In a long-running Twitter spat, MPs from rival factions of the Maldivian Democratic Party loyal to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Speaker Mohamed Nasheed filed complaints against each other with the police.
On Thursday, MP Imthiyaz Fahmy filed a case against MPs Rozaina Adam and Hussain Shahmeem, alleging that their criticism concerning the high cost of military security provided to Nasheed – who narrowly survived an assassination attempt in May 2021 – could be part of a new plot to kill the former president.
On the following day, Rozaina asked for a police investigation into Imthiyaz’s “false allegation without any evidence”.
An order to shut down local streaming platform Baiskoafu was made by mistake, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission told the press.
A letter sent to Baiskoafu was phrased incorrectly for the streaming service provider to cease all services, an MBC official explained, attributing it to an administrative error. A revised letter would be sent instructing the company to stop rebroadcasting the content of some TV channels as that requires a license from the regulator, the official said.
The new waste management law will be amended to exempt bundles above 50 bags from the MVR2 (US$0.1) plastic bag fee, the environment ministry assured, after a public outcry over the dramatic increase in the price of plastic bag bundles, which are most commonly purchased to use for packing household trash.
“‘Bin liners’ sold or supplied free of charge specifically for the purpose of waste disposal, by either a person who provides waste management services or another relevant authority” were exempted when the plastic bag fee came into force on Tuesday, according to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).
But the government’s Waste Management Corporation has yet to offer garbage bags for sale. WAMCO is still reportedly in the process of seeking a supplier.
As the fee is charged at the rate of MVR2 per bag regardless of whether it is sold separately or together in bundles, the price of bundles went up overnight from MVR25 to MVR220 for small bags, MVR35 to MVR228 for medium-seized bags, MVR48 to MVR235 for large bags, MVR115 to MVR285 for extra large bags, and MVR220 to MVR365 for xxl bags. (An 8% goods and service tax is also charged from the plastic bag bundle).
Businesses – who are required to include the fee collection in their GST returns and pay it to MIRA – complained of losses from having to buy plastic bag bundles at much higher prices.
According to the environment ministry, the original draft of the waste management legislation included an exemption for plastic bag bundles above 50 bags. But the provision had been removed before the bill was passed by parliament. An amendment was proposed last month to restore the exemption, the ministry said.
But the revision is unlikely to pass in the near future as parliament is due to break for a 15-day recess next week, MP Ahmed Usham pointed out, criticising the government for waiting four months after the law was ratified. The bill was submitted on 27 March and preliminary debate is yet to begin.
The law currently exempts plastic bags sold or provided free of charge by duty-free shops as well as “plastic bags used to carry unpackaged deep sea fish, reef fish, bait fish or fish used as bait, sea food and parts of such fish.” Plastic bags used by the manufacturer of goods for packaging are not subject to the fee either. But shops that sell unpacked rice, flour or sugar must charge the fee if it is provided in a plastic bag.
The Maldivian Democratic Party’s parliamentary group decided to remove four MPs in Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s faction as committee chairs. MPs Hassan Latheef, Ilyas Labeeb, Imthiyaz Fahmy and Yasir Abdul Latheef – who respectively chair committees overseeing general affairs, state-owned enterprises, judiciary, and parliamentary privileges – were accused of obstructing and working against the MDP-led coalition government. The party’s ethics committee was also asked to take disciplinary action against the lawmakers over alleged violations of parliamentary group rules.
With the exception of 12 MPs, the rest of the ruling party’s 68-member parliamentary group are reportedly loyal to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The ‘Fikurrege Dhirun’ faction led by Nasheed has been functioning as a de facto opposition group.
In March, MPs in the former president’s faction held their first meeting as a separate parliamentary group, prompting Majority Leader Mohamed Aslam to denounce the move as contrary to the MDP’s statutes and parliamentary rules. “You can’t form a separate parliamentary group while you are in the party,” he told Dhauru.
During Monday’s sitting of parliament, opposition MP Adam Shareef Umar thanked Nasheed’s faction for helping the Progressive Party of Maldives’ campaign for Saturday’s by-election in the Guraidhoo constituency. But PPM MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef disputed the claim. “PPM has so far never worked with an MDP faction to win an election,” the Faresmaathoda MP said.
Adam Shareef did not elaborate on the help provided by Nasheed’s faction. Lawmakers and other politicians loyal to Nasheed were not seen during the campaign door-to-door or other activities.
But ahead of the polls, MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail condemned alleged efforts by Nasheed’s faction to ensure defeat for MDP in the by-election. Calls were made to party members in the Guraidhoo constituency to urge them not to vote for the MDP candidate, he said in a party WhatsApp group.
It emerged last week that a public referendum on switching to a parliamentary system is a key condition for Nasheed’s backing of Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim in September’s presidential election. Negotiations have been taking place between the JP and Nasheed’s faction over the past few weeks. Despite losing the MDP’s primary in January to President Solih, Nasheed refused to endorse the incumbent, alleging widespread fraud and the disenfranchisement of 39,000 members.
Malé City council member Adam Rameez resigned from the Progressive Party of Maldives after facing an inquiry by the main opposition party’s ethics committee.
A complaint was filed against the Central Henveiru councillor by jailed former president Abdulla Yameen for “obstructing or undermining” his candidacy, PPM MP Ahmed Shiyam told the press.
According to media reports, Rameez was accused of campaigning to award the PPM ticket to Malé Mayor Dr Mohamed Muizzu – who denied any efforts on his behalf – if the former president is unable to contest September’s election. Despite his 11-year imprisonment on bribery and money laundering charges, the opposition coalition is adamant that Yameen remains its presidential candidate, holding out hope that his conviction would be overturned on appeal.
The council member’s resignation followed reports of divisions within the PPM leadership over the course of action if Yameen remains barred from running. Some favour fielding an alternative candidate whilst others are pushing for endorsing Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim. But Yameen is reportedly unwilling to relinquish the ticket.
Equipment procured under a US$5 million Japanese grant aid was handed over to the Maldives Customs Service. “It is expected to strengthen the capacity to bolster operational readiness and strengthen border control for public safety and protection,” according to the Japanese embassy in Malé.
Witnesses who refuse to testify in criminal trials could be imprisoned, placed under house arrest for up to three months or fined up to MVR10,000 (US$648), according to new rules enacted by the Supreme Court.
Judges were authorised to compel testimony under the new evidence law that came into force this year. The Supreme Court was tasked with drafting regulations under the law. According to the new rules, if a witness refuses to testify, judges could order imprisonment or house arrest or impose a fine immediately. Persons who refuse to appear at court could also be brought under arrest. In exceptions, witnesses could refuse to incriminate a defendant on the grounds of family relations.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed asked the police to “find out the truth” behind the Hassan Kurusee Twitter account. The public perception that it is operated by him was causing confusion and untold damages, Nasheed wrote in a letter to the police chief.
Named after a fictional character in short stories written by Nasheed in the 1990s, the blue check account has more than 7,000 followers. It promotes the speaker’s faction of the divided ruling party, leaks documents alleging government corruption and routinely attacks President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration. Lawmakers and officials in Solih’s faction have accused Nasheed and his close confidants of using the anonymous account to target and harass opponents.
The person behind the account gave an interview to Dhuvas on Wednesday.
Home Minister Sheikh Imran Abdulla accused local telecommunications companies Dhiraagu and Ooredoo of failing to properly share information about phone numbers used by Maafushi prison inmates for scam calls.
In a written response to a query from a lawmaker, the home minister said an antenna was set up at the jail this year to trace phone calls made by inmates using contraband phones. But the information is stored at the network operators’ servers and the police have complained that complete information about call recordings is not shared, he told parliament. Other concerns include delays in cancelling numbers upon request and the registration of multiple SIM cards under the name of one individual, he added, calling for harsher rules for taking action against noncompliance by the service providers.
Both telcos denied not cooperating with law enforcement or the Communications Authority.
As part of efforts to combat scams, the authorities have blocked 431 numbers, blacklisted 365 IMEIs, and blocked 10 IP addresses and 12 websites so far this year, the home minister said.
The Communications Authority of Maldives is in the process of introducing new rules that would limit the number of SIM cards registered to one identity.
Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Malé, the Health Protection Agency reported 28 new hospital admissions between 9 to 15 April, up from 17 new hospital admissions in the previous week.
A total of 148 cases were detected nationwide over the period, of which 100 cases were from the Greater Malé region.
The increasing number of severe cases come after hospitalisations remained in single digits since early November.
The patients in hospital last week include a two-month-old baby and a one-year-old infant.
As cases of flu have also been rising, the HPA advised precautionary measures to protect the elderly and immunocompromised. The authorities fear infections could increase exponentially during the upcoming Eid holidays and school mid-term break.
The Housing Development Corporation spent MVR1.2 million (US$77,821) on rebranding as Urbanco, the state-owned company revealed in response to a right to information request.
The expenses included MVR300,000 on an event held to unveil the new brand. Urbanco expects to spend a further MVR487,000 on “brand implementation,” including advertisements and changing the branding on company vehicles.
The family court registered 245 marriages and 115 divorces in March.
The national carrier Maldivian was forced to hike ticket prices after the government stopped subsiding domestic flights, Mohamed Mihad, managing director of the state-owned Island Aviation Services, told parliament.
The government provided an MVR35 million (US$2.2 million) subsidy in 2019 to reduce domestic airfare by MVR300 on average. But IAS has not received government subsidies since then, he noted. Despite the subsidy, the company faced a loss of MVR126 million in 2019 and operating costs have risen significantly in the interim.
The price of jet fuel was up from MVR12 per litre before the pandemic to MVR18 per litre at present (down from MVR22 per litre for most of 2022). Since fuel accounts for 42% of a flight’s cost, Maldivian needed to raise the fuel surcharge on two occasions. Maintenance of aircraft also adds to costs, Mihad noted.
With five new domestic airports opened over the past four years, Maldivian also has to often operate near-empty flights as private airlines do not fly to those destinations, he said.
A new coastguard ship gifted by India to replace the Huravee arrived in Malé. The largest vessel in the coastguard fleet, Huravee was gifted by India in April 2006 and refitted and repaired every two years since then with Indian assistance.
The new ship will be formally handed over in May and a training programme is underway to familiarise sailors with equipment, machinery and operating procedures, according to the Maldives National Defence Force. Huravee will be decommissioned after the new ship, which is larger and better equipped, begins operations.
Adhuham Mohamed, who was found guilty over the murder of a taxi driver during an attempted robbery in December 2019, was sentenced to death. The criminal court handed down the death sentence after asking the victim’s heirs if they wished to seek the death penalty or blood money under Islamic shariah. All five children of the victim chose retaliation in kind.
The Maldives has a de facto moratorium on capital punishment and convicts sentenced to death are instead imprisoned for life.
The victim, Qasim Hassan, 59, was found lying in a pool of blood near Hulhumalé’s Central Park. The murder weapon was found in roadside bushes and police retrieved fingerprint and DNA evidence from the crime scene.
Adhuham, who was 21 at the time, was arrested a day later. He confessed to police investigators and a criminal court judge at his remand hearing. But he later retracted the confession, claimed to have been under the influence of drugs when he stabbed the victim and denied any intent to kill. But the judge ruled that aiming a knife at a person’s neck proves intent and noted that Adhuham had fled the scene as Qasim cried out for help.
Ibrahim Shaaz, the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party candidate, won the by-election for the vacant Guraidhoo constituency’s parliament seat.
Shaaz won with 49.95% (1,346 votes) as the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives candidate Hussain Riza trailed with 45.51% (1,226 votes). Ali Areef, the Maldives National Party’s candidate, came a distant third with 4.53% (122 votes). The turnout was 80.48% of the 3,423 eligible voters from the three islands that make up the constituency (Guraidhoo, Gulhi and Maafushi). A polling station was also set up in Malé for Guraidhoo constituents who reside in the capital.
The by-election was held after Guraidhoo MP Ibrahim Riza, who represented the constituency for nearly three terms, passed away on 23 February after battling cancer. The PPM fielded the late lawmaker’s brother to retain his seat.
The opposition coalition blamed the loss on alleged vote buying and undue government influence. Several new development projects had been launched in the constituency ahead of the polls, including land reclamation in Gulhi and the awarding of plots from reclaimed land in Maafushi. The PPM also cried foul after the Elections Commission extended voting time by one hour, citing difficulties caused by bad weather. The decision was made without consulting the party, the PPM complained, alleging that it had been done to allow the MDP to take more voters to polling stations. However, only 83 more votes were cast during the extra hour, fewer than the 120-vote margin of victory.
PPM candidate Hussain Riza conceded defeat after the provisional results were announced and posted a photo with his opponent.
It was the first time that the MDP won the Guraidhoo constituency or a seat in Kaafu Atoll since the first multi-party parliamentary elections in 2009.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih hailed the historic victory as proof of public support for his administration and MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail called it a “resounding endorsement” of the government. Supporters took the positive result from an opposition stronghold as a hopeful sign for Solih’s chances of securing re-election in September’s presidential election.
