Pork barrel politics in Maldives?

As we see happening in several representative democracies of the world, Maldives too has embraced the concept of pork barrel politics at the expense of broader public good. The term "pork barrel" - which originated in United States refers to "appropriations secured by Congressmen for local projects." Typically, "pork" involves funding for government programs whose economic or service benefits are concentrated in a particular area but whose costs are spread among all taxpayers. (Wikipedia)

The Rf11.9 billion mid-term budget for 2010 has been passed by the parliament, the legislative body, after including Rf800 million which was added following a parliamentary committee review. This is in addition to the Rf4 billion deficit in the budget proposed to parliament by the government. The Minister of Finance has informed the parliament that he will not be responsible to secure funds for the additional expenditure included by the parliament.

A responsible government budget is necessary to maintain economic stability of the country. If the government spends more than it gets and continues to print money to make up for shortfalls, it will eventually lead to inflation and set off a serious decline of the rufiyaa.

With the separation of powers, the Legislature or the Parliament makes the laws, and supervises the activities of the other two arms- the Executive and the Judiciary-with a view to changing the laws when appropriate.

Now that the parliament has forced the hand of the of government compromising the separation of powers and adding to increasing political chaos, how does the parliament wish to hold the government accountable for the Rf800 million included by them? Parliament wants the government to spend this money- public money on among other things to restore civil servants pay and subsidise private media.

If the opposition in the parliament is doing this to derail government efforts to secure financing from international institutions, it creates a more dangerous tendency. It may lead the way for members of the parliament to practice the US style pork-barrel politics, to carry out their pet projects using government funds in return for their constituents loyalty.

Although we now have the framework for a representative democracy-i.e., elected individuals representing the people, our society is more sharply divided on political party lines. The political parties engage in a bitter adversarial struggle to regain power or to remain in power. Rather than a simple dynamics - involving only voters, candidates, and issues - we get a dynamics based on competing factions. Political parties compete for funding, support and for voter loyalty; grassroots movements, special-interest groups, and wealthy elite factions compete amongst one another to influence public opinion and government policy, etc. People have no control over what their "representatives" do. Wealthy elites, with their ability to fund campaigns - and in various ways to influence candidates, the economy, the press, and government officials - end up having a distinct advantage in the competition among factions.

Climate Talks stalled due to lack of Trust

China, India and other developing nations blocked U.N. climate talks on Monday, bringing negotiations to a halt with their demand that rich countries discuss much deeper cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions.

Representatives from developing countries — a bloc of 135 nations — said they refused to participate in any working groups at the 192-nation summit until the issue was resolved.

The move was a setback for the Copenhagen talks, which were already faltering over long-running disputes between rich and poor nations over emissions cuts and financing for developing countries to deal with climate change.

More on this article of AP.

A group of US Republican lawmakers have banded together and they are going to arrive Copenhagen to try to block President Barack Obama's efforts to push for mandatory reductions in greenhouse gases.

Blatter's 'moral compensation' to the Irish

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Thursday that he wants to offer a special award for Ireland- a 'moral compensation' after Ireland lost a World Cup spot to France when a handball from the French captain Thierry Henry led to a decisive goal.

On the day Blatter announced that World Cup teams will receive at least $9 million for taking part in the competition, he insisted that a monetary reward would not be appropriate to pay the Irish.

The Irish never asked for a financial compensation or even a moral compensation. They wanted a place in the world cup contest. To talk about a moral compensation in the world cup dominated by powerful forces of sponsorship and big money just like any other big business that is bereft of morality is really a farce.

Earlier in the week Blatter urged players and coaches to "observe fair play", calling on them to understand that doing the right thing on the pitch has "social and cultural value" and commanding them to "be an example to the rest of the world".

This call for honour came just days after he revealed that Thierry Henry wasn’t to blame for his cheating which cost Ireland a place at the World Cup finals.

Blatter also revealed that he telephoned the France captain to offer him support “because he tried to get in touch with me.”

Blatter added: "He was honest by admitting that he did use his hand, but it wasn't his responsibility to tell the referee. In the specific case of the Henry handball, the referee should have taken the time to reflect rather than immediately awarding the goal."

Thierry Henery admitted to the hand ball only after the match was over. If Thierry Henry was so honest, he should have told the referee who did not see the hand ball before the match was over. Then the goal would not have stood and Ireland had the chance to go to the world cup.

It is difficult to understand Blatter's intellectual reasoning. What kind of a message does this controversy send considering the fairplay and honesty that Blatter talked about?

Dubai as finance hub faces first test

Dubai's ambitions to become an international financial centre are in doubt after the shock announcement that its main state-owned firm wants to suspend debt payments, analysts said on Sunday.

"What happens next and, more pertinently, how critical decisions are disclosed will cement its continuing credibility and its place as a financial centre," said Cubillas Ding, senior analyst at Celent research and consultancy group.

"Dubai's untested financial legal system is now facing its first real test in relation to how it deals with the international community. No one wants to play in a playground where the rules are unclear," he said.

Dubai International Financial Centre, a 110-acre (44.5 hectare) free trade zone which opened in 2004, prides itself on its website as "the world's fastest growing international financial centre."

More on this AFP article.

Islamic Finance Vs. Conventional Finance

Better citizens--not politicians--can solve our nation's problems. Thomas Friedman

Tom Friedman Explains Causes Of America's 'Sub-Optimal Solutions' (VIDEO) in The Huffington Post, it reads : New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman is worried that America is producing "sub-optimal solutions" to big problems like global warming, an education system in decline and a weak economy.

The author of Hot, Flat, and Crowded appeared on The Charlie Rose Show on Friday night to discuss President Obama's recent trip to Asia, and more specifically China. Friedman lamented the failure of US governance and the "forces of paralysis" that surround President Obama. He is worried that China's streamlined, one-party system will be in a better place to implement solutions to large global problems more quickly than the US.

Holding us back, Friedman argues, is a political system too closely connected with money and well-funded interests. Gerrymandering on the part of politicians makes it so that our leaders practically pick us, not the other way around. Friedman also thinks cable news television distorts the truth and that the internet (at its worst) can be a terrible thing for our nation's politics. He also says American businesses have gone AWOL, and hover over America, participating only when it suits their industry's needs.

Friedman says that better citizens--not politicians--can solve our nation's problems.

A Victory by Cheating in the Beautiful Game

One of Europe's leading football players, French superstar Thierry Henry who has a good reputation for fair play- up to the "Hand of God II" incident - has confessed he cheated to rob Irish of a World Cup place. The France striker used his hand twice to control the ball before crossing for William Gallas to head home in extra-time during their World Cup play-off on Thursday.

This incident is reminiscent of Diego Maradona's infamous Hand of God goal when Maradona scored the winning goal to defeat England in a 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match.

Thierry Henry has tarnished his reputation for good. Argentina's Diego Maradona an icon of football in the 70s and 80s, despite his talent is considered one of the sports most controversial figures for various reasons including his use of drugs. Thierry Henry is one of the finest strikers of today's game twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year, was named the Profeesional Football Association Players' Player of the Year twice, and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year three times.

Thierry Henry has missed an opportunity to set a higher standard by admitting to the referee that he had handled the ball. The goal would not have stood and he would have earned the admiration of the entire sporting world. But he didn’t do it. He knew that he had done wrong, but he put his team's interest ahead of doing what was right. Now he has shattered his squeaky-clean image as an ambassador for football.

From what we see on the football pitch- players diving for penalties, dangerous fouls to hand balls- and off the pitch from the violence that show the ugly side of the game, it is clear generally that the beautiful game no longer exists. World Cup Football has become the world's biggest sports spectacle driven by the money and power of big business, sponsorships and merchandising. The pressure to win at all costs has killed the beautiful game.

Even Brazil known to play the beautiful game have abandoned their open and flowing style of the game to adopt the more physical style of the game played in Europe.

Tele Santana, one of Brazil's greatest coaches who led Brazil at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and guided Sao Paulo to two successive wins in the Libertadores Cup in the early 1990s is reported to have said: "I'd rather lose the game than tell my team to foul, kick the opponents or win with an illegitimate goal. "

Santana was widely respected for his sense of fair play and his refusal to use rough-arm tactics.

The qualities that the late Santana espoused seems to have been confined to history.

UN Chief Warns of Increasing Global Hunger

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon opened the three-day UN World Food Security summit in Rome Monday, warning the international community that the world cannot achieve food security without first tackling global warming.

Mr. Ban said the human cost of the food crisis has been enormous. Millions of families have been pushed into poverty and hunger. In the past year, food insecurity has affected about 30 countries.

The U.N. secretary general said there can be no food security without climate security.

"The food crisis is a wake-up call for tomorrow. By 2050 our planet may be the home of 9.1 billion people, over two billion more than today," he said. "At a time when the global population is growing, our global climate is changing. By 2050 we will need to grow 70 percent more food, yet weather is becoming more extreme and unpredictable," he said.

Mr. Ban said a comprehensive agreement is needed at a climate change summit next month in Copenhagen. Such an accord, he said, must provide a firm foundation for a legally binding treaty on climate change.

FAO Director General Jacques Diouf gave a clear picture of the numbers involved.

"One billion hungry people, that is one of every group of six persons in the world, 105 million more than in 2008, five children dying every 30 seconds. Beyond numbers this means suffering for each of these human beings," he said (Link)


As the world's top leaders including the US President Barack Obama have not turned up for this summit, there are fears that the new commitments to deal with the food crisis may not materialise. The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the only leader of a G8 country attending the summit. Italy of course is hosting the summit.

Nov 13 - World Kindness Day

According to the World Kindness Movement, "The purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realise we are citizens of the world. As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realise that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavours, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common. "

Countries that celebrate the World Kindness Day this year include Canada, Japan, Australia, India, Scotland, Nigeria ,United Arab Emirates and Singapore. The Singapore Kindness Movement celebrating the World Kindness Day for the first time is distributing 45,000 yellow daisies meant to motivate the public to show appreciation for acts of kindness.

People like to feel recognised and appreciated. Saying 'thank you' has become a competitive advantage in business these days in the fast-paced world we live in. Those who practise personal gratitude in life- to parents, friends and others will find it easier to do so in the business world- from the sales person to the executives who close deals worth millions of dollars.

A thank you note expressing gratitude creates a strong incentive for the recpient to stay connected.

It has also become good business for business owners and managers to thank their employees for a job well done.

This, Too, Will Pass

In chapter 8 of 'A New Earth', Eckhart Tolle writes a thought provoking story about the discovery of inner space.

"According to an ancient Sufi story, there lived a king in some Middle Eastern land who was continuously torn between happiness and despondency. The slightest thing would cause him great upset or provoke an intense reaction, and his happiness would quickly turn into disappointment and despair. A time came when the king finally got tired of himself and of life, and he began to seek a way out. He sent for a wise man who lived in his kingdom and who was reputed to be enlightened. When the wise man came, the king said to him, ‘I want to be like you. Can you give me something that will bring balance, serenity, and wisdom into my life? I will pay any price you ask.’

The wise man said, ‘I may be able to help you. But the price is so great that your entire kingdom would not be sufficient payment for it. Therefore it will be a gift to you if you will honour it.’ The king gave his assurances, and the wise man left.

Be at peace

A few weeks later, he returned and handed the king an ornate box carved in jade. The king opened the box and found a simple gold ring inside. Some letters were inscribed on the ring. The inscription read: This, too, will pass. ‘What is the meaning of this?’ asked the king. The wise man said, ‘Wear this ring always. Whatever happens, before you call it good or bad, touch this ring and read the inscription. That way, you will always be at peace.’

This, too, will pass. What is it about these simple words that makes them so powerful? Looking at it superficially, it would seem while those words may provide some comfort in a bad situation, they would also diminish the enjoyment of the good things in life. ‘Don’t be too happy, because it won’t last.’ This seems to be what they are saying when applied in a situation that is perceived as good.

The full import of these words becomes clear when we consider them in the context of two other stories. The story of a Zen master whose response is always ‘Is that so?’ shows the good that comes through inner nonresistance to events, that is to say, being at one with what happens. The story of a man whose comment is invariably a laconic ‘Maybe’ illustrates the wisdom of nonjudgment, and the story of the ring points to the fact of impermanence which, when recognized, leads to nonattachment. Nonresistance, nonjudgment, and nonattachment are the three aspects of true freedom and enlightened living."

Link

The Perils of Climate and Capitalism

We have come a long way from the subsistence fishing of our forebears and many of the values and social norms that served us well have changed. We are facing different challenges now- environmental threats due to global warming and sea level rise, an illegal drug epidemic, appalling living conditions in the capital Male', a highly polarised political atmosphere, religious extremism and intolerance are some of the major problems.

Our forefathers should be lauded for the manner they endured the rigors of harvesting the sea to thrive on a livelihood dependent on fishing. Fishing was the principal industry which was the mainstay of our national economy until the development of the tourism industry which started in the early 1970s. Thrift was the way of life for our forefathers. For them, living by the values of thrift meant that they earned more than what they spent. Our society's needs at that time were the basic necessities relevant to living a simple life.

Just like other capitalistic countries of the world that embraced consumerism through the process of industrialisation, eventually Maldives made consumerism as an integral part of its economy. The Maldives economy depends heavily on foreign imports and the major portion of the country’s revenue is derived from: import duties, tourism tax, dividends from state-owned enterprises and land lease rent. All of these revenue sources are influenced the development of tourism. Tourism is the main driver of our economy today.

As is the case with other capitalist consumer based economies of the world, Maldives too has become a consumer obsessed society following an unsustainable economic model. The more our society consumes, the better for our economy. Globalization has also made it possible for goods and services previously out of reach in developing countries to be much more readily available. Items that at one point in time were considered luxuries—from cars, air conditioning, televisions to cell phones,—are now viewed by many people as necessities. Some of them have have become fashion accessories and status symbols. Scientists have now warned the global community that our environment faces catastrophic consequences due to our excessive consumption leading to global warming and sea level rise. Our planet is in peril and radical changes in our industrial development and in our social behaviour of consumption habits are necessary to create sustainable economic growth.

The Maldivian government has declared its intention to make the country carbon-neutral within a decade. British climate change experts Chris Goodall and Mark Lynas are working to develop a package of measures that aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuel in Maldives by 2020.

The plan includes a new renewable electricity generation and transmission infrastructure with 155 large wind turbines, half a square kilometre of rooftop solar panels, and a biomass plant burning coconut husks. Battery banks would provide back-up storage for when neither wind nor solar energy is available.

The cost for the package of low-carbon measures is estimated to be about $110m a year for 10 years. The scheme should pay for itself quite quickly, because the Maldives will no longer need to import oil products for electricity generation, transport and other functions. If the oil price were to rise to $100 per barrel, the payback period would be as short as 11 years. At current prices, it would take roughly twice as long to break even. (Link)

Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas produced when fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) are burnt. Presently almost all aspects of our lifestyles from transport, power generators to household appliances rely on oil and that creates the the greenhouse gases detrimental to our environment.

In the past people lived within their means, accumulating individual savings, planning for education and a better future. Now it has become a feature of the capitalist economies to make consumer credit available to to buy houses, to start small and medium businesses or to take student loans. Maldives is following this path of economic development. The ability to borrow money can help to improve the livelihood of people by providing them access to financial resources which they do not possess. But as economists like to point out that consumer credit is a double-edged blade: It can lead to greater opportunity and freedom, but, if promoted deceptively and used recklessly, it can lead to disaster, as has so painfully been revealed by the American subprime loan crisis. The unprecedented loan defaults of the subprime home mortgages, which caused the collapse of the US housing market at the epicentre of the recent financial crisis triggered the current global recession. Click here for a multimedia guide that illustrates cause, and implications of the current financial crisis.

While financial advisers in advanced economies still emphasize the timeless principles of thrift, planning, and living within one's means, they also say the use of productive credit, or credit used to enhance one's financial future, as wholly acceptable. In their view, productive credit included debt incurred in purchasing a home or even such goods as sewing machines, or furniture. In contrast, the use of consumptive credit, or credit which satisfied an immediate need or wish that had little to no future value, is unacceptable.

This is turning out to be only a feel-good theory. By the time American students leave college, many of them often come out with twenty or thirty thousand dollars in debt even before they start a career.

The capitalist world's consumer conformism mentality creates artificial needs promoted by a multi-million dollar advertising media who work for powerful corporations only interested in making more profits. Every individual is made to become a perpetual consumer who is hungry for more.

While the International Monetary Fund (IMF) often quotes the principle of privatising state owned companies as a standard prescription to developing countries who need their assistance, developed countries have now shown us that the state has to intervene to save the private companies, many of them too-big-to-fail. Recent financial crisis in US and Britain has revealed that a number of their top banks and corporations cannot stay afloat due to the shortage of 'liquid cash' and the only way to save these too big-to-fail corporations is to nationalise them. These corporations and banks demand that the state should bail them out. The state is being forced to bail these enterprises out on condition that they shall sell the bulk of their shares to the state. This means that these capitalist states are being forced to move in the direction of central planning and management of the economy of the socialist model.

This course of action is just the opposite of what the IMF prescribes to the developing countries.

Amartya Sen who has won the Nobel Prize for Economics has written some thoughts on the limitations of the market based capitalism in an essay in the New York Review of Books.

He wrote: "Historically, capitalism did not emerge until new systems of law and economic practice protected property rights and made an economy based on ownership workable. Commercial exchange could not effectively take place until business morality made contractual behavior sustainable and inexpensive—not requiring constant suing of defaulting contractors, for example. Investment in productive businesses could not flourish until the higher rewards from corruption had been moderated. Profit-oriented capitalism has always drawn on support from other institutional values.

The moral and legal obligations and responsibilities associated with transactions have in recent years become much harder to trace, thanks to the rapid development of secondary markets involving derivatives and other financial instruments. A subprime lender who misleads a borrower into taking unwise risks can now pass off the financial assets to third parties—who are remote from the original transaction. Accountability has been badly undermined, and the need for supervision and regulation has become much stronger.

And yet the supervisory role of government in the United States in particular has been, over the same period, sharply curtailed, fed by an increasing belief in the self-regulatory nature of the market economy. Precisely as the need for state surveillance grew, the needed supervision shrank. There was, as a result, a disaster waiting to happen, which did eventually happen last year, and this has certainly contributed a great deal to the financial crisis that is plaguing the world today. The insufficient regulation of financial activities has implications not only for illegitimate practices, but also for a tendency toward over speculation that, as Adam Smith argued, tends to grip many human beings in their breathless search for profits."

While capitalism has swept aside other economic systems like the feudalism, socialism and communism and has enormous potential for positive change, it has not solved problems of inequality and poverty. Infact, while capitalism continues to provide opportunities for creating more wealth, the gap between the rich and the poor is also widening.

Social entrepreneurship is an emerging business trend, where the creative vision of the entrepreneur is applied to today’s most serious problems: feeding the poor, housing the homeless, healing the sick, and protecting the planet. This is the world of social business.

Creating a World Without Poverty tells the stories of some of the earliest examples of social businesses, including Mohammad Yunus’s own Grameen Bank. It reveals the next phase in a hopeful economic and social revolution that is already under way—and is the worldwide effort to eliminate poverty by unleashing the productive energy of every human being.

Among the several challenges we face in Maldives; playing our part to avoid further destruction to the environment has now become the imminent priority on the world stage.

The furore over disclosing uderage pregnancy tests

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) is investigating into reports of underage concubines in Maldives. Using confidential information obtained from the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), the HRCM has revealed that 85 girls under 18 years of age took pregnancy tests at the IGMH between January and September this year.

How these pregnancy tests are linked to the alleged concubines has not been made clear by the HRCM.

Now the IGMH is hitting back in order to show that they have not violated the strict medical code of ethics- i.e.,the releasing of patient confidential information without the consent of the patient.

IGMH has said that in matters of national importance the hospital would provide information to the relevant authorities, as it has done by informing HRCM of the underage pregnancy tests.

The IGMH has, however, not clarified about what was the specific national importance to these underage pregnancy tests.

Clouding any real issues that may be behind the underage pregnancy tests, the HRCM and the IGMH have engaged in a squabble of who is right and wrong, the sort of chaotic process that is typically used by our esteemed organisations in order to resolve complex social and health problems considered to be of national interest.

Link.

Maldives holds underwater cabinet meeting

The government of the Maldives has held its first underwater cabinet meeting to attract international attention to the dangers of global warming.

President Mohamed Nasheed, dressed in full scuba gear (above photo by AFP), conducted the 30-minute meeting at a depth of 20 feet off the coast just north of the capital Male.

Most of the island nation, a tourist paradise featuring coral reefs and white sand beaches, lies less just over three feet above sea level and scientists have warned it could be uninhabitable in less than 100 years. (Link Telegraph)

This marks an important step in the quest for survival against a predicted sea level rise due the effect of global warming.

Bloggers To Give Full Disclosure

As a marketing and business tool, blogging has finally come of age. Blogs have also matured as a communications tool within business companies, from C.E.O. on down.

On Monday, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which is the independent agency of the United States government that promotes "consumer protection" and prevents "anti-competitive" business practices, said it would revise rules about endorsements and testimonials in advertising. The new regulations are aimed at the rapidly shifting new-media world and how advertisers are using bloggers and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to pitch their wares. The FTC said that beginning Dec. 1, bloggers who review products must disclose any connection with advertisers, including, in most cases, the receipt of free products and whether or not they were paid by advertisers, as occurs frequently. (Link)

For bloggers who review products, this means that the days of an unimpeded flow of giveaways may be over. More broadly, the move suggests that the US government is intent on bringing to bear on the Internet the same sorts of regulations that have governed other forms of media, like television or print.

Many of the new products and services are provided by the rapidly growing sector of the information technology and communications technology. Those who use the new electronics technologies especially computers and video technology have seen the most profound changes.

As blogs have gained in popularity, demand is also growing for employees who can write them or have the technical expertise to support them.

Is it time to pass legislation for children to look after aged parents?

Until recently, elderly people in Maldives enjoyed considerable status, respect, care, and support from their families and the community. But due to migration, changes in values and life styles, and the breakdown of the traditional family system, it is now reported that more elderly people are turning to the state for assistance and care.

Maldives is a 100 per cent Muslim country. In Islam children are obliged to take care and be kind to their parents.

What would be the reasons why some children forsake their parents?

Is it because of a financial burden, lack of filial piety or a complete disregard of children's responsibility to parents?

Our government has the responsibility to find non-legal ways to help people who need assistance to take care of their aged parents. Since we are seeing a growing neglect of the elderly, is it also time to enact legislation mandating care for the elderly with punitive measures for those who fail to do so?

Korean drama's country romance- The Vineyard Man

Obama praises Gandhi's nonviolent social action

As the world celebrates International Day of non-violence, US President Barack Obama on Thursday said America has its "roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi."

"His teachings and ideals, shared with Martin Luther King Jr. on his 1959 pilgrimage to India, transformed American society through our civil rights movement," Obama said on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Americans owe enormous gratitude to Gandhi, he said.

"The America of today has its roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi and the nonviolent social action movement for Indian independence which he led," Obama said in a statement.

On behalf of the American people, Obama said he wants to express appreciation for the life and lessons of Mahatma Gandhi on the anniversary of his birth. "This is an important moment to reflect on his message of non-violence, which continues to inspire people and political movements across the globe," he said.

"We join the people of India in celebrating this great soul who lived a life dedicated to the cause of advancing justice, showing tolerance to all, and creating change through non-violent resistance," Obama said.

As the world remembers the Mahatma on his birthday, Obama said: "We must renew our commitment to live his ideals and to celebrate the dignity of all human beings.

Last month Obama had said that if given a chance he would love to have dinner with Mahatma Gandhi.

Obama expressed his desire in response to a question from a student Lilly during his discussion with 9th graders at Wakefield High School in Arlington Virginia where he, accompanied with the Education Secretary, gave a national speech welcoming students back to school.

Link: The Times of India

Video Ads hit Print Media

The American magazine 'Entertainment Weekly' has brought the first video advert in the print media. Much like the singing greeting cards, when you turn the page the advert gets loaded and played on a small screen. The internet has been delivering video-embedded-in-text technology for some time. Now Pesi Cola and CBS are taking it to a new level in the print media.

An assault on the free market- The Shock Doctrine

The Shock Doctrine

Build Trust and Increase Tolerance

This year Maldives has marked the International Day of Democracy, a day observed on the 15th of September each year. The UN member countries are expected to commemorate the International Day of Democracy to increase awareness, to respect and promote the values of democracy and human rights.

In his message on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, Coeur-Bizot, the United Nations resident coordinator said, “Public confidence and trust in the new government and the democratic institutions need to be strengthened through reinforcing strong mechanisms for transparency and accountability.” He also called to strengthen the civil society as well as the free media- an important institution in a free society that has the task to scrutinise and debate public policy reflecting the views of the people. He went on to point out that both the UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion or Beliefs and on the Freedom of Expression and Opinion have noted the absence of the freedom of religion in the Maldives.

In a statement from the government marking the day, vice president Mohamed Waheed said, “First of all, it is very important that political philosophies of parties become clear,” he said. “Today what we are seeing from most parties is that they are formed around their leaders.” He also said different philosophies of political parties should be known to the public for it to be debated and built upon.

The declared ideology that all political parties hold in Maldives is that Maldives must remain an Islamic state and that all Maldivians must be Muslims as required by the constitution. Maldives is on the path of building a democracy with the separation of powers and independent institutions. Presently political parties do not engage the citizens in any meaningful dialogue regarding any political philosophy or the various issues facing the country. There is no bipartisan agreement among the lawmakers while crafting policies to tackle the nation's problems.

Although we are following the US model of the presidential system of governance, we do not follow the civil decorum that we see in the US Congress. On few occasions in our parliament chamber, members' heckling and unruly behaviour became so bad, the speaker had to call off the session. Our parliament needs to determine what is their acceptable decorum and make it a more productive institution.

We are a nascent democracy trying to find our foothold in a fast changing global world.

As Thomas Jefferson, a founding father and third United States president said, "Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories."

Therefore, the people of Maldives have to be empowered and kept informed, enabling them to keep a watchful eye on their government while trusting the elected leaders to do their job and deliver the results. An unbiased free media has an important role to play to achieve this objective.

A lot depends on the elected officials to create a more equitable system to distribute wealth even within the context of the capitalistic free market economy. Lot of work also needs to be done to move beyond the political apathy which is so widely prevalent in our society, build trust within the community and with the leaders and become a more tolerant society.

Salih Yucel's interview on Islam

Salih Yucel, lecturer at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology at Monash University in Australia has spoken to Minivan News. His talks deal with the theory and practice of Islamic law, the Sharia law on some important social matters.

Link to part 1

Link to part 2

Why Our Health Matters by Dr. Andrew Weil

Dr. Andrew Weil, the world's leading proponent of "Integrative Medicine" describes it as a healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.

In the clip below Dr Weil talks about his latest book "Why Our Health Matters."

We need to re-integrate ex-addicts into society

A halfway house of sort organised by some former addicts has been working for recovering drug addicts to help them on their path towards a drug-free life style. The community-based NGO program 'Journey' started in 2005 is being supported by UNICEF, their main funder.(Link)

'Journey' can play a useful role to complement the work of the government's Detox Centres (one opened in Vilimale' recently and others to follow in the islands) which will provide proper treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts. As the relapse rate for hardcore addicts is high, it requires a multifaceted approach to re-integrate the recovered addicts back into society and allow them to become productive citizens. The addicts who recover should not be stigmatised. They should be encouraged to take up meaningful work so that they can keep away from drug abuse, violence and crimes.

The government should introduce programs and incentives to provide former drug addicts life skills and training to enable them find employment. The government should also introduce policies to offer them employment in the public sector and convince the private sector to employ them as long long they live a drug-free life.

Heroin addiction has become an epidemic in Maldives affecting some 40 per cent of our youth. This is a very serious social problem for our future generation and our country. Rigorous action needs to be taken to control drug trafficking and tough enforcement action has to be taken against those who do to sell drugs and addict our young people.

To stop the plague of drugs, our government and civil society will have to rise up and meet this vicious challenge. Awareness programs should be run in schools, homes and work places.

In treating the addicts, medical and health professionals need to monitor individual cases to make sure that they don't get over the addiction to one drug by getting addicted to another in the process as has happened in some other countries. We need to keep in mind that anyone in our society can become a victim to this epidemic of drugs and a concerted effort has to be made to bring an end to this unfortunate tragedy. Our people should be able to live a life free of drugs and crime due to drugs.

Our parliament is efficient only to take recess.

The 1st session of the new parliament has ended, with lawmakers taking one month recess after three months of work from June to August, without passing a single bill out of the 51 bills put forward to the majlis. Link Haveeru.

As agents of the people, members of our parliament have an important obligation to hold the executive branch of the government accountable. If our democracy is to succeed with the separation of powers and improve the lives of our people, then our parliament has to respond to the challenges facing our nation. Parliament has the task to scrutinise, amend and facilitate the government's legislative agenda. None of this is being done by our parliament which is turning out to be a self-serving elite that is only interested in protecting powerful forces within the political parties. It appears that the peoples' representatives have forgotten to work for their constituents who elected them to protect the citizens' interests. Instead lawmakers have become very efficient to abide by their internal procedures and take leave, first from January to February, then the month of May and now September.

This is outrageous considering that the lawmakers gave themselves a 500 per cent increase in pay last year.

Protesting workers a distress to investments

According to Human Rights Commission, work stoppages caused by protesting workers has become a concern for foreign investors in Maldives.

The Maldivian worker now has the right to protest, in the form of work stoppages and strikes if negotiations with managements fail to bring an acceptable outcome through concessions and compromise. Both employers and employees are guided by contractual rights.

As Maldivian employers are learning, workers strikes cause lot of damage and financial losses. When a dispute arises, workers tend to show solidarity with other workers. Employers need to show some goodwill towards workers and demonstrate that they can be trusted to take care of the workers.

Maldivian government, the biggest employer in Maldives and private sector bosses will have to learn that any process of negotiated settlement with workers involves giving and taking on both sides. Political leaders, business leaders and labour leaders will have to recognize the damage and losses caused by industrial unrest. In a culture of negotiating, workers will have to learn how to seek consensus while pursuing their demands. No agreement is possible without compromise from both sides. Managing conflict and allowing for peaceful resolution of disputes is vital if companies and the country is to grow and prosper where both the employer and employees can benefit.

Painful reforms

After 30 years of a dictator's political madness, now it is time for the nation to bite the bullet.

President Nasheed has embarked on an ambitious reform programme. Decentralisation of political power centred in the capital of Male' to the provinces has begun. The president wants to trim the bloated civil service from 32,000 to 18,000 and in his words 'all state institutions had to cut costs and "swallow bitter medicine" to survive the economic slump.'

The executive, the legislative and the judiciary are now separate branches of power. Indepenedent institutions such as the Human Rights Commission and the Anti Corruption Commission will help to strengthen the new constitutional democracy.

As we begin a new journey after decades of tyranny, we realise that the process of these changes will be difficult and painful but we are finally on the path of genuine democratic reform, freedom and liberty.

The job of the independent judicial branch is to interpret the law and render judgement after hearing the merits of the arguments brought before the court. There is increasing public frustration that the rule of law is not seen to be upheld in these courts. There are allegations that the judges have not broken the old bond of loyalty to the previous government.

We are hoping that the current government will not go back to the pork barrel politics that was routinely practiced in the past. That means whether it is public projects or privatisation of state enterprises or passing of new laws, the government should undertake them on their own merits and benefit to society without just seeking political party objectives.

Legislation against antisocial behaviour

Maldives Attorney General Husnu Sood is introducing a bill to the parliament intended to penalise and prevent antisocial behaviour.

When such a bill is passed and enacted into law, it will give the necessary powers to the police and the courts to deal with antisocial behaviour targeted in the bill. Such an Act would become an important tool to combat increasing gang-related violence, theft and disorderly conduct that disrupts public peace and harmony.

The Nasheed government and his Attorney General should be lauded for taking this initiative to prevent antisocial behaviour for the first time in our history.

It is also worth noting that much of the serious crimes, violence and theft also has a direct link to drug trafficking and addiction to it mainly among the youth in Maldives. For thirty years, the previous government took a lax attitude against drug traffickers and failed to provide proper rehabilitation and treatment to addicts. The Nasheed government has to demonstrate that it has the political will to lock up the traffickers and petty peddlers to serve out their full sentence. In the past such convicted criminals managed to come back to the streets without serving out their full sentence either because the jails were full or for other reasons.

Even if our government can deal with the serious crimes of the gangster groups and the drug barons, that would be good a beginning towards a society that maintains social harmony. It was only recently that President Nasheed participated in an event organised by the Municipality in collaboration with the Maldives Defence Force to clean up the litter dumped by public littering in all the wards of Male'. Clearly, we still have a long way to go to become a civil society which has determined its acceptable social norms and standards. Parents and teachers of schools will have to play a vital role to instill such civic norms in our young children so that our society can become a better and safer place for everyone eventually.

Our country is at the crossroad to install democratic reforms from a prolonged totalitarian form of political governance. The benefits of such reform can only be realised if members of our society can coexist peaceably. This is a change even the rich and powerful will happily welcome.

Stars honour Mandela on 91st birthday

Hordes of stars including Hollywood heavyweight actors Forest Whitaker, Whoopi Goldberg, Morgan Freemon, Susan Sarandon and Matt Damon gathered at the Radio City Music Hall concert in New York late on Saturday to pay tribute to legendary anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela on his 91st birthday.

Among the mega celebrities who sang at the concert was the former model and French president's wife Carla Bruni, who is performing for the first time after marrying President Sarkozy in January 2008.

All proceeds from the major charity concert will go to Mandela's 46664 campaign, 46664 being Mandela's prison number during the 27 years he spent in the African jail.

This year's birthday marks the inaugural Mandela Day, initiated by his charitable Mandela foundation in honour of the much-loved icon.

Mr. Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and served only one term did not attend the celebration in New York due to his frail health. The Nobel Peace Laureate celebrated his 91st birthday at home in Johannesburg with a visit from President Jacob Zuma and the whole executive of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress.

Mr. Mandela has become a powerful global brand that symbolises forgiveness, inclusiveness and reconciliation. He still campaigns extensively for children and AIDS awareness and is seen as one of the world's most respected elder statesmen, despite having officially retired from public duty in 2004.

Listen to this New York Post where some stars have given their views about the popular leader.

Bringing focus on the dangers of unbridled capitalism

Pope Benedict XVI has brought focus on the "grave deviations and failures" of capitalism exposed by the financial crisis and issued a strong call this week for a "true world political authority" to oversee a return to ethics in the global economy. The Pope's call came just before the Summit in Italy of the G8 heads of Government, attended by 39 heads of government and international institutions. The Pope's concerns to find new "forms of Redistribution of Wealth" is likely to fuel debate on the failure of rich nations, notably Italy and France, to honour past aid commitments to poor nations.

The Pontiff's call was also to find a sustainable business development model in the broadest sense, and doing business with a social responsibility. It is capitalism in a globalised world where the market forces are regulated by a strong oversight authority. Enterprises are needed to seek a new way of understanding business that would respect the dignity of workers and foster the "common good by prioritising ethics and social responsibility over dividend returns" said the Pope.

The prevailing economic paradigm in most of the countries of the world including Maldives is capitalism.

Eight months after President Nasheed took office, our government is still pre-occupied with the old issues including investigating the corrupt practices of the Gayoom government that remained in power for thirty years. For the legislative agenda of the Nasheed government to become effective, the government needs to pass several bills to fulfil their election pledges, including the decentralisation of power to the provinces. These bills that are necessary to bring structural, social and economic reforms are getting hindered by the opposition party holding the majority in the parliament . They have placed their own party politics over the national interest and the future direction of the country.

Moving away from the crony capitalism of the previous government, the Nasheed government is embarking on initiatives to privatise state-controlled industries and empower the private sector to do business. But such private sector empowerment allowing for a more business-friendly environment and the government pulling out of doing business is not a panacea to root out corruption or solve all of our problems.

If we are to learn anything from the 2008/9 financial meltdown of the United States, the bastion of free market capitalism, we now know that unless adequate oversight regulations are enforced timely the same financial market that makes people rich can also ruin livelihoods with millions of people losing their jobs, bankrupt companies and even countries. The financial collapse that began in the Wall Street due to greed, reckless risk-taking, and dangerous speculation of investors, traders and bankers, quickly spread all across the globe bringing the worst recession since The Great Depression of the 1930s. The US federal oversight authorities failed to act for far too long until the economic roof fell on their head.

The Nasheed government needs to maintain strong oversight institutions in Maldives entrusted with the authority and responsibility to monitor our stock market with proper disclosure and good governance. Such oversight authorities should hold financial market players like the banks and financial brokers accountable, thus reducing the room for market manipulation. A well educated citizen who understands the financial markets is the best tool to avoid huge losses and financial havoc.

Maldives can only achieve the ideals of a strong democracy by building a strong economy that values innovation and provides opportunity to its citizens.

The present government needs to lay down a firm foundation of the institutional framework for good governance and create a system that provides a more equitable distribution of wealth. Unless the citizens reap the benefits from such reform process, it is likely that our country could slip back into crony capitalism and the "business as usual" system with another change of government. If that happens we will be back to the old system that promoted widespread corruption and allowed open borders for illegal drug traffickers who made tons of money while addicting and killing our youth.

Grim forecast with El Nino set to return

The dreaded news of warming patterns of the El Nino weather conditions comes in the midst of the worst global recession since the Great Depression of the 1920s. The last severe El Nino was in 1998, when the Asian financial crisis was at its peak.

Reports say the 1998 El Nino killed over 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage to crops, infrastructure and mines in Australia and Asia.

According to a report from Australia's Bureau of Meteorology on Wednesday, an El Nino weather pattern this year appears almost certain, raising the prospect of drought in Australia and a weaker monsoon in India.

As per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), rainfall so far has been well below normal and the onset of monsoon in large rain-dependent agricultural states of central India has been delayed, forcing water levels to fall sharply and hampering irrigation in many parts. The monsoon rains are the lifeblood for farmers in India. Its faltering sugar crop is a prime reason why sugar prices are at their highest levels in three years.

El Nino is driven by an abnormal warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean. The severe drought caused by the deadly cycle of El Nino across the Asia-Pacific region will destroy crops and increase the price of commodities like wheat. Australia is one of the world's biggest wheat producers and has barely recovered from the worst drought in 100 years which hit a few years ago.

The mainstay of Maldivian economy is tourism. The beauty of tranquil Maldives includes the lagoons of crystal clear water surrounding the islands with coral reefs and brightly colored schools of fish. The El Nino of 1998 wreaked havoc on the hard corals of Maldives due to the extensive bleaching. However, these reefs have subsequently recovered showing their resilience to bring back the spectacular colours of marine growth and the bright-coloured fish.

For the global economy still in recession, the El Nino of 2009 could not have come at a worse time.

IMF projects weak ecocomic recovery

Releasing an update of its April World Economic Outlook on Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund has projected a slightly improved economic forecast for the global economy, thanks to the macroeconomic and financial policies said the IMF.

According to the IMF's latest forecast, the world's economic growth during the 2009–2010 period is now projected to be 0.5 percentage points higher than that projected in the April 2009 World Economic Outlook, reaching 2.5 percent in 2010. Although the global economy is beginning to pull out of the worst recession of the post war period, the IMF also warns that the recovery will be uneven and sluggish.

Link to the IMF article.

A Historical Lesson on how Nasir Stopped Corruption

An article on Haveeru Online details how former president Ibrahim Nasir(2 September 1926 to 22 November 2008) put an end to the corrupt influences of the vora traders, first intitiated by the republic's first president Mohamed Amin Didi(20 July 1910 to 19 January 1954).

What an irony it is that for a country with a 100 per cent Muslim population, within the 30 years of the Egypt's Azhar scholars regime led by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, our government has become mired in massive corruption and faces difficult social problems such as increasing crimes, poor healthcare and education and cramped living conditions. Drug addiction, a health problem is rampant and affects nearly every family in Maldives. Such addiction which is a direct result of the Gayoom government's failure to stop drug trafficking, is deemed only as a crime by the same government who failed to provide proper treatment and rehabilitation for the addicts. They promoted Maldives as the idyllic paradise with "a sunny side of life" to woo wealthy foreign tourists who make the rich even richer, thus creating an ever increasing income gap between the rich and poor while the country continues to make further economic progress.

Maldives has followed the megalomaniacal path of leaders like Iraq's Saddam Hussein whose mad quest for self glorification has brought disastrous consequences for his country and its people.

End of the Era of Pop's Great Icons- Michael Jackson

Stage is set for political confrontation

Provincial results of the 77 parliamentary seats contested in this year's elections show the following results.

MDP 26, DRP 28, IND 13, PA 7, DQP 2, REP 1, TOTAL 77.

No single party has secured the majority in the new parliament i.e,39 seats. It appears DRP and PA coalition with 35 seats together with independents who could be lobbied to their side could form the majority voting bloc.

This is a huge setback for the MDP and it will make it very difficult to pass their legislative agenda. In order to fulfil the pledges in their election manifesto, MDP needs to pass 65 bills on transport, taxation, public utilities, housing, health insurance, privatisation, and reforming the drug laws, penal code and criminal justice system. We will have to wait and see the horse trading that will take place inside the parliament to pass any of these bills.

MDP who were confident of securing 50 seats must be wondering what went wrong.

Speculation is rife that MDP government's refusal to hold the leaders of the previous DRP government accountable for the numerous cases of wrong doings including the financial irregularities cited by the independent Auditor General has led the electorate to turn against the MDP as show by the election results. Whatever is the merit of this argument, parliament will be in gridlock over several legislative bills of the MDP because the opposition is out to prove that the current government has failed and is unable fulfil its promises.

President Nasheed has to now move beyond the hard-nosed campaign rhetoric and prove himself to be a national leader capable of lifting this country out of the rut that it has endured for the last 30 years.

Waging deceptive politics and misleading the public

One profession in Maldives has so far escaped the high standards and accountability that the present reform process has brought about. The politicians. Higher standards are expected in most other professions including civil servants and everyone from public company directors to doctors. Politicians have always acted with impunity in Maldives. The MDP while in opposition to the Gayoom government cited numerous cases of fraud, torture and alleged killings by the state. None of these cases have been taken up by the MDP government with a view to put the past behind us by going through the kind of restorative justice-a truth and reconciliation commission that they promised during the presidential campaign, where the perpetrators of crimes face their victims seeking a cathartic reconciliation.

We now have a multi-party political system and the separation of powers- the executive, the legislature and an independent judiciary. The bureaucracy of the government now comes under the independent Civil Service Commission. Other independent agencies prominently playing their roles are the Human Rights Commission and Auditor General.

The two major political parties that dominate the national politics are the Maldives Democratic Party, the MDP whose leader Mohamed Nasheed won the first multi-party presidential contest deposing the Divehi Rayyitunge Party, the DRP's zaeem Maumoon Abdul Gayoom whose remained in power for 30 years. Now the DRP is the main opposition party. Clearly the electorate has voted for change in leadership and a change in the direction of the country.

In the run up to the first multi-party contested parliamentary election to be held on 9th May 09, the two main political parties- MDP and DRP are engaged in endless bickering of the gripes of what's wrong with each party. The country has many pressing problems to deal with which includes a faltering economy and the growing illegal substance abuse and drug addiction among the youth of the country. The political parties have not engaged to find common ground and positive outcomes of these difficult problems that are faced by our small communities. Instead, political debates on the campaign trail from both the DRP and MDP have become opportunities for telling outrageous lies and ridiculing the opponents. In a free society that has freedom of speech guaranteed by the constitution, we cannot force politicians to tell the truth or face litigation for that is not practical.

It is up to the politicians to decide standards of honesty and ethics that will enable voters to elect capable politicians who will rise up above partisan politics to do what is good for the people and the country. Even with such high standards politicians can engage in vibrant political debate without resorting to the name calling and the gutter politics that has now become a source of amusement to the public.

Vitamin B9 treats allergy, asthma

Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for the health of red blood cells and known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms.

Johns Hopkins scientists, who conducted the first ever study examining the link between blood levels of folate, the naturally occurring form of folic acid and allergies, said results add to mounting evidence that folate can help regulate inflammation.

Recent studies, including research from Hopkins, have found a link between folate levels and inflammation-mediated diseases, including heart disease.

Cautioning that its far too soon to recommend folic acid supplements to prevent or treat people with asthma and allergies, researchers emphasise that more research needs to be done to confirm their results, and to establish safe doses and risks.

Reviewing the medical records of more than 8,000 people aged between two and 85 years, investigators tracked the effect of folate levels on respiratory and allergic symptoms and on levels of IgE antibodies, immune system markers that rise in response to an allergen.

People with higher blood levels of folate had fewer IgE antibodies, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and a lower likelihood of asthma, researchers report.

"Our findings are a clear indication that folic acid may indeed help regulate immune response to allergens, and may reduce allergy and asthma symptoms," said lead investigator Elizabeth Matsui.

"But we still need to figure out the exact mechanism behind it, and to do so we need studies that follow people receiving treatment with folic acid, before we even consider supplementation with folic acid to treat or prevent allergies and asthma."

The current recommendation for daily dietary intake of folic acid is 400 micrograms for healthy men and non-pregnant women. Many cereals and grain products are already fortified with folate. Folate is also found naturally in green, leafy vegetables, beans and nuts, said a Hopkins release.

The study appeared online in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

Source: The Times of India

The blame game of a Failing State

Following the murder of a youth recently, the acting home minister and police commissioner gave a press conference explaining the reasons for the uncontrolled street violence and escalating crimes. It was revealed that a contributing factor for the epidemic of violence was the release of more than 500 prisoners by the previous government. If they were dangerous criminals sentenced to be locked up, then why did the previous government release them free? Should those responsible in the previous government not be summoned to answer why they created this uncontrollable risk to the safety of society?

At what point in time will the current government have to take ownership of these problems that they inherited from the previous government? At some point, the present government has to stop passing the buck and deal with these problems. If the previous government has committed serious crimes, then the Nasheed government has to rise up to the task to expose them and bring those responsible to justice. Due process of the law has to be given to the alleged offenders.

In the prosecutor general's annual report, the state's prosecutor informs that he does not have the required staff and office space to do his his job. Most of the cases that the police have sent for prosecution remain unattended.

Presently this government is going through the decentralisation of public services in Male' to provinces and privatisation of public companies. Decentralisation and privatisation will bring greater benefit to society. It will ease some pressures on the capital Male' which is so over crowded that it is about to burst at the seams. This situation did not come about only because of the centralised method of control. The main reason is that we allowed an incompetent and uncaring government to go on for too long.

If officials holding responsibility in the provinces also are incompetent and uncaring, then we could up in a worse situation than where we are now. To reap the benefits of the decentralisation, responsible officials in the provinces need to be trained and motivated to serve for the good of the public. If we cannot do that, we certainly are on our way to become a failed state if we are not one already. Some of the former colonised countries like those in Africa prove the case that with bad and corrupt local leaders, the people have to suffer one tragedy after another. They may have escaped the injustices of their colonial masters but not the injustices of their own leaders.

How ironical is it that the country that has a "sunny side" as a peaceful paradise for rich foreign tourists is unable provide peace to its own citizens by locking up convicted criminals. Rubbing salt to the raw wound, the DRP government that caused these problems by releasing convicted prisoners is now protesting to protect the police- this time playing the politics of the opposition. The MDP government has so far refused to make the call on those who committed atrocities and still continue to wreak havoc on society.

Unfortunately for Maldivians, it is the government that has been the major cause of our biggest problems- from gangsters and violence to trafficking illegal drugs which has addicted a third of our youth.

Political Parties Promoting Hatred

The multi party political system came into being in Maldives as a means to find a way to remove a president who was serving his 6th consecutive term of 5 years. Historically it has been very hard for Maldivian leaders to relinquish power.

Politics in Maldives has not been driven by any ideology or political philosophy of thinking (such as liberalism or conservatism in the US- the model that we are following), or even on the basis of Islam. All political parties have used Islam for political convenience. All parties insist that Maldives must remain a 100 per cent Muslim nation, with no real desire to deliver social justice that is strongly emphasised in Islam.


For more than 30 years we had no coherent policy on economic development, building infrastructure and housing, providing health care and quality education, or even maintaining social and religious harmony. It was political expediency at best. Just like the dictatorships in the middle east, our government vigorously pursued the extravagant trappings of power while neglecting the poor.


Now our nation is preparing to elect the members of parliament under the new presidential system. It took an MDP coalition to bring down the DRP government. Before the month was up for the MDP led government, Gasim Ibrahim, the wealthy businessman and philanthropist broke ranks with MDP. Although Maldivians have begun to see how fickle-minded these politicians are, they have not fully realised the horse trading that political parties indulge to buy over elected members to increase their chances to govern the nation.


Regardless of which party they represent, most Maldivians do not trust their elected officials because of the past experience. Politicians who needed their vote would appear on their doorstep once in 5 years. The promises they make are routinely broken and the electorate has turned cynical.

Few political parties except the MDP and DRP have developed into national party systems capable of organising candidates for elections or mobilise support to sway public support for party policies.

When the DRP was in power, they challenged their opponents not against the merit of how they wanted to improve what was wrong but by unleashing vicious personal attacks. It appeared as though no one had any reputation to protect. Now the DRP is in opposition. Its main role has to be to question the government and hold them accountable to the public. DRP should be able to offer better alternatives to the MDP led government's decentralisation- the main policy of this government. Where there is wide public support for a government's policy, it is in the public interest for the opposition to support such policy. The MDP and DRP and other political parties will have to learn how work together for the public good.

Even in this adversarial system, the public wants these politicians to work for their good. The personal attacks and vitriol need not be part of that process.

"Zero Tolerance" against illegal drugs

During the campaign for the presidential election, candidate Nasheed now president has said that some of the people will not be in all of their senses all the time. His view is that some of the people will take some kind of drug seeking the high once a day or once a week. He believes that 'zero tolerance' of drugs does not work and it is better to control the hard drugs and determine which soft drugs can be allowed under the law. The conservative party of the United Kingdom, who advises Nasheed takes a lenient view of soft drug offences in the UK.

For thirty years we were governed by the Gayoom government and some of their most powerful people had no conscience. These people were sociopaths driven also by their narcissistic feelings- the deadly combination of traits that was found on people who committed history's most horrendous crimes against humanity. The Gayoom government did not allow fire arms into the country because such arms could have been used to bring down their government. This same government kept their eyes closed to the illegal drug trade. By not allocating the manpower and resources to stop the illegal drug trade, they allowed their henchman and officials to make tons of money while addicting our youth. The Nasheed government should not play this hypocritical game.

If president Nasheed feels that some soft drugs are OK, he should get the Islamic ministry to determine what soft drugs are allowed in Islam, even on medical grounds. The public should be informed very clearly on what is allowed, how it is allowed and what is not allowed.

If all intoxicants are prohibited in Islam, then president Nasheed needs to get his act together and exercise the political will to stop the illegal drug trade. The price of inaction is too great for our country and our future generations.

To forgive and to forget, but about the accountability?

When President Ibrahim Nasir resigned in 1978 for health reasons, he had modernized the isolated islands of Maldives and opened the country to the rest of the world. He started the tourism industry. He is the hero of our independence. Despite the fact that this was a smooth transfer of power, everything that could go wrong went wrong.

Nasir was demonised, caricatures were drawn and the national hero was disgraced and humiliated in a festival of parades shouting abuse on loud speakers. Nasir's ministers like Abdul Hannan Haleem and Moomina Haleem were abused when ever they stepped out of their home. Even their children were not spared the indignity of this barbaric behaviour. This was the biginning of the 30 years of the Gayoom presidency that included Azhar scholars in top positions of our government.

President Nasheed says that in order for us to progress and move forward, we must forgive and forget. These are noble objectives that we can agree to. But what about the case for accountability?

By the time the Gayoom presidency ended, one-third of our youth were addicted to illegal drugs.

Of of all the social problems that our country has, the abuse of illegal drugs by our youth is the most severe problem.

Drug addiction is an illness. The addiction affects the brain. Although initial drug use might be voluntary, once addiction develops, the brain changes interfere with an individual’s ability to make voluntary decisions, leading to compulsive drug craving, seeking and use.

The impact of addiction can be far reaching. Among the deadly diseases, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and lung disease can all be affected by drug abuse. Some of these effects occur when drugs are used at high doses or after prolonged use, however, some may occur after just one use. Heroin, one of the most highly addictive and destructive drugs in the world is the most frequently abused drug in the Maldives, and there are increasing reports of injection drug use.

Maldivian government has criminalised this addiction and the drug addicts are locked up without giving them the necessary treatment. This addiction needs to be addressed as a health issue. Urgent action is needed to provide rehabilitation to the addicts. The Maldivian government has failed to prosecute those who violate the drug laws of the country. According to a report in Haveeru yesterday, a court in Male' ordered to release six individuals who were involved in trafficking drugs because the State has not prosecuted them while they were locked up for six months. This kind of lax attitude will never stop the import of drugs into our country.

This painful addiction would never have reached this stage, if our government had the wherewithal to take serious action to stop the trafficking. It is time for the Maldivian Government to wake up to the reality and help to save our youth.

Islamic Finance: a safer bet?

The global economic crisis has handed the proponents of Islamic finance a “golden opportunity” to show that it is a better alternative to Western-style capitalism. That, at least, was what Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told participants at an Islamic economic conference in Kuala Lumpur last month.

Islamic finance, argued Datuk Seri Najib, could become a model for change because it prohibits many of the risky activities that triggered the current crisis. He may have a point.(link)

Maldivian government has been in talks with the biggest Islamic Bank in Bahrain to set up an islamic bank in Maldives.

What happened to this project?

If this project goes through, Maldivians can obtain finance to build their homes without the fear of being thrown out of their homes when the unpaid compounded interest runs higher than the principal loan taken. We need the Nasheed government and sharia scholars specialized in islamic banking to make islamic banking a reality in Maldives.

Capitalism is taking a battering in the West because of the greed of top level executives who have caused some of the biggest banks in America and Britain to go into insolvency, forcing the governments to step in and bail them out.

At a time when many of the industrialised countries are going through the worst recession since the Great Depression, it is worth looking at new perspectives for financing development of small countries like Maldives. Layoffs and unemployment are devastating for small communities like us with limited opportunity for alternative employment.