Maldives has finally broken the grip of the single-candidate presidential elections that kept Ibrahim Nasir in power from 1968 to 1978 and Maumoon Abdul Qayoom from 1978 up to now.
When the Egypt-educated politicians took over the presidency thirty years ago, the people were looking forward to a period of spiritual enlightenment. The same folks are now being accused of being greedy for money and power. They have failed to deliver justice according to the Holy Quran they preached. How ironic it is that these people who blame the West on charges of trying to impose Christianity on us have to import their concept of a Human Rights Commission to be the watchdog for justice and human rights.
Now we enter the confusing and murky world of coalition politics. Even the most unlikely bedfellows could come together for political advantage or to seize power. We see such alliances being formed in Maldives between the different political parties, all jockeying to share power in the upcoming presidential elections. The muddling through has begun in earnest.
People are the backbone of any society and their right to assemble and protest which is a constitutional right in a democracy is beginning to work in Maldives. Recently teachers had protested over poor pay and now tourism workers are due to protest in early October. Our Government is run on a deficit budget and every effort is being made to cut down the expenditure. But the members of parliament have increased their own salary by a 500 percent to some rf 67,000 per month setting a benchmark for various members of newly formed independent institutions to be paid similar amounts.
For workers at the lower economic ladder like teachers and airport workers to get a suitable raise, they have to indulge in work stoppages and strikes. Theses are uncharted waters for us but it also reflects badly on the uncaring Government of our country.
In Maldives, we now see a clear trend of religion being replaced by materialism in the same manner as it is happening in other capitalistic countries. Every individual; man, woman and child is a consumer. Companies and corporations have realized that rich consumers are the most attractive targets for marketing their products. The upper class' tastes, lifestyles, and preferences, trickle down to become the standard which all consumers seek to emulate. A consumer can have the instant gratification of purchasing a high-ticket item that will help improve their social status.
Maldives does not have an income tax or corporate tax system. Therefore while the rich continue to get rich, the poor are left behind to fend for themselves often struggling to live a decent life.
Once the campaign for the presidency is over and the first multi-party contested president is elected this year, it will be time to act on the promises that are flying all around us. We will soon learn whether the import of drugs into Maldives will be stopped by taking firm action and treatment provided to all the addicts or will it be more of the same old bluff of greedy and dumb politicians who only seek power for the sake of it.
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7 comments:
Hi Mhilmyh,
Once again a nice article on your perspectives on how Maldives is changing.
I am a bit unclear on your point on religion replacing materialism. You state that and you continue your views as though materialism is replacing everything else. Did you intend to say otherwise?
Would also like to read your views on the divorce rates in Maldives and how it affects the younger generation growing up with single or step parents.
Hi aditya
You've touched on a very deep topic, perhaps I should have explained much better.
I have used materialism in the economic sense of the word, meaning the preoccupation with making money and the pursuit of wealth and luxury that has become the highest value in life in many countries including Maldives.
Both religion and economic materialism are strong driving forces of human behaviour and both have their place in human life. But it is fast changing and I'm not suggesting one is better than the the other but there has to be a better balance than what is happening in the world where the gap between the rich and poor is increasing every where. United States is the champion of free market and capitalism. What we see now is that traders on Wall Street and Investment Banks have been lending risky loans motivated by greed that should never have been granted in the first place. If the banks are allowed to collapse it could lead to a serious recession or depression. The US government is arranging a rescue bailout package of $ 700billion to avert global financial disaster. US has followed Christian values of honesty and hard work but all that has been overcome by extreme capitalism. Though capitalism is better than socialism, without adequate regulatory oversight to ensure financial justice, there could be serious consequences as is happening now.
Divorce in Maldives was alarmingly high some time back. While there are many loving and caring single or step parents, many others are struggling to provide provide for their kids and give them a good upbringing. In an overcrowded Male' about to burst at the seams with drugs free flowing, one can sympathise the plight of parents and the kids who fall through the cracks into a life of drugs and violence and criminal behaviour. This is the biggest social problem that is facing our country.
Hi Mhilmyh,
Thanks for your response. Indeed it is a deep subject that many thinkers have spent and are still spending time to understand the complexities. I come from a country and a community which has very old tradition and value systems, many of which does not make sense in the current scheme of things of course. Being brought up with a belief system that social well-being is more important than economic prosperity, I sometimes struggle in a capitalistic environment. One is caught between what one has learnt and come to believe in their formative years and what one has to deal with in a their day-to-day life viz., be a consumer and support a consumer driven lifestyle.
Keeping that aside, I think the question that we are faced with (and my question in my initial comment) increasingly is between religion on one side and all other forms of economic structures such as capitalism, socialism etc on the other side. I think a country can choose what form of government they would like to run but having to contend with religion is a different ball game altogether. A classic example is the recent conflict between Hindus and Christians in India where Churches have been burnt and some people even killed in the process. India has faced many a such issues between different religious groups in the past. What is interesting about this episode is that in response to this violence, there is a protest going on in the US where they are condemning such violence against Christians. Of course, human empathy is to be appreciated but I am not sure if the same group would have raised their voices if the violence was perpetrated against Muslims or Buddhists. So we are increasingly facing a world where the concept of Nation-State divides us on one dimension and people come together based on religion sans borders and that becomes another dimension in our division. I think both the separation is to be worried about given that we are living in a very globalised world.
A small nation such as Maldives needs to drop both such divisions if they have to alleviate themselves and provide for every member of that nation. They key elements that can help in this if of course education, acceptance and assimilation of everything else and still retain a unique identity for themselves. Too much of attention to self-identity could lead alienation and too much of openness will lead to identity loss.
I think the coming election will be an event in history for more than one reason. Apart form becoming more democratic, it would be defining moment to see how the new government handles the economy and religion and yet remain one of the last remaining paradise spots in this planet without either economy or religion overshadowing the peoples of this nation.
Hi aditya
Let us now look at religion and the economic systems such as capitalism and socialism in the context of your initial question.
Your country, India is a vast country with a fascinating rich history of 5000 years. After India became independent from the British in 1947, it adopted the Nehru Socialist Model of economy that gave the Government the right to nationalise certain industries and create reservations/protections for other industries in which large private players could not enter. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, India had to compete and change to the free market economy and align itself to the global world. The legacy of the socialist past and the inefficient bureaucracy has left millions trapped below the poverty line. Presently India is making dramatic progress especially in the IT and communications sector while the agriculture and farming still lags behind. Today India is following the capitalistic model and everyone is a consumer.
Religion is as old as the human kind. It provides moral and ethical guidelines for living. Religion and economic materialism are mutually exclusive and both are strong initiatives for human conduct and beaviour.
Religion is a persoanl matter based personal conviction and individuals should be free to choose and practise what they want. Most of the religious conflicts in India and elswhere in the are driven by politics.
With the exception of communist Cuba and North Korea almost all other countries are following the capitalistic model of economy.
In a fast changing globalised world the concept of Nation-State is changing while capitalism itself is also evolving. We are living in unprecedented times. Hopefully Maldives can maintain its unique charm and social harmony.
Hi Mhilmyh,
I couldn't agree with you more. But what generally bothers me is the unbridled spread and evolution of capitalism. Indeed India is suffering since it is on a fast track of economic development. But in my belief, capitalism requires a certain maturity to be existing already where it can be left to grow. In a country where the majority are poor, a few sectors becoming rich will breed contempt simply because of lack of understanding of the markets. A similar thing is happening in Maldives. The tourism sector is fairly rich but the other sectors do not make as much revenue as someone in the tourism business does. A person matured about the nuances of the market will quickly understand and take steps to switch to markets where there is a demand and revenue possibilities or feel contended in what they do. But any uneducated or market immature person would feel persecuted that the 'government' has sided to certain sectors and does not do enough for the other sectors. It may be true in case of corrupt politicians but sometimes even good rulers cannot do much simply because there is no other option.
This is where I fear religion, which as your said, a personal realm in which a man seeks wisdom and fulfilment can be made to meet exactly the opposite purpose by miscreants and corrupt politicians.
Regards Drugs,I dont think you have to sell drugs to promote it.All you have to do is to sell ideas.Sell the ideas of irrationalism.Once irrationalism takes root,it is just a matter of time.Hence political parties are the biggest promoters of drugs because of their inconsistencies and the firm grip they have on ppl's thinking.
I know a friend who promotes a very high quality product of USA.He is not involved in the manufacturing,shipping,packing,or payment processing.But he is the one who promotes it.
Hi buruma. Thanks for the comment.
Promoting drugs is equally as harmful as the different aspects of the distribution channel.
Maldivian society has elements of feudalism and early stages of fascism which has taken root and seems to be thriving on religious dogmatism and irrationalism. I don't quite understand your point on how irrationalism is the cause of widespread abuse of drugs.
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