Maldives vice president Mohamed Waheed Hassan Maniku has said the new working hours, 8am to 4pm introduced recently will bring a lifestyle change.
This is not the first time our government has changed the working hours. President Ibrahim Nasir changed it, president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom changed it and now president Mohamed Nasheed has changed the working hours. When Nasir left the presidency, we had a disciplined workforce who made it possible to fly the Maldivian flag on Maldivian ships that plied all around the world. When Gayoom was ousted from power after 30 years in office in the first multi-party elections, we have become a highly self-centred society with a third of our youth addicted to illegal drugs. Now it is Nasheed's turn to change our lifestyle and let history judge his stewardship.
The VP has urged bosses of government offices to keep a fridge and micro oven inside the office. Assume this is to prepare a hot snack or meal. Male' is less than 1 square mile and no one has any difficulty reaching home at any point in Male'. We need to bring more change than this to change our lifestyle. Though we have 40 per cent of our population living below the 1 US dollar poverty line, our country is rich. Palatial buildings and luxury yachts are available for our politicians. Changing the mindset of politicians is the first step of the change that is required.
President Nasheed who has suffered numerous imprisonment and torture himself for speaking and writing against the government has to now show how a government serves the people in the interest of the public. The Gayoom government never understood this concept. To them political power was the opportunity to spend the state's resources to live a lavish lifestyle and increase the personal wealth for themselves. As a result they neglected the poor and corruption has become a hallmark of our society.
Therefore, a change of lifestyle is definitely needed. The president and ministers must be held accountable for the power entrusted to them. We also need to find a way to rein in our members of the parliament. Nowadays parliamentary proceedings are turning out to be quite a spectacle for public amusement. When MPs are paid MRF 63,000 a month, it is not enough for members to yell at each other to settle old scores. It is not enough for Mohamed Shihab to abuse his position as the speaker. These highly paid MPs should devote their time to legislate and improve the lives of the people. Parliamentary privilege doesn't mean they should be allowed to abuse their authority.
President Nasheed and Vice President Waheed. Now it is your turn to change our lifestyle and set the mark of your presidency.
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2 comments:
good post.
The working hour change do affect the lifestyle. Those who work part time are very much affected and hence will undoubtedly have to change their working style.
Those who don't work 2 jobs also will be affected as they get less time to spend at home.
it wil b interesting to c how d individuals adjust to the new systems. but first its d ppl at d top who needs to change. to inspire there subordinates to work harder and more efficiently. given by wat happened in d parliament recently (d recess), it seems like thts far from being reality!
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