Please Mr. President, stop insulting Islam!

I was hoping that President Nasheed would eventually realize his mistake and stop listening to some of his idiotic aides such as Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, Kerafa Naseem and Maria. Now I know that it is not Gayyoom or DRP or Thasmeen who will be Nasheed’s biggest threat but rather, that threat would come from within Nasheed’s own government – in the shape of advisors who unintentionally mislead the President into doing things that would eventually lead to his downfall.

Some of you may remember Nasheed saying that some of Gayyoom’s actions are leading Gayyoom to step on his own private parts (amillayah f—kah erenee)! Well, I wonder whether the decision to issue permits to hotels in populated islands to sell alcohol could be described as an action by President Nasheed that would make him step on his own you-know-what!

Adhaalath Party – that is part of the ruling coalition – is to hold a rally (with support from various NGOs and the public) to protest against the liquor permits. Well, members of the MNDF and the police Star Force could dispense pepper spray and use force to disperse the crowd but I believe that it would be foolish for the government to think that they can dilute the public opinion against this new regulation by dragging this on.

No one with a sane mind would support Gayyoom and his un-democratic party (DRP) to come to power again but if Nasheed and his clowns think that they have a decree from “God” to destroy all things that we Maldivians hold sacred then they are sadly mistaken. Foreign Minister Shaheed and co could not forever hide behind abused terms such as “Taliban” and “fundamentalism”.

This is not about Islamic fundamentalism. This is about standing up for our rights and standing up for our religion. I (like many Maldivians who are angered by this new rule) in fact do not support the Taliban or Osama bin Laden. In fact I believe that Taliban and Osama are doing a disservice to Islam by following the path of indiscriminate violence. So, please Shaheed, do not try to confuse love-of-Islam with fundamentalism. Please Mr. President, stop listening to the clowns whom you have chosen to surround yourself with. Listen to those who strived hard to bring you to this high station. Stop insulting Islam and stop insulting us.

A Nasheed-led government that delivers even half of its promises would be a thousand times better than a Gayyoom-led government that delivers 100%

It’s been over three months since my last post on this blog. Maldivian politics has been evolving at a hectic pace over this period. There has been the issue of us reestablishing diplomatic relations with Israel. There has been a number of rallies by the opposition (DRP) calling for President Nasheed to resign for “incompetence”!
Gayyoom’s brothers Yamin and Abdullah Hameed, along with Gayyoom’s two sons (Farish and Gassan) seem to be orchestrating the current wave of opposition against the government. Some of the visible media such as VTV and DhiFM seem to be inclined towards DRP and canvassing against the MDP-led government.

I believe that DHIFM (especially the morning programme presented by Amin) are fighting a losing battle that is so naive and easy to read. If one asks me who the biggest loser in the current political field is I have to say it’s Dr. Hassan Saeed. He had the support of the people and the opportunity to lead the country or at least be the running-mate of Nasheed. He gave up that opportunity thinking that “Coast Milk” does not need advertising! Look at him now!

Does Dr. Saeed think that his little battles with the government - where he sends little foot soldiers such as Amin to the front line while he hides behind his doctoral cloak – will reignite his political career? Dr. Saeed – if he still harbors political ambitions – should come out of his cloak and start talking to the people directly. If he thinks that DhiFM and Amin and some help from Jameel could somehow rejuvenate his political career then one should really feel sorry for him!
I was always of the feeling that Dr. Shaheed was the most politically mature person amongst the three-docs!

As for the Israel issue I have to say that I too am a devout Muslim but I do not understand what the hysteria is about just because we have reestablished political relations with Israel. Islam does not call for us to stop communicating with non-Muslims. Nor does Islam call for us to stop making agreements with non-Muslims. Why not normalize relations with Israel. Nothing wrong with it. What’s this fake hysteria about Islam when it was Gayyoom’s reign that saw the systematic dismantling of our Islamic fundamentals?

I welcome all the mega-projects of this government. If you reach for the stars you may not exactly get one but you won’t end up with a handful of mud either. So we should always set lofty targets and work towards those goals. That will never let us down. International airports and green-energy projects and huge numbers of resorts and international schools and international hospitals and reliable inter-island and inter-atoll ferry networks and paved roads and sewerage systems in inhabited islands and mega-housing projects are just few of the basic things that Gayyoom should have given us. Now that this government is going into overdrive to squeeze these things into a five-year period, Gayyoom and DRP is trying to mislead us into thinking that those are all castles on clouds.

I have every confidence that a Nasheed-led government will deliver. Ok it too has some shortcomings and faults. But a Nasheed-led government that delivers even half of its promises would be a thousand times better than a Gayyoom-led government that delivers 100% of its promises. That is a certainty.

Justice for Gayyoom and his cronies should be sought with swiftness and fairness

My mother who, like me, is a supporter of MDP and the reformist movement, was looking forward to the day when ex-dictator Gayyoom is brought to justice. But when the onset of that justice was seen Monday night, when Gayyoom was forcefully summoned to the Police Headquarters, my mother said that she felt a tinge of sympathy for Gayyoom.

It’s easy to feel that way since Maldivians are easygoing people who, not only forgive easily but forget easily too. My mother and many thousands of Maldivians would not easily forgive the many atrocities committed by Gayyoom’s ironfisted regime over a period of 30 years ending in 2008, but many Maldivians tend to forget those things when dictators such as Gayyoom paint a rosy picture and hide behind the “law”.

People such as Yamin and Gayyoom and Hameed can now easily pull the letters of the Law or the constitution and preach holier-than-thou prose when they were the ones who trampled that very Law in the past.
The drama that was played out live on Dhi-TV when Gayyoom was taken in to police headquarters for questioning was more enthralling than the infamous “Kasoati” itself. Tens of thousands of people were glued to the TV screens and many thousands more had their ears glued to the live broadcasts on FM radio. Cell-phone networks were jammed and traffic became palpably heavy in Male' through the course of the Monday evening as rumours circulated through the city of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s arrest.

Angry confrontations happened between Gayyoom’s supporters and the riot police. Eventually Gayyoom was summoned to the Police by force. Now the Court has released a temporary ruling which prevents any forceful summon of Gayyoom or Yamin to the Presidential Commission or the Police.

Despite some apparent resistance from various directions, the government must not be discouraged from seeking justice. All efforts must be concerted to bring all the rogue elements from the ex-regime to justice. No one (as Gayyoom has told in the infamous BBC interview) is “above the law”. Hence his own words should apply to himself and his brothers or friends or whoever. If Gayyoom believes he is innocent then he should have nothing to hide. Any delays in the current investigations would be seen as a weakness on the part of the government. Justice should be sought with fairness and swiftness.

Ex-president Gayyoom and Yamin should be made answerable

The Ousted ex-president of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom has been sent a summon to attend the Presidential Commission investigating cases of corruption related to his ironfisted 30-year-rule. The notice was initially sent around 6:00 on Thursday evening but he refused to accept it, claiming that the Commission does not have the legal mandate to summon him. Dictator’s younger brother and former Trade Minister, Yamin also refused to attend the Commission claiming it had no legal mandate. Yamin was later questioned by Police in relation to the matter on the request of the Commission.

According to the Commission, setup by President Nasheed in May, Gayyoom is being summoned to make some inquiries and clarify some issues. Gayyoom’s officials say that they will submit a formal letter on Sunday (19tyh July) stating why he will not attend the commission.

As stated previously in this blog, this country will not heal until the ex-dictator (Gayyoom) and his corrupt cronies are brought to justice. Commission or no-commission, these people will have to be made answerable to the people to clarify many outstanding issues that involve millions of dollars of corruption. Whether Gayyoom or his cronies are responsible for those corruption has to be decided once and for all by a fair and free trial. Any resistance from Gayyoom and Yamin and any of their cronies could be seen as a blatant attempt to delay justice and a possible attempt to hide something.

What next for "Islam" in the Maldives?

The Press Secretary of the President's Office (Zuhair) has openly challenged the system of Hadhdh (canning Fornicating men and women) in Islamic Sharia and the Maldivian Law. This could be interpreted as a challenge to Allah and a challenge to Islam.
What next, one wonders? Would we soon hear Zuhair or some other misguided bureaucrat openly asking for the construction of temples in the Maldives?
I supported MDP and Anni (Nasheed) and I continue to do so, but these sorts of statements from stupid and misinformed bureaucrats such as Zuhair is exposing the shortcomings of the government. I wonder where all the Islam-loving people of this country are. If a person such as Zuhair said a similar thing in, say Pakistan or Bangladesh or even Malaysia, people would have come out in force to protest on the streets, against the one who said it or even against the government! I wonder where the pseudo-religious Umar Naseer stands on this issue!
I'm not afraid of anyone but Allah. That’s the reason why I have written this comment. Who does Anni think he is? And the same could be said about his little conniving helpers if they think they can belittle Allah and His Prophet and His Religion. I do not have to write anything to bring down Anni and his government. If Anni and Zuhair think that they can plan against Allah they have forgotten that more "intelligent and powerful" people did plan against Islam and the Prophet but ultimately Allah and His religion and His Prophet prevailed - and will continue to prevail.

Revival of Lanka tourism in peace time and the Maldives

An editorial in Sri Lanka’s Daily News online version titled 'Reviving Tourism' talks in detail about the importance of reviving their tourism industry now that the war is all but over, thanks to the brilliant work of President Rajapakse and his administration. Peace in Lanka is very welcome news for everyone in the region, especially for thousands of Maldivians who see Lanka as their second home.

"Even the Maldives one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, has moved beyond its beaches to promote new concepts to attract more tourists. Incidentally, a large bulk of tourists who used to visit Sri Lanka shifted base to Maldives during the war years. We should now try to get them back adopting a new sales pitch, with the freeing of the country from terrorism." the editor noted in his argument for the need to revive the tourism industry of Sri Lanka.

Being their neighbour and probably their best friend, we of course, wish them the very best and much prosperity but this issue of competition is something that will have an impact on our tourism industry. There is no doubt about the fact that our tourism industry had indirectly benefitted from the unrest and civil war in Sri Lanka over the last 30 or so years. Sri Lanka is if you like, a real gem of beauty and tranquillity. It is blessed with such natural wonders that many nations in the region can only dream of. So, a real boost of tourism industry of Sri Lanka is inevitable, now that they have peace. In a way, perhaps it falls on us to help them in their endeavour to expand their tourism industry because there is plenty of scope and no shortage of people wanting to travel abroad for their holidays. We must also not forget the important contribution of Sri Lankan national airline in the expansion of our tourism industry. Now is the time to payback our dues and show our appreciation.

Of course, we wish them luck in that but this is something that we have to be prepared for. The top brass in our marketing sphere of the tourism industry of the Maldives must think long and hard about how best we can withstand this shock, especially in a time where the industry is on a 'nose-dive' as a result of the global economic downturn. Perhaps we should develop more products, such as an archaeological tour and incorporate more cultural aspects to our tourism packages. We could even introduce fishing holidays to the East. People in Japan would love to experience the traditional and cultural aspects of our fishing method.

Maldives tourism industry is looked on by big players in the region, including Thailand. The development of the industry over the past three decades have become the envy of many countries who want to tap into the gold pot of the travel industry. A new book titled 'Services trade in South Asia' also recongises the Maldives achievement in the sector.

Sri Lanka has everything we have and much more. They have beautiful beaches, splendid natural habitats including mountains, rivers and forests. In addition, they have far better infrastructures to service the sector. Hence, they could easily become the most sought after destination in Asia.

So, it is time to think and find new ways of sustaining the demand for the Maldives holidays.

(Review by Dhivehi Observer Editorial Team http://doreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/revival-of-lanka-tourism-in-peace-time.html)

We should perhaps buckle out seatbelts for a turbulent ride towards an uncertain future

The way that the current political map of Maldives is being shaped, I believe that very soon this could spill into something ugly. The Majlis is so polarized between the two leading parties (MDP and DRP), it is virtually impossible to achieve any meaningful legislation to get us out of the current economic woes.
1. DRP and PA seem to be hell bent on weakening and discrediting the government. They seem to have the aim of changing our form of government into a parliamentary democracy so that (Gayyoom’s younger brother and head of PA) Yamin could one day become Prime Minister.
2. DRP and PA also seem to share Gayyoom’s ambition of promoting his younger son (Gassaan) as a future President or Prime Minister.
3. Any attempt to summon ex-president Gayyoom to the Presidential Commission investigating past frauds could lead to violent confrontations. If the government persists in bringing Gayyoom to justice the situation could lead to the President using his power to enforce 144 and impose temporary martial law.
4. DRP is also getting help from some “independent” MPs such as (Kutti) Nasheed in undermining the relationship between the military (MNDF) and the government. These attempts could eventually lead to a reversing of the democratization process of the country.
I do not believe that this country could achieve anything good as long as Gayyoom and Yamin and their cronies have a say about our future. The best service that Gayyoom could do his country at present would be to retire from politics and let us fend for ourselves. If that doesn’t happen then we should buckle out seatbelts for a turbulent ride towards an uncertain future.

We should not let the government or MNDF or anyone else “rape” our dreams by “raping” Gan!

Is it true that the government is getting ready to secretly give two thirds of Addu Atoll Gan to the Maldives National Defense Force? There has been no official confirmation of such a thing but many Adduans now believe that President Nasheed’s government is secretly liaising with Mohamed Naseer the State Minister for Southern Province and senior MNDF officers, to give away a large chunk of Gan to MNDF as part of MNDF’s southern army base.
MNDF’s Commander for Southern Area (Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi) was reported to have denied these claims; but he said that a large plot of land formerly assigned for an industrial factory has now been “bought” by MNDF. These quotes goes to prove that there is something hidden from the public!
Hundreds of Adduans have now signed a petition that is being prepared to be submitted to the President, asking President Nasheed to stop this if it were true. Adduans see Gan as the industrial and economic “heart” of Southern Province and they do not want Gan to be “raped” like this.
I would give my support (for what it’s worth) to those Adduans who are concerned about this “dangerous” scenario. Gan is not only part of the heritage of the Southern atolls but it is part of the country’s heritage and most definitely it is connected to the economic aspirations and dreams of the Southerners.
Today I heard a person from Huvadhoo Atoll saying that the government will not expand Gan Airport, but instead develop a brand new international airport at Huvadhoo Atoll and use Gan as a military base. This would be a nail on the coffin of us Adduans. Where is the yacht mariner promised to Gan? Where is the proper international airport promised at Gan? Where is the golf course we so often dreamed about?
It’s easy to say: “over my dead body”! Indeed if this were true, the government can “rape” Gan in this manner only over the collect “dead body” of all Adduans!

Gayyoom talking against human rights abuses is like Pamela Anderson talking against artificial breast enlargement!

In a speech to the Muslim world recently, US President Obama said: “...there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once (when they are) in power; they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others."

This statement reminds us of our ex-president Gayyoom - who was ruthless during his 30-years of power – who is now asking the current government to be more democratic and fair. Gayyoom talking against human rights abuses is like Pamela Anderson talking against artificial breast enlargement!

Please! For God’s sake stop your crocodile tears and pretensions. You trampled all human rights when you were in power. Now, don’t lecture us on democracy and freedoms and fairness. We have better things to do than listen to your hypocritical ramblings.

Gayyoom says that there’s no democracy in the country now that he is no longer President! What a joke. He says that everyone is now scared of being arrested and summoned to the police at any time. Well, Gayyoom and his partners-in-crime maybe losing sleep over this fear. We were scared of such things when you were in power. So stop generalizing your fears into a national phobia!

I have to repeat my previous stament again. Indeed, Gayyoom talking against human rights abuses is like Pamela Anderson talking against artificial breast enlargement!

I do not support a block vote!

The two leading parties has been locking horns for two days now, deliberating on whether to take a block vote for the names proposed for the cabinet or whether top vote for the three candidates separately. President Mohamed Nasheed submitted Mahmoud Razee for the post of civil aviation minister, former speaker of parliament Mohamed Shihab for home minister and prominent lawyer Husnu Suood for attorney general.

Members of the Parliament have still not come to an agreement on whether to vote on all three together or separately. Even when President Nasheed’s initial cabinet was approved by the Parliament on a block vote, I remained an opponent of the block vote and I still remain that way.

Though an MDP member, I cannot blindly agree with all the stands taken by the party. I have to say that one cannot buy a sack of potatoes if five of the 50 potatoes are rotten. When you recruit 10 staff for a company you do not interview and recruit them as a block. You interview the 10 people separately and you recruit them separately.

I believe that Gayyoom and his party could well have tricks up their sleeve, but that is no excuse to do things in undemocratic ways.

Yes, I would say that it would be an undemocratic thing to take a block vote when approving members for the cabinet. This one can be good and this one can be ok and that one could be fine and the other one could be inappropriate! One just can’t decide on this as a whole. I think it’s a ridiculous debate which is going on at the Parliament just now. Is this what we are paying them millions for? To engage in this sort of childish banter?

There’s only one United and there’s only one MDP!

A reader commented on this blog: “DRP won 2-0. Dhen La la laa Bush! You know nothing about predicting politics!”

Wasn’t it DRP who predicted that Gayyoom would win the presidential election in 2008? Wasn’t it DRP who predicted that Maldivians will never elect Mohamed Nasheed as their president? Wasn’t it DRP who predicted that they would win 60 seats in the Majlis?

Well! Gayyoom didn’t win the presidential election! Maldivian’s did elect Nasheed as their president! Drp didn’t win 60 seats in the Majlis. So who is it who can’t predict politics? Me or DRP?

I’m not scared of making predictions. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong. This time I was wrong. The front page of Haveeru Daily reported that DRP won and the back page of the newspaper reported that Barcelona won the final match! I had to put masking-tape on the front and the back pages of Haveeru before I could touch it even with sugical gloves! (he he! kidding!) Anyway, life can seem to be so cruel at times. But it is the brave and the wise that can always detect or sense the silver lining in the gloomy clouds!

Now, just because a DRP member (Shahid) is the elected Speaker of the Majlis, don’t expect him to be a lapdog of Gayyoom or Yamin or Thasmeen. In politics things can reverse just overnight. Alliances can break and new alliances could be made. Nasheed is still the president and insha Allah Manchester United will win the quintuple next season!

Ministers Jameel and Sawad should go next!

Coming Thursday (28th May) will be a hugely significant date on the political calendar of this country. If the two candidates proposed by DRP (Abdullah Shahid and Ahmed Nazim) get elected as the President and the Deputy President of the People’s Majlis, that would show that the opposition party (DRP) has control of the parliament. In principle there’s nothing wrong with an opposition party having control of the parliament. In fact that’s quite common in democratic countries such as the United States too.
The reason why many common people dread a DRP-controlled parliament is that such a situation would virtually prevent the government from prosecuting corrupt criminals from the previous regime which was led by DRP.
I still believe that president Nasheed and his government (along with MDP) would make sure that they muster enough seats in the parliament to allow a smooth progress of events in the prosecution of corrupt and rogue elements from Gayyoom’s regime. Those who illicitly devoured millions of dollars of public money and those who beat us up and killed our brothers and sisters in jails and various other places.
I welcome the establishment of a commission by the president to investigate the corrupt acts of the old regime. I have been saying all along that this nation cannot heal itself unless and until these rogue elements are prosecuted and brought to justice.
As for the sacking of the Attorney General (Dhiyana), I have to say that it was suggested in this blog even before the parliamentary election. I believe that the Communications Minister Jameel and the Tourism Minister Ali Sawad should go next. We need a more dynamic Tourism Minister and Jameel seems to hate the government too much to allow him to do his job properly.

A parliamentary majority for MDP and a Cabinet reshuffle!

After a hard-fought parliamentary election, the ruling party (MDP) seems to have acquired two seats less than the amount acquired by the opposition (DRP). Yet, leading figures of MDP have publicly stated that they have no doubt that when the dust settles, and when the final results are announced, they would get the majority of the 77 seats in the parliament.

Though the current results are based on preliminary results announced by the Elections Commission, it is not anticipated that these figures would change when the final results are announced by the Commission in a few days time. So how would MDP be able to get a majority?

1. They need to get at least 39 seats to get a simple majority. A source close to the MDP leadership tells me that they are aiming to get 40 seats before the end of the month. That means they need to convince 14 elected members to switch to MDP. Where would these 14 members come from?

2. There are 13 independent members according to the preliminary results. It is possible that the ruling party could persuade about 9 of those to join MDP. But even if that happens, the party would still need another four seats to get a majority.

3. One option would be to make peace with Gasim’s Jumhooree Party and Dr. Hassan Seed’s Gaumee Party. That would bring 3 more seats. I do not believe that Gasim would openly challenge the ruling party with just the single seat that his party won. Dr. Hassan’s Gaumee Party won only two seats. Of those two, Riyaz Rasheed’s seat appears to be a soft target for MDP if they can convince him to switch allegiance.

4. There are also unconfirmed rumors that MDP and President Nasheed have been in touch with some DRP members such as Mahloof and Alhaan in order to persuade them that their political future is with a vibrant party such as MDP and not with a party led by an outdated leadership.

5. Either way I think MDP could very well get a majority in the parliament. But they would need to get a lesson from the results of this election and try to correct some of the mistakes that they have done after the election of Nasheed as President. They need to replace some of the incapable appointments with more appropriate people.

6. People such as Meemu Sappey, Jameel, Dhiyana, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, Kerafa Naseem and some Provincial State Ministers such as Mohamed Naseer need to be replaced. Zaki could be sent as some ambassador and Mohamed Naseer could be put in charge of Gan Airport or something! But I would like to think that people such as Dr. Shaheed (despite not being MDP members) have done enough to suggest that they could continue to keep their cabinet post. But the bottom line is that some people need to go.
The ruling party should also ensure that brutal ex-leaders such as Gayyoom and Adam Zahir are brought to justice. The public demands this and there will be no healing until these chapters are finally closed!

It’s time that the government replace Mohamed Naseer with a more capable Provincial Minister in the Southern Province

When Mr. Mohamed Naseer was appointed as the Minister of State for the newly formed Southern Province, some people suggested that it was I who promoted his appointment because he is my relative. Well. Mr. Naseer is indeed a relative but why would I promote a relative for a political post when I would not promote even my own self?

The fact of the matter is that Mr. Naseer is a bad appointment and the sooner that the government remedies this mistake the better for everyone involved – especially the long suffering people of Addu and Fua Mulah.

Mr. Naseer is an engineer by training and he is gifted in his profession. But he lacks the personality or the charisma to lead the people of the most industrious two atolls in the country. Not only do many people (including MDP members) criticise the government for this misinformed appointment, many are disillusioned and disappointed about a future that awaits them with a slow and uncharismatic Minister who obviously lacks zeal, vision and drive – all three elements which we look for in our Provincial Minister.

Now, one may wonder who would be an ideal replacement if the government were to make a U-turn and replace Mr. Naseer. I do not – even for one minute – suggest that Mr. Naseer should be sidelined and rejected. What the government could do is to appoint Mr. Naseer as the in charge of the Gan International Airport – something that is more akin to Mr. Naseer’s profession.

(While we are on the subject of Gan Airport, let me also suggest that we could rename Gan after some historic leader for the Southern Province - How about “Hussain Rahaa or Afeef Didi International Airport”?).

A relatively young and educated person with drive and dedication such as the current Managing Director of STO (Shahid) or Mohamed Waheed (Wadde) or someone with similar credentials would be an ideal choice to replace Mr. Naseer.

Ask Mohamed Naseer how many times he has visited Fua Mulah since his appointment? Ask him why he spends more time in the capital Male or in Bangkok than in, say, Fua Mulah or even Hulhudhoo or Meedhoo? Ask him why he has to visit Gan in the night so often to have "coffee" with friends?

Ask him why he isn’t doing things such as the following:

1. Invite investors such as Lecute, Sonee Hardware, Sonee Sports, ADK, Reef Side, Sea Gull, Sun Front, Villa, Salsa, etc. to the Southern Province. Hold a two day workshop to brief potential investors to extend branches of their businesses to the Southern Province.

2. Prepare a feasibility study and promote the building of an exclusive diver’s resort at Kandi Hera Island in Addu Atoll.

3. Promote the building of a seaplane base in the lake of Fua Mulah instead of building an airport there.

4. Develop the historic sites in Fua Mulah and Addu so that tourists could visit such places.

5. Develop a seaplane landing area in the lagoon of Gan Island.

6. Promote the construction of a large hotel at Koatte in Hithadhoo, and lease land to potential investors to build guest houses, souvenir shops, dive shops, etc. at the seaside of Maamendhoo in Hithadhoo.

7. Promote the building of a golf course in Gan airport or Villingilli resort.

8. Compile a project to pave the roads and build water and sewage systems in Hithadhoo and Fua Mulah and extend the project to other islands of the Province.

9. Promote local and educational and medical tourism to the Southern Province by building guest houses, hotels, picnic islands, shopping complexes, Cineplex, international hospital, international schools, university, flying school, etc in the Province.

10. Declare Vision 2020 for the Southern Province to achieve all the above and even more, by 2020 so that the Southern Province becomes the number one region in the country in terms of literacy, education, international tourism, local tourism, transshipment, etc.

I doubt that the current Minister of State for the Province has the drive, the courage and dedication and support from the people to work towards such a vision. I know that by stating this so publicly I would incur his wrath and perhaps the wrath of the government. But those readers who have been following my writings over the years would know that I have no personal needs or wishes but rather wishes for my island, my atoll, my province – and most importantly – my country.

The government has nothing to lose in making this adjustment. Let’s forget party politics and appoint a capable leader to lead the long suffering people of Addu and Fua Mulah.

Brief History of United Suvadive Republic (Addu)

The United Suvadive Republic or Suvadive Islands was a short-lived breakaway nation in the remote Southern Atolls of the Maldive Islands, namely Addu Atoll, Huvadhu Atoll and Fuvammulah that geographically make up the Suvadive archipelago. The name of this nation was originally an ancient name for the three southernmost atolls of the Maldives. Suvadive is based on the ancient name for Huvadhu Atoll.
The Suvadive secession occurred within in the context of the struggle of the Maldives emerging as a modern nation, but still shackled by feudal and autocratic power structures. The alleged causes were the centralistic policies of the government in Malé and the recent independence of both neighboring countries, India and Ceylon. At that time the Maldives had remained a British protectorate. The Suvadives declared independence on January 3, 1959. They capitulated, rejoining the rest of the nation in September 23, 1963.
For ages, the affluent merchants from the southern atolls of Addu and Huvadu had been trading directly with Ceylon and the East Indies, which prevented the Maldive authorities from taxing that trade, which did not pass through Malé, the capital of the Maldives. After the Second World War, the British diplomats stationed in Colombo, upon request of the Maldive authorities, imposed passports and visas issued in Malé to Maldivians travelling to the British possessions. This control, as well as the enforcement of the poll and land tax, was bitterly resented in Addu and the other southern atolls. The Maldive authorities imposed a ban on trade between the British troops stationed in Addu and the locals, causing the wrath of the Addu aristocracy and a riot severely repressed by the government militia.
The Brits left the atoll in 1944 but came back in 1957 because of the Cold War. The ban on trade was reimposed by the authorities. The civilian British contractor expected a 100-year lease of land in Hithadoo to build a staging post, which was difficult to obtain legally; accordingly, he spread the idea of breaking away from the Malé rulers and employed several Adduans, significantly increasing their income. In 1958, the new Prime Minister of the Maldives ordered to stop all construction in Addu. Riots broke out in Hithadoo; on 3 January 1959, the independence was proclaimed and Abdulla Afeel Didi was appointed head of state upon British recommendation. The prosperity of Addu encouraged rebellion in the two neighbouring atolls of Fua Mulaku and Huvadu, which joined Addu to form the United Suvadive Republic on 13 March 1959. The Huvadu rebellion was suppressed in July 1959 by a gunboat commanded personally by Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir; a British regiment prevented any action in Addu.
In 1960, the Brits withdrew their support to the rebellion but the Suvadive Republic resisted. A new revolt in Huvadu was suppressed in 1961; the population was dispersed and the leaders of the rebellion all died in the jail in Malé. Britain was more and more internationally embarrassed by the secessionists; on 22 September 1963, the British political agent in Addu spelt out an ultimatum to the people of Maradoo to hoist the Maldive flag. A man found the design of the flag in a book and made it with bunting supplied by the British. At 3 AM on 23 September 1963, the Suvadive flag was cut down and the Maldive flag hoisted over Maradoo. Following Maradoo's capitulation, the British quickly spread the word that only those who were under the sovereign authority of the Sultan of the Maldives would be employed in British facilities. That was the final blow on the United Suvadive Republic.
The Sultan proclaimed a general pardon and no punitive action was taken by his government against anyone in Addu following the collapse of the United Suvadive Republic. Afeef Didi was given British protection in Sceychells and after many years, he was pardoned by the President of the Maldives. He visited Addu once before he died in the Seychelles.

Airport Hotels, Safari Yachts should not have alcohol!

The increase in the smuggling and illegal sale of alcoholic beverages in Male has taken a sharp rise in the recent months. In most of the cases, it is expatriates (Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, etc) who are seen to be taking part in such activities, along with help from locals. I suggest the following actions if we want to see a decline in this:

1. Permits are currently given to foreign teachers, seaplane pilots, etc. to purchase liquor from places such as resorts and the Airport Hotel and consume such products in Male’. There is no way to prevent such foreigners from selling alcohol drinks to locals. I suggest that we stop issuing such permits. Any foreigner who wants to consume alcohol should do so in resorts but he should not be allowed to bring such beverages to any inhabited island.

2. Currently many foreign residents of Male visit the Airport Hotel to consume alcohol. This has apparently become an easy access point to bring alcohol to Male illegally. Similarly the Ocean Reef Hotel in Addu Atoll Gan is also apparently such a point where locals could get easy access to alcohol. I suggest that we revise the regulations so that no hotel in an inhabited island (or with a causeway-connection to an inhabited island) should be allowed to sell alcohol. If such a regulation is implemented it would prevent the Hulhule Airport Hotel and the Ocean Reef Hotel in Gan from selling alcohol.

3. Similarly we should not allow any of the upcoming Airport Hotels (that are to be opened in regional airports) to sell alcohol.

4. Safari Yachts who travel to various islands and atolls (with tourists) are allowed to buy and sell alcohol. Such vessels could easily sell alcohol to locals. I suggest that the safari yachts should not be able to buy and sell alcohol.

Conference Tourism, Sight-Jogging, Devastation-Tourism, and Airport weddings to spice up the Maldivian tourism industry!

Instead of just talking about new concepts of tourism it is time that we start implementing such ideas in our islands. At a time when the outlook on tourism and other economic activities are bleak it is perhaps wise to broaden our tourism options so that we can attract a wider variety of tourists to our islands. Following is a list of tourism-ideas that we could develop with relatively little effort and investment.

1. Conference Tourism: Demolish “Dharubaaruge” and build a ten storey conference facility that could cater for all sorts of conferences. Another option could be to develop a resort close to Male that is completely custom designed to host conferences and accommodate delegates. The island of Aarah which was previously used as a Presidential retreat is an ideal island to develop in this was as a Conference Resort. Either way we could promote Maldives as a relatively affordable and attractive venue for hosting various conferences and business meetings of multi-national companies.

2. Sight-jogging: Male lacks interesting tourist attractions and activities. How about introducing a service called “Sight-jogging” for those tourists who are fitness fanatics. This isn’t an original idea of mine. In fact, if you’re a fitness-conscious athlete who is also a tourist traveling in Rome; you might want to sign up for “sight-jogging”. Sightjogging offers visitors a chance to put on their jogging shoes and take a guided tour of Rome’s main attractions. Multilingual trainers/guides will meet you at your hotel and take you jogging along predefined routes based on your interests (be it artistic, historic or naturalistic). We could adopt this idea for Male and take the tourists around Male in a predetermined route that will include all interesting tourist attractions in Male’.

3. Devastation-Tourism: On the aftermath of the crippling tsunami, we had the opportunity to preserve one of the devastated islands as a tourist attraction - a place where tourists could pay to visit and see for themselves the devastation of a tsunami. If we don’t have such an island now, then we could recreate such an island with a museum of photos and artifacts from the tsunami devastation. If this is not possible, how about promoting the Tsunami Monument near Lonuziyaraikolhu as a genuine tourist attraction. We could build a small souvenir shop near the tsunami-monument and sell souvenirs and tee shirts all related to the tsunami. This too isn’t a new idea of mine. If you are in the United States, then check out “devastation tourism” with a bus tour operator Gray Line New Orleans. The company gives a 3-hour “Hurricane Katrina” tour of the hurricane devastation of 2005. Tour route includes visits to Canal Street, the Superdome, and some of the neighborhoods affected badly by the disaster.


4. Airport weddings: How about allowing tourists (both local and international tourists the facility to get married at the Male International Airport. This idea is already in practice at Amsterdam Airport. This innovative tourist-idea at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is to get married there. Whether a couple met on a flight to Bangkok or just wants to be able to go straight from ceremony to runway for their honeymoon, Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam) offers travelers the opportunity to get married at the airport. How about doing some research on this service and implement it at the Airport Hotel at Male International Airport? I’m sure even Maldivians who want to travel abroad for their honeymoon after the wedding would use this service and get married and even host the reception at the Airport Hotel before going for their honeymoon (possibly at the Airport Hotel or another local resort or even going abroad). Airport Weddings seem a cool and new idea indeed.

This list has just four ideas but there are numerous new ideas to broaden our tourism scope – ideas such as medical tourism, sports tourism, developing Dhoonidhoo Island as a resort for locals, building four or five storey buildings (hotels) at resorts, etc.
Conference Tourism, Sight-jogging, Devastation-Tourism and Airport weddings could be the start of many such new ideas for our tourism industry.

Will Obama speak in the Maldives?

There are reports that the new American President, Obama, will give a speech from a Muslim capital within his first 100 days. The New York Times says "The list of Islamic world capitals is long, and includes the obvious —Riyadh, Kuwait City, Islamabad — and the not-so-obvious — Male (the Maldives), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), Tashkent (Uzbekistan). However I believe that Maldives would be an ideal choice for many reasons:

1. Probably one of the only two 100% Muslim countries in the world.

2. Small and fragile country that, some environmental scientists say, could be wiped out from the face of the earth in another 50 to 100 years time. Due to this reason, Obama could use the same speech to attract world attention to the importance of environmental controls and legislation.

3. Being a founding member of SAARC, we could use our position as a Muslim country, to establish and amicable and working relationship with Afghanistan. Perhaps bring a refreshing perspective into it.

4. For the same reason in point 3 above, we could also work with Pakistan to counter the threat of terrorism and to bring Muslims and the US together.

5. The exoticness of Maldives could also add a different dimension to the speech and make it more effective in getting the message across.

For the above and for many other reasons, we suggest that the government Maldives approach the US embassy and try to arrange a visit to the Maldives by President Obama.
Maldives could indeed play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the United States and the Muslim world.

Are we depending on India too much!

Though most people generally welcome the prospect of mega-Indian companies investing in various sectors in the Maldives, there are some voices who express concern that India and Indian mega-companies are being given too much control of our commerce sector and that this could, in the long run lead to the detriment of our national security and political independence.

The new government of President Nasheed (pic) should be commended for opening up our business sector and attracting foreign investment, but some analysts say that more effort should be put in to attract investors from other countries and regions such as the United States, Europe, Japan, China, the Middle East and more.
In a related story, Indian media reported that, India, the second-largest wheat producer in the world, recently eased a near 16-month-old ban to export 29,177 tonnes of wheat flours to Maldives.

"The prohibition imposed on export of wheat flour shall not be applicable to export of 29,177 tonnes of wheat flours during 2009-10 to Maldives through PEC Ltd," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a notification. The shipment of wheat flours to Maldives followed the announcement by Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution Akhilesh Prasad Singh in December 2008 to export up to two million tonnes of wheat to friendly nations.

While India seems to be doing a lot to help Maldives ride the current wave of economic depression, it has to be said that we should not depend too much on India, lest we lose everything if India pulls the rug from under our feet if we do or say something that the Indians do not like.

President Nasheed – a benevolent (loving) dictator!

When President Nasheed declared Muleeaage as the official residence of the President, political critics such as Dr. Hassan Saeed said that it is unconstitutional to do so without amending the law. Wasn’t it Dr. Hassan who said that we could hold the Parliamentary elections even without ratifying the Elections Law? Wasn’t it Dr. Hassan who said that we can deal with drug addicts in contravention to the law because he felt that it was an ethical thing to do?

When it is convenient for Dr. Hassan, he says that it is alright to overlook the constitution and when someone else does so he is quick to criticise. If one follows the letter of the law to its full extent then it could be argued that President Nasheed should have waited for the amendment to the law before unilaterally deciding to move to Muleeaage. But we have to look at the spirit of the action. I’m sure that Dr. Hassan too would probably have moved to Muleeaage if he were elected President.

The same is true about the criticism coming from political foes such as Dr. Hassan regarding the declaration of provinces. We all agree that these things need to be incorporated into the law, but sometimes, depending on the political climate, the leadership of the country needs to move faster than the parliament who often drags its feet.

I would like to believe that we have embarked on a journey of “change” that needs daily – if not hourly – action and that we can’t wait for a Majlis who thinks that they are above everything (including the people of this country).

Judging from the signs I see, I think that President Nasheed is a benevolent dictator – the type of dictator that is actually good for a small country such as ours. Before you start shouting at me, let me give two examples of benevolent dictators. Number one that comes to mind if Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. He sometimes stifled his political foes but above everything else he worked hard and brought prosperity and sincere goodness to Singapore. Not a single Singaporean will argue that Lee Kuan Yew was a bad leader even though he was sometimes “dictatorial”.!

The second example of such a leader is former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed – two very similar leaders who put country first. Look at the results of their labour. Singapore is now officially a “developed” country, and Malaysia is expecet6d to be a “developed” country by 2020.

At a time when the Maldives and the Maldivians aspire to be the “Singapore of South Asia”, we have to have a decisive leader who doesn’t get entangled on the legal mumbo jumbo and rather take action first and worry about the consequences later. Such a leader would instinctively know what’s best for his country and act accordingly. We can never reach such height if we have legal fanatics such as Dr. Hassan or (Kutti) Nasheed at our helm.

Shout at me or verbally attack me for what ever you like, but I’m willing to stand on one limb and defend this controversial argument of mine. If you disagree with me it’s your problem, not mine.

As far as I’m concerned President Nasheed is a benevolent dictator – the type that we should welcome and trust. I agree that he is a bit rusty. But who wouldn’t be in the situation he finds himself in. Give him time and I believe that he would make us the next Singapore and put us really on the world map – not as an environmental casualty that Gayyoom portrayed us to be, but rather as a country with a solid economy and a dependable social support system and an ethical population that trusts in each other.

By the time we reach that level we would have ended our preoccupation with politics (as the Singaporeans have done) and start concentrating on economics and hard work and reaping the fruits of our labour. That’s our destiny, and I believe we have a leader who can take us there.