maybe you have amassed millions of dollars, but Insha Allah you will not find any happiness from those millions if you used any illegal means to amass those millions.

As for Two-Two Mohamed Zahir; I have to say that he is perhaps not as corrupt as Adam Zahir, but nevertheless he too was responsible to some extent for the longevity of Gayyoom’s brutal regime over a period of three decades. So, even though you are now the “National Security Advisor’” we hope that you will ask for forgiveness from the Maldivian people for any role you may have played in the brutal regime of Gayyoom! Allah knows best.

After hearing the good news of Adam Zahir and Two-Two Zahir’s resignations we now hope that the new government will soon carry out the following:

1. Retire some of the leading officers of the Coast Guard (such as Zakariyya) and appoint new officers to head the Coast Guard.

4. Abolish or restructure the Sifainge Ekuveri Kunfuni (SEK) which is a free license for some officers in the MNDF to abuse powers and practice corrupt activities. Also revise the regulation that governs the retirement of MNDF staff which currently favours officers and is plainly unfair to low-rank service people in the MNDF.

5. At the dawn of this new era of democratic governance, it will be most appropriate to close the jail at Dhoonidhoo and convert the island as a resort for Maldivians. The island could then be renamed as “Dhoonidhoo Dhivehi Fushi”!

6. Put up Aarah for international bid and lease it as a luxury resort for mega-rich billionaires such as Abrahamovich, Prince Al Walid and other billionaires from China, India, United States, United Kingdom, Middle East, etc. The Luxury yacht that Gayyoom used could also be leased along with Aarah. This will bring huge revenue for our tourism industry and provide a new form of tourism as well. Also, find a good use for Theemuge (eg: use it for the first university or use it as the Supreme Court)

7. A large Council of Islamic Scholars should be formed. This Council will work in collaboration with the new Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

8. An Islamic Centre to be setup in each capital island of each atoll. Such a center should have a qualified sheikh as Imam. It would have a capacity for at least one thousand people to congregate for prayer and it would have a conference hall, an Islamic Library, a set of classrooms to teach the Holy Koran and other Islamic teachings, an Audio Visual room, a computer lab and some recreational or sports facilities.

9. The Foreign Minister should make sure that full-fledged embassies are operated only at the most important locations and that the rest of the missions are converted to Trade Offices. Costs should be cut and efficiency should be increased.

10. Establish a "Maldives Trust Fund" for the future. A certain percentage of our revenue should be saved in this fund. Foreign donors should be invited to donate to this fund.

11. HA, HD atolls should be combined as one atoll; GA, GD atolls should be combined similarly and AA and AD atolls should be combined as one atoll too. This will allow us to reduce the number of atolls to at most 17.

12. Change the constitution to make the position of the “Atoll Chief” to be elected instead of being appointed. Also change the title of the atoll chief as “Governor”.

13. Include Huvadhoo Atoll in the southern developmental zone which was announced recently.

14. Hold a national debate to find out if the national anthem and the national flag need to be revised.

15. A South African style “Truth and Reconciliation Council” to be formed and headed by an independent Judge.

16. Ban smoking in all public areas.

17. Make regulations that will require all shops to be closed at 9pm and all restaurants to close at 12 mid night.

18. All wards in all islands (including Male) need to be abolished. We would then have no need for ward offices which is an unnecessary bureaucracy and wasteful expenditure. Instead of having wards, the people in each island should unite as one people. The same should be done in all other islands as well.

19. (Request to Moosa Jaleel, the new Chief of Defense Force): Restructure MNDF to orient it more as a civil defense force. Strengthen Coast Guard and include an “Air force” component with light aircraft for patrolling the seas and fishing zones.

20. (Request to Faseeh, the new Chief of Police): Change the uniform of the “Star Force”! This uniform now brings fear and paranoia to our hearts.

21. Change the title of “Minister” as “Secretary”. This is the case in many developed countries such as the United Sates and the United Kingdom. For example, instead of having a Home Minister we could have a Home Secretary.

22. Death penalty to be imposed for drugs traffickers. Death penalty is practiced in Singapore too.

23. Build the proposed transshipment harbour at HA Atoll.

24. Build a large hotel at Addu Atoll Gan, and the runway there should be extended and the possibility of a parallel runway there should be explored. A new layer of Iranian tar should be laid on the Gan runway to enable international flights to land there without the risk of slipping. A seaplane harbour should be built at Gan too.

25. Change the national policy on population control. In a way we have limitless land, so if we let our population grow freely, that could help our development instead of controlling population growth.

26. Combine all utility service providers such as STELCO and MWSC and make that a public company.

27. Introduce new concepts of tourism such as educational tourism, medical tourism, sports tourism (cricket, surfing, etc.). Also allow high-rise hotels in some resorts instead of making all resorts as low-rise resorts. (Also stop Sri Lankans controlling our tourism industry through their companies such as the Aitkin Spence and John Keels).

28. Make us dollar a floating exchange but hold the current rate for at least 6 to 12 months.

29. Increase the use of vocational education in the schools and also establish vocational educational schools.

30. Establish sports academies / schools where the normal curriculum of schooling is taught but it the school will be oriented for only those who wish to excel in a certain sport or art. For example their could be a football academy / school where normal O’level subjects are taught but the school will focus on developing young footballers to feed to the clubs and the national team.

31. Sports Tourism could be promoted by establishing an international level cricket stadium and hosting international cricket matches. We could take advantage of the popularity of the sport in the region – in countries such as India, Sri lanka.

32. Open the first University of Maldives and invest in promoting educational tourism by attracting foreign lecturers and foreign students to this university.

What should an ex-president get? (Gayyoom wishes that the word “Raeesuljumhooriyyaa” was part of his name - or rather his first name)!

The debate on the bill submitted by DRP-member (Aneesa) on the facilities available for an ex-president is being debated at the Majlis today.


Gayyoom (or any other ex-president) should / should not get the following:

1. He (or she) should get a pension or salary that is not more than 60% of the current salary of a serving president.

2. But the bill submitted by DRP proposes to give a salary to the ex-president which is equivalent to the full salary of a serving president. This would not be fair and certainly not sustainable when we could have more than four or five ex-presidents at a given time in about 20 years time.

2. He should get a housing allowance which is equivalent to the current rents in Male for a three-room apartment. At current rates this figure could be about Rf 20,000.

3. But he should not get a fixed palace (not Muliaage and not Hilaaleege and not any other palace or house. Just a housing allowance would be enough).

3. He should get a medical insurance package given for all civil servants. He should not be given an open cheque to get medical treatment form luxury hospitals such as Mount Elizabeth Hospital of Singapore. Just a good and comprehensive medical insurance and coverage in the best hospital in the country would be more than good enough.

4. He should get an allowance for an office and about two staff. At current rate this could be about Rf 15,000. But he should not get a large office complex and ten staff as the current bill proposes.

5. The current bill also proposes to call ex-presidents “Raees” (or president) even after their retirement. This also an indication that Gayyoom wishes that the word “Raeesuljumhooriyyaa” was part of his name - or rather his first name. Give us a break Gayyoom! He should not be given this privilege by law and nor should any other ex-president be given this title after their retirement.

6. What is with this guy? Even after 30-years of brutal dictatorship he still wants palaces and huge salaries and staff and titles from us. Why don’t you take your millions and go and live in Egypt.

I do not need any gratitude – not from the people and certainly not from any government (old or new)!

Some of the articles (posts) in this blog are obviously critical of the new government. Due to this reason some readers are of the opinion that I’m against the new president and the new government. This is the sort of narrow-mindedness that we do not need. If everyone (including the media) starts praising President Nasheed and his government then he too could forget his roots and become a dictator just as Gayyoom turned from a well-intending young leader into a corrupt dictator.

I would like to state for the record that I’m not against Nasheed or his government. I welcome them and I’m thankful to Allah that we have finally brought an end to the 30-year-old dictatorial regime of Gayyoom. Like many Maldivians, I too, look forward to many changes and development and prosperity.

Some readers also accuse me of criticizing Nasheed because, as they say, he didn’t offer me some “senior post”. This too is cynical. I have been criticizing Gayyoom’s regime for over eighteen years and during that time I was offered some senior posts which I could have taken and enjoyed but I turned those offers down and continued to criticize Gayyoom until we finally saw his back. So, why would I want some “post” from Nasheed?

Hence, I would like to state for the record that I do not need and I do not want any “post” or “senior position” from the new government. Be it a ministerial or deputy-ministerial or state-ministerial or directorial or any other post! No thanks.

I’m not looking for any reward from any human being; and Allah is more than enough for me. Insha Allah I have a small but reasonable business and I’m happy with whatever Allah grants me. I don’t need any other person or any “posts” from anyone.

My only concern over the last 18 years has been that the people of this country have been getting a raw deal! And my worry now is that if all the media and everyone shuts up and keep silent then we may turn our hero (Nasheed) into another corrupt leader as all our previous leaders have been.

Look what’s happening to most of the media now.

1. Since the appointment of the new government, Minivan Daily has been closed.
2. Dhivehi Observer (DO) is not being updated in any meaningful way.
3. “Himeyn Ingilaab” website is not being updated.
4. MDP-website is not being updated.
5. Adduvas weekly magazine has been stopped.
6. Manas fortnightly magazine has been stopped.
7. Huvas fortnightly magazine has been stopped.
8. Evening Weekly magazine has been stopped.

And there are rumors that the weekly magazine (Fiyes) which is now owned by the famous businessman (Jabir) will be phased-out and closed in the coming months.

Can you see the leading three daily newspapers (Haveeru, Jazeera and Aafathis) making any meaningful criticisms of the new government? Can you see them making the new government answerable to some of their election-promises? Can you see the three television stations (TVM, DhiTV, VTV) reporting in a way that holds the new government responsible?

We need a strong opposition even if the new government is well-intending and good. What I mean by a “strong opposition” is not only an opposition party.

1. We need a strong daily newspaper that stays in the “opposition” and feed on any slipups by the new government.
2. We need a strong weekly Dhivehi magazine that stays in the “opposition”.
3. We need a strong English newspaper that stays in the “opposition”.
4. We need a strong television station that stays in the “opposition”.
5. We need a strong radio station that stays in the “opposition”.
6. We also need a strong opposition party that is responsible and ethical and works for the people by making the ruling party answerable to the people!

At the moment we do not have any of the above. Though DRP is the official opposition party they do not seem to be doing anything meaningful. Though Haveeru or Aafathis could be described by some as “opposition dailies”, none of those two are doing any meaningful reporting to make the new government accountable. All they seem to be doing is reporting events and changes!

There are no magazines that are doing that job either. The three TV stations all seem to be very favorable to the new government. Most of the FM radio stations are just the same. Our media is virtually asleep and we do not have a sober opposition party. DRP is still suffering from the hangovers of the election-defeat!

Now, this small me! This humble guy is criticizing the new government and the new president in this modest “blog” and I’m being labeled an “anti-government” guy expressing my anger for not getting some “post”! Give me a break!

I wonder what lesson we (the people of this country) learned from the past. I don’t mind being criticised but I would mind if our ignorance leads us down the same worn-out path of unaccountable governance and corrupt leaders.

Insha Allah, with my limited means, I will keep fighting for the people until the last drop of ink from my pen and the last stroke of my keyboard! And I would like to reiterate that I do not need any gratitude – not from the people and certainly not from any government (old or new)!

It is about time that full inventories of Theemuge and Aarah and all the other presidential compounds are released for public scrutiny!

Just a thought on the Presidential Palace and Aarah:
There are rumors that the outgoing president removed some equipment and items from the President’s Office and the Presidential palace (Theemuge) and even Aarah. It’s about time that the new government answers these rumors and states some facts.

Is it true that Gayyoom, during the last few days of his presidency, removed some expensive furniture and equipment such as large air conditioners from the President’s Office and the Palace? Is it true that the Palace and Aarah have been made thread bare after the outgoing president removed a number of items from these places?

It is about time that the public, and perhaps more importantly, the media are invited and given a tour of Theemuge and Aarah to see in what state those places are after Gayyoom’s departure. It is also about time that full inventories of Theemuge and Aarah and all the other presidential compounds are released for public scrutiny.

Why is the new regime keeping silent on this issue?

Too Many State Ministers & The still-unresolved question of Theemuge and Aarah!

President Nasheed has had three days at the office now. Let’s examine some of his statements and actions during these three days, to see if he is keeping to his promises.

1. During the campaigning for the first round of the presidential election, many candidates (including Nasheed and Dr. Hassan Saeed) said that, if elected as president, they will not reside at the current Presidential Palace (Theemuge). Dr. Hassan of course came third in the first round and so we did not get a chance to see if he would have kept his promise. Nasheed went for the second round and he of course won the lection. Now is the time to see whether President Nasheed would keep to his promise. After being elected as President, Nasheed has said that his government will submit a bill to the Majlis regarding the facilities available for president. This would mean that the Majlis will decide where the president would reside. Some cynics now argue that Nasheed will instruct the Iththihaadh MPs to vote for the president to stay at Theemuge so that Nasheed can blame the Majlis for “putting” him in Theemuge. I do not agree to this. I believe that President Nasheed will make sure that the Majlis rules for the president to stay at Muliaage and not Theemuge!

2. At a press conference after being elected as President, Mohamed Nasheed said that he hasn’t yet decided what the new government’s policy would be regarding the existing presidential retreat (Aarah). I wonder if his answer would have been the same if he were questioned about Aarah during the election campaign! Some cynics say that there are elements within the new government who are influencing Nasheed to make him retain the luxury presidential retreat. Some people say that Nasheed’s Home Minister (Gasim) is still ambitious to become president and that Gasim would like Nasheed to keep the presidential retreat so that this facility will be available for Gasim when Gasim become president. I do not know how far this is true, but judging from Nasheed’s humbleness at the Friday Prayers today – when he stayed with the ordinary people in the mosque – it seems to me that president Nasheed will find a better use for Aarah rather than retaining it for his personal enjoyment!

3. Personally, I think we don't need so many "Minister of State" positions. If we have a Permanent Secretary for each specific area under the ministry, then we can have just a Minister and a Deputy. For example if there is a Ministry called "Minister of Civil Aviations, Tourism and Culture", we could have three Permanent Secretaries for the three areas (1. Tourism, 2. Culture, 3. Civil Aviations). Then if we have a Minister and a Deputy Minister that's enough. Too many State Ministers seem like "political gifts". This makes the government too top-heavy. Sad to see this happening.

4. I would also like to note that – while most of the new appointments to the government are very capable and young leaders - there are some shady characters in it too. Personally I do not endorse the appointment of Kerafa Naseem as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. We all know his shady deals while he was in charge of the Foreign Investment Services Bureau at the Trade Ministry. It's not me who says that he is a crook. I din't say that. At the latter stages of the freedom struggle by MDP, Kerafa Naseem played a significant role. I appreciate that and thank him for that. But that does not justify his appointment to such a post when there are so many people who question his past actions!

Six things that the new government should attend to urgently!

1. Retire the Commissioner of Police Adam Zahir and appoint a new Commissioner of Police. The new appointment could perhaps be Latheef.

2. Retire the Chief of Staff Mohamed Zahir and appoint a new Chief of Staff. The new appointment could perhaps be Moosa Jaleel.

3. Retire some of the leading officers of the Coast Guard (such as Zakariyya) and appoint new officers to head the Coast Guard.

4. Abolish or restructure the Sifainge Ekuveri Kunfuni (SEK) which is a free license for some officers in the MNDF to abuse powers and practice corrupt activities. Also revise the regulation that governs the retirement of MNDF staff which currently favours officers and is plainly unfair to low-rank service people in the MNDF.

5. Dhoonidhoo Island was used by former presidents (Nasir and Gayyoom) as torture chambers for Maldivians. At the dawn of this new era of democratic governance, it will be most appropriate to close the jail at Dhoonidhoo and convert the island as a resort for Maldivians. The island could then be renamed as “Dhoonidhoo Dhivehi Fushi”!

6. At a press conference after being elected as President, Mohamed Nasheed said that he hasn’t yet decided what the new government’s policy would be regarding the existing presidential retreat (Aarah). I wonder if his answer would have been the same if he were questioned about Aarah during the lection campaign! If he were asked about Aarah during the campaign, I’m sure he would not have hesitated for even one second before saying that he would not use Aarah as a presidential retreat and that his government would find a better use for the island. Now President Nasheed is saying that he needs more time to decide what he would do with Aarah. In an earlier post on this blog I suggested that Aarah could be changed as a holiday resort for Maldivians. But now I suggest that Dhoonidhoo-Jail-Island would be a better choice for conversion as a holiday resort for Maldivians. Aarah could be put up for international bid and leased as a luxury resort for mega-rich billionaires such as Abrahamovich, Prince Al Walid and other billionaires from China, India, United States, United Kingdom, Middle East, etc. The Luxury yacht that Gayyoom used could also be leased along with Aarah. This will bring huge revenue for our tourism industry and provide a new form of tourism as well.

What should we do with Dhoonidhoo and Aarah?

Dhoonidhoo Island was used by former presidents (Nasir and Gayyoom) as torture chambers for Maldivians. At the dawn of this new era of democratic governance, it will be most appropriate to close the jail at Dhoonidhoo and convert the island as a resort for Maldivians. The island could then be renamed as “Dhoonidhoo Dhivehi Fushi”!

At a press conference after being elected as President, Mohamed Nasheed said that he hasn’t yet decided what the new government’s policy would be regarding the existing presidential retreat (Aarah). I wonder if his answer would have been the same if he were questioned about Aarah during the election campaign! If he were asked about Aarah during the campaign, I’m sure he would not have hesitated for even one second before saying that he would not use Aarah as a presidential retreat and that his government would find a better use for the island. Now President Nasheed is saying that he needs more time to decide what he would do with Aarah.

In an earlier post on this blog I suggested that Aarah could be changed as a holiday resort for Maldivians. But now I suggest that Dhoonidhoo-Jail-Island would be a better choice for conversion as a holiday resort for Maldivians. Aarah could be put up for international bid and leased as a luxury resort for mega-rich billionaires such as Abrahamovich, Prince Al Walid and other billionaires from China, India, United States, United Kingdom, Middle East, etc. The Luxury yacht that Gayyoom used could also be leased along with Aarah. This will bring huge revenue for our tourism industry and provide a new form of tourism as well.

Aarah could be put up for international bid and leased as a luxury resort for mega-rich billionaires

In an earlier post on this blog I suggested that Aarah could be changed as a holiday resort for Maldivians. But now I suggest that Dhoonidhoo-Jail-Island would be a better choice for conversion as a holiday resort for Maldivians. Aarah could be put up for international bid and leased as a luxury resort for mega-rich billionaires such as Abrahamovich, Prince Al Walid and other billionaires from Russia, Middle East, China, India, United States, United Kingdom, etc. The Luxury yacht that Gayyoom used could also be leased along with Aarah.

Private body guards and security services could be provided at this luxury retreat and the government could facilitate the provision of MNDF or police personnel for security purposes in this retreat (after charging a fee). Converting Aarah as a luxury retreat for the mega rich could bring huge revenue for our tourism industry and provide a new form of tourism as well.

Thanks to President Nasheed for listening to my idea of a “Maldives Trust Fund”!

While reading through the Haveeru Daily of 10th November, I came across a story in which President Mohamed Nasheed told the UK newspaper (Guardian) that his government will form a Maldives Trust Fund which will basically be a savings account to buy (or reclaim) land that will be used to relocate all Maldivians in case the doomsday scenario of the sea level rise becomes a reality.

I thank President Nasheed for listening to ordinary Maldivians such as myself. This was basically the same idea that I put forward in this blog some time ago.
(Please refer to the blog-post http://clubescapemaldives.blogspot.com/2008/11/establishing-maldives-trust-fund-to.html)

This is an excellent policy statement from President Nasheed. He also listened to my proposal of not staying in the presidential palace (Theemuge). In doing so, Nasheed has shown that he will be a president who will listen to the people. Already we are seeing signs that this will be a government elected by the people, for the people.

The announcement that they will, from 01st January 2009, start giving RF 2,000 to every elderly person above 65 years of age, shows that Nasheed’s government will be a caring government. This is a sign that we may see many such positive and caring gestures from the new government. How about cancelling all the petty little fees that the government charges from ordinary people? After introducing a good tax system, the new government will cancel import duty and we may see a cancellation of petty fees.

We may also see virtually free medical services and free education in all public schools up to grade 12. The new government has made five major promises to the Maldivians, i.e. proper inter-island transport network, low cost of living, affordable hosing for all, affordable (or free) basic health care for all and control the evils of narcotic drugs in the society. The people await signs form the new government that these promises and all other related promises will come to fruition within the next one or two years at most.

We all welcome this new government of President Nasheed with open arms and an open heart. We welcome this new dawn with great expectations and boundless hope. The whole world can be our playing field and we should not be intimidated by anyone or any country despite our smallness or shortage of natural resources. Let’s stop talking about our failure to follow Singapore’s example and start achieving that dream of becoming the “Singapore of South Asia”!

Welcome President Mohamed Nasheed and Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and the members of their Cabinet. Despite our differences of opinion regarding the formation of the new Cabinet we should all stand behind the President and his Cabinet in taking us to the Aneh Dhivehi Raajje!

Not the best Cabinet and three posts should be vetoed by the Parliament and reviewed by the new government!

The cabinet for the president-elect Mohamed Nasheed was announced this afternoon. Following are some of the observations regarding the proposed cabinet. This isn’t the best Cabinet but 11 of the 14 appointments should be given some time to prove their critics wrong while the other three posts should be reviewed by the Parliament and the new government!

1. Whereas Gayyoom’s Cabinet had more than 20 ministries, Nasheed is proposing only 14. This is a positive change which will reduce bureaucracy and reduce government expenditure as well. Hence this change should be welcomed.

2. As far as the allocation of posts to various parties in the coalition is concerned, it is noted that MDP got five posts, and Gasim’s Jumhooree Gulhun got four posts while Dr. Hassan Saeed’s New Maldives Movement got two posts and Dr. Waheed’s Gaumee Iththihaadh got two posts. Finally Ibra’s Liberal party got one post. Considering the fact that Dr. Hassan Saeed got more votes in the first round than the whole of the Jumhooree Gulhun, it seems unfair that his movement got two seats while Gasim’s party got four seats. It could also be argued that Dr. Waheed’s Gaumee Iththihaadh in effect got three seats because Dr. Waheed himself will sit in the Cabinet – as Vice President.

3. To address this imbalance I would humbly suggest that Dr. Hassan Saeed be made a Special Advisor to the President.

4. Overall it’s not the most competent Cabinet that could be selected from the current crop of young and qualified Maldivians. A much better cabinet could have been selected. This selection smells of political string-pulling! Not every minister has to be educated and qualified in the field of his ministry but at least every minister has to be familiar with his portfolio. In this respect, to put it mildly, the appointment of Dr. Ibrahim Didi isn’t the most intelligent appointment as Fisheries Minister. The same could be said about Jameel’s appointment as Civil Aviations Minister. Dr. Didi is a dentist by profession, and one wonders how Dentist-Didi could address the serious demands in the Fisheries industry. A friend of mine jokingly suggested that Dr. Didi could perhaps setup a good dental service for the arcnut-chewing Maldivian fishermen. For grounds of incompetency I believe that the Parliament would veto this appointment.

5. The same could be said about Ahmed Ali Sawad. A graduate in Sharia and Law, one wonders how Sawad could be a good Tourism Minister. He was also the running mate for Gasim Ibrahim when Gasim ran for president in the first round of the election. Gasim is one of the biggest resort operators in the country and many say that Sawad could be Gasim’s proxy in the Tourism Ministry. This wouldn’t be good news for other major resort operators such as Champa, Universal, Sun land, etc. They may not want their direct competitor to be their boss at the Tourism Ministry! For both these reasons I would think that the Parliament would find enough conflict of interest to veto this appointment.

6. I do not believe that Dr. Musthafa Luthfee would be up to the task of managing the Education Ministry. Though he has a doctorate in the field of education, Dr. Musthafa is a slow and very bureaucratic person.

7. The appointment of Dhiyana Saeed as the Attorney General also is a bad choice given the fact that there are some high-profile issues pending at the Attorney General’s Office regarding her husband Abdullah Jabir. One such issue is the case of Vilivaru and Biyaadhoo resort. This leaves a lot of conflict of interest in this appointment. I would think that the Parliament would find enough conflict of interest to veto this appointment.

8. As I said before, it’s not the most competent Cabinet that could be selected from the current crop of young and qualified Maldivians. A much better cabinet could have been selected. I have reservations about some other appointments too but overall those appointments should be given time to prove their critics wrong. But I would suggest that the Parliament should veto the appointment of Dentist-Didi as Fisheries Minster and the appointment of Sawad as the Tourism Minister and the appointment of Dhiyana Saeed as the Attorney General. These there posts should be reviewed both by the Parliament and the new government! This isn’t the best Cabinet but 11 of the 14 appointments should be given some time to prove their critics wrong while the other three posts should be reviewed by the Parliament and the new government!

Establishing a “Maldives Trust Fund” to build a giant “safe Island” for the future!

The main focus of our foreign policies should be to attract investment from abroad and also establish a "Maldives Trust Fund" for the future. A certain percentage of our revenue should be saved in this fund. Foreign donors should be invited to donate to this fund. The purpose of the fund should be to build a huge “Safe Island” - hopefully by reclaiming the whole of the Vaavu Atoll - at a height of at least twenty to thirty feet above sea level.

This landmass will be able to accommodate at least three to four hundred thousand people and have a huge transshipment harbour and almost unlimited land for factories and other industrial projects and work.

At a time when climate change and sea level rise is a major danger looming in our future, as a small island nation we stand in the high risk category of nations that could be wiped out from the face of the earth if we do not act promptly. If this scenario becomes reality, some say that we could become refugees in the back yard of some country such as Australia. But that should not be a scenario that we should entertain. WE can plan and meet destiny in readiness if we act now.
So why not establish this “Maldives Trust Fund” and start saving for a “rainy day” that could very well see us standing in salty rain!

Are We Economic Slaves of Sri Lanka?

Think about this! Sri Lankan investors (either directly or indirectly) control about 11 (eleven) percent of our tourist beds. Sri Lankan airlines has for decades controlled the major earning of the air-travel business in our tourism industry. Most of the accountants in many major Maldivian companies are Sri Lankans. They know the inside-out of our corporate strengths and weaknesses.
Sri Lankans are not only investing in resorts, but also in small travel agencies, restaurants and coffee shops as well. Most of these agencies are run in some Maldivians’ names and the Sri Lankans remain behind the curtain!
Where r all the talented Maldivian workers and investors? Our investors find it difficult to get investment capital due to a shortage of investment banks here in the Maldives. We also have a problem in motivating a relatively lethargic workforce. We also need to motivate the small to medium level investors to invest in restaurants, cafeterias, marts, etc.

Those Maldivians who want to invest in resort-operations and travel agencies also face major problems. For example, many resorts run by Sri Lankan and other foreign companies refuse to give rates for Maldivian travel agencies. Some people describe Maldives as an economic slave of Sri lanka. If we are blind to this we will soon wake up to a day when Sri Lankan investors control most of our tourist beds and hence control our travel agencies and the related industries in the tourism sector. By that time we would have ;lost control of most of our small businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, marts, etc. as well.

President-elect Mohamed Nasheed's close allies and political-friends such as Sikka, Kerafa Naseem, Mausoom, GoGo Latheef, etc. are lovers of Sri Lanka and they may be inclined to maintain the status-quo. Nasheed should be brave enough to address this issue without being influenced by these allies.

We hope that our newly elected president Hon. Mr. Nasheed will be able to digest this message and address this pressing issue and also the many underlying issues here. The government should find ways to facilitate finance to local travel agents, tour operators and investors in all areas of business. A good example of the lethargic attitude that needs to be replaced by vigour is the fact that MATATO (Maldivian Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators) is also an unknown and an unheard of thing for many Maldivians.
Appointing Sawad as the Tourism Minister would only increase the influence of few resorts operators such as Jabir, Gasim, Nashid, etc. who will have less incentive to spread the wealth than to increase their coffers.

This isn’t my own idea but I hear many Maldivians complaining that the Sri Lankans are slowly but steadily taking control of our tourism industry through their investment wings such as Aitkin Spense and John Keels. They build close relations with influential figures in the Tourism Ministry and the government and increase the number of resorts and hotels that they run, either directly or indirectly.
The problem in many such Sri Lankan-controlled resorts isn’t the fact that they aren’t Maldivian but it is the fact that those Maldivians who work in such resorts say that they feel like second-class citizens in such resorts. Most of the senior jobs in such resorts are given to Sri Lankans and they treat Maldivian Staff in the Sri Lankan managed resorts unfairly.

With the dawn of a new government and the possibility of “real change” in the air, it is time that we reevaluate our tourism industry and see if we need to revise certain regulations as to foreign investment and foreign ownership of resorts.
We should be careful that Sri Lankans may copy our “unique” tourism concepts, learn the construction and operations of such resorts, and then implement those concepts in other countries. Our unique tourism product needs to be preserved so that we are able to carry it on for many more years without losing control of it.
Investment banks need to be setup in the Maldives so that local investors don’t lose out to foreign investors such as Aitkin Spence when it comes to developing and managing resorts.

We don’t want the smooth-talking Sri Lankan investors to charm us and "pickpocket" our tourism industry with help from few, corrupt, Maldivian officials.
So we call upon the new government to look into this matter seriously before it’s too late!

President-elect Mohamed Nasheed's close allies and political-friends such as Sikka, Kerafa Naseem, Mausoom, GoGo Latheef, etc. are lovers of Sri Lanka and they may be inclined to maintain the status-quo. Nasheed should be brave enough to address this issue without being influenced by these allies.

Don’t forget to elect a star cabinet and not a “Lava Party”.

While we congratulate Nasheed, we have to appreciate that now he has a tougher job than winning the election. In fact, forming and running a government could be much harder and trickier than winning the election itself. Nasheed has to realize that we did not sacrifice our lives and our time and our livelihood to make way for some corrupt hoodlums to become ministers and what not.
I understand that president-elect Nasheed is facing immense pressure from the coalition (Iththihaadh) members to appoint their cronies as Ministers. Gasim is holding on to his share and so are Dr. Hassan and Dr. Waheed and Adhaalth and Ibra.

1. Gasim as Home Minister?!@%*

The cabinet list has not been announced yet, but according to some unconfirmed sources, Gasim Ibrahim will be Home Minister. It is assumed that the Atolls Ministry would be incorporated into the Home Ministry. This would give Gasim immense power over the atolls and the capital island (Male’) and also power over the police force. If this is true, then the appointment of Gasim as Home Minister would create fear among many big businesses who are his direct competitors. This would be a destabilizing appointment. Gasim should realise that he and his business came very close to being annihilated! Now that Allah has saved him, he should stop trying to bundle more power for him and his cronies. Stop the greed Gasim. Stop the greed DR. Waheed. Stop the greed Ibra. Stop the greed Dr.Hassan. If you fail this time, Gayyoom and his cronies will have a good laugh at your expense. And in the process we will risk losing this hard-earned freedom. Have some sense guys!

2. Sawadh as Tourism Minister?!@%*

My sources tell me that Jumhooree Party’s running-mate, Sawad is being proposed as the new Tourism Minister. His higher education was in the field of religion, and only God knows how he can be capable of leading our tourism industry into the 21st century. If this appointment becomes reality, it would be seen as Gasim flexing his muscles to appoint one of his proxies to the important portfolio of tourism. Imagine the amount of destabilization this would cause to the big players in the industry – i.e. Universal, Champa, Sunland, etc. It would indeed be a tragedy if Sawad is appointed as the tourism minister.

3. Dr. Musthafa Luthfee as Education Minister?!@%*

I hear that Mustafa Latheef will be appointed as the Education Minister. I humbly disagree to this appointemnt. I have worked under Mustafa at the Education Ministry some years back. He is a kind and very nice person. Incidentally he is a distant relative of mine as well. More importantly he is qualified in the field of education and holds a PhD. But Dr. Mustafa Luthfee is a very slow and bureaucratic person who is not dynamic enough to lead our Education portfolio. Education will be one of the most important areas in this new government and it would be sad to see it being left to a slow bureaucrat such as Dr. Mustafa.

4. Sarangu Adam Maniku as Trade Minister?!@%*

I also hear that Sarangu Adam Maniku will be appointed as the Trade Minister. I would not comment on his reputation but I would say that he is a person who is not qualified for such a post. While we have many qualified MBA holders and economists in our country why would we want to leave someone such as Sarangu Adam Maniku at the helm of our Trade Ministry? Is iy waht the "wathan" wants? (E ee Wathan Edhey Goi Tha?) It baffles me. It would indeed be a tragic and very destabilizing appointment.

4. (Folhi) Siththi as Gender Minister?!@%*

It would be sad if Nasheed has to distribute cabinet posts like “Aneemaa Mudhaa” (spoils of war). Nasheed has a very difficult balancing act between choosing people in the Alliance (many loaded with greed) whom he has to please vs being seen as a non-corrupt person. I would urge Nasheed to show leadership here. This is the ultimate opportunity for him to show leadership as a people’s person. He does not have to respect the choice of the Iththihaadh if it’s a bad choice. What if Dr. Waheed suddenly has a change of mind and ask Nasheed to appoint (Folhi) Siththi as the Gender Minister. Will Nasheed agree to that?

So I call upon Nasheed to show leadership and avoid becoming the laughing stock of this country. There are many capable and dynamic people to lead this country in the new team – people such as Dr. Shiham, Sheikh Faarooq, Dr. Abdul Sataar Yusuf, Hamza, Ahmed Mujuthaba, Arif Hilmy, and many, many more. So please don’t give Tourism to Sawad and Trade to this Sranagu guy and Education To Dr. Mustafa. It will be a start on the wrong foot. Show leadership and say “No” to Gasim or Dr. Waheed or Dr. Hassan when you have to say “no” – after all it’s you that we elected as president, not some fictional person called “Iththihaadh”!

Nasheed, please be wise and take the risk. This is the time to bring down the axe to clean up MDP and the Iththihaadh. If you are wise you would rely more on MDP then the presidency. A man's got to do what a man's got to do. So don’t forget to elect a star cabinet and not a “Lava Party”.