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The last ten days of Ramadan are very special days in the life of every Muslim

The last ten days of Ramadan are very special days in the life of every Muslim. According to Muslims, they are the most blessed days in the blessed month of Ramadan, the month the Holy Quran was revealed. Muslims believe that although the Prophet Muhammad was promised Paradise, he used to exert himself even more in worship during these last ten days, hoping to draw closer to Allah. The Prophet's wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet used to tighten his waist belt and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers." (Bukhari)

For Muslims, the last ten days should be a time to perfect one's fast and avoid anything that may break it. It is a time to give more charity and to settle disputes and forgive one another. It is also a time for soul searching, evaluating one's life, supplicating, and asking forgiveness. This should be done sincerely because if Allah accepts the supplications, the reward is the remission of one's sins.

The best time to do it is in the last part of the night. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said, "When the last one third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One, descends towards the lower heaven and proclaims: 'Is there anyone supplicating to Me so that I grant his supplication? Is there anyone begging of Me for anything so that I grant him his wish? Is there anyone who seeks My forgiveness so I forgive him?'" (Bukhari and Muslim)

During the last third of Ramadan, one should recite more Quran and remember Allah more often, even constantly.

The last ten days are also known for Itekaf (spiritual retreat). The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) used to perform Itekaf in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan, barely sleeping during that time. Itekaf requires a total devotion to Allah; it is a sort of vacation with Him. The time is spent worshiping, performing extra Salah (ritual prayers), reciting Quran, making Thikr (remembrance of Allah) and duaas (supplications). One should leave behind the cares of this world, and even eat and sleep in the mosque. Those who cannot perform Itekaf for ten days, should try to do it for a shorter time, if only for one night or a day or two.

Laylat Al-Qadr also occurs during the last ten days of Ramadan. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said, "Any Muslim who stands in Prayer during Laylat Al-Qadr out of faith and sincerity, his previous sins will be forgiven."

By: Magda Azzam

Foreign workers in their own words

I agree totally with what peasant above has written. while bangladeshi labourer have a really bad deal in many cases (both due to their employers in maldives and their agents in bangladheshi), professional expatriates lead quite a well priviledged life, with additional benefits which maldivians do not get like food allowance and apartment rent and utilities bills paid. there are indians, bangladeshis, sri lankans and phillipinos employed at the company i work in, and we treat the professional staff and the office clerk the same, no maldivian gets housing allowance……sometimes europeans expect themselves to be above asians, and some of the things the articles mentions can be construed as racist

Foreign workers in their own words

Three expatriate employees who have all moved on from their posts recount their experiences of working in the country. The names of the individuals have been changed to protect their identities.

Michael, 28, Australian teacher

“I found working in the Maldives to be a thoroughly challenging, but rewarding experience. Unlike other regions of the world, which provide you with a plethora of websites, books and other resources to enhance your knowledge of what the country will be like to live and work in, there was little to go on before leaving – apart from the Lonely Planet guide (which is more of a resort guide than a window into the inner workings of the country itself).

So going there I had little idea of what living and working in the Maldives would be like. Early challenges included the ‘norm’ for ex-pat life abroad – finding suitable accommodation, getting acquainted with new work conditions and new colleagues, finding friends and generally finding your feet in a new place. I lived in Hulhumale’, which is a swift ferry ride away from the capital city of Male’ – this provided the quiet I desired, but I was close enough to experience Male’ when I had to or wanted to.

I was employed as an English teacher at an international school, which is my profession in my home country. I found work in the Maldives extremely challenging from the point of view of trying to initiate and foster an “international education”, with huge limits being put on what could be facilitated in the classroom in terms of curriculum and content – mostly due to ‘culture clashes’.

I found many levels, from management, students themselves, staff, down to the local community, very unyielding in accommodating “international quality teaching and learning”. To me this is what an international school should provide – opportunities for students to develop holistically and develop critical thinking skills, with an empathy and understanding for different cultures and lifestyles.

The culture of the Maldives and its unwillingness to broaden its horizons and be open to outside influences made school life extremely challenging, not to mention the management of the school ( European in origin) not being open to “local interests and desires” for a child’s education.

The Maldives can also be quite a ‘suffocating’ place, especially for foreign women – Maldivian males are quite primitive in some of their behaviour and I have both witnessed and heard of gross misconduct and harassment on many levels towards Western women. As a male, the country is without doubt an easier beast to handle, but foreign women definitely have cause for concern when dealing with locals at times.

On the whole, once settling into a vastly different style of ex-pat life that I had been used to, I really enjoyed living and working in the Maldives. It is quite a shock to begin with, with rigid cultural and religious elements, quite foreign to many western day-to-day lives, having to be adhered to.

Outside of work there is plenty to do if you have a thirst for everything outdoors. I wouldn’t trade my year there for anything, I met some wonderful people – both local and international, and would recommend people give the Maldives a go.”

Natalie, 47, British project coordinator

“Recruited by a Sri Lankan businessman in the UK to work as a project coordinator in the Maldives, I was very excited about finding what seemed to be an excellent opportunity for my career development, working on a reclamation and construction project.

Having thoroughly researched the UK company, I accepted the job offer to work for the newly established Maldivian company, set up specifically for the project. With what I understood to be tight project timescales, I relocated within a month having the draft of a skeleton contract in email, trusting the owner of the business that the company and its employees were like a family; we could finalise the details of the contract at a later date.

Once there the owner informed me that I should not compare myself to other expatriates from Europe and that expats should work weekends and holidays as they do not have a social life. My advice to anyone moving to the Maldives would be to make sure you have a contract that is legally recognised in the Maldives, including allowances, medical insurance and a job description before you commit. Promises can turn to dust and someone’s word is not necessarily their bond.

Life in the capital of Male’ for a woman is not an easy one. Despite respecting the culture and religious beliefs, wearing suitable clothing and behaving appropriately, the Maldivian men do touch and grab women inappropriately.

There is a great deal of resentment from some Maldivians towards expats and contractors from Europe and the Americas. Fortunately though, some recognise the potential for change to achieve future growth and prosperity in a greener and more international culture.

My experience is something I do not regret. I had the pleasure of meeting His Excellency the President on more than one occasion and was fortunate to make good friends and business associates. Lessons have been learned: such is life.”

Dana, 30, UK journalist

“I have lived and worked on respected publications in the Middle East, I was used to cultural differences and striking harmony between the two ways of working. I believed I was well prepared for the challenges of working in a society with similar beliefs to the Maldives, but nothing prepared me for the challenges that lay ahead.

I was at first pleasantly surprised with the apartment where I would be living. It was a three-bedroom flat with all mod-cons. Upon arriving, the publisher asked me which room I wanted to take and then proceeded to lock the other rooms, he retained a key for the flat and left.

The next morning, for my first day at work I had a rude awakening. The office boy who had collected my luggage was standing above me saying “madam, madam wake up!” Frightened out of my mind, I screamed at him to get out of my room. It was a strange and scary start to the day.

Any newsroom is supposed to be buzzing with reporters going in and out the office and colleagues coming in and out. Instead the publisher wanted it to be like a factory, rehashing press releases. He even had the general manager prepare us job descriptions, though it was clear that he hadn’t the first clue about journalism and was contending with staff with more than five decades of media experience between them.

Increasingly I also began to feel I was being watched at every step at work. Despite there being one rule for Maldivian staff, keeping whatever hours they pleased, turning up in the afternoon and going to meetings through the day, they brought in a performance management system for me, increasing my workload and making me work six days a week.

The office itself was dangerous and there were no health and safety regulations. The unlit entrance to the office had live cables swinging above the off the stairs and water on the bathroom floor. A campaign to bring it up to safe standards fell on deaf ears.

The general manager took me aside and tried to blacken the names of my colleagues, telling me they were not acting professionally in his eyes, but that he liked them and would give them more chances to improve.

Why was he telling me this I thought? I didn’t want to get involved, being such a newbie. Then he tried insinuate if I played by the rules I would do well. I didn’t like his tone or his allusions. It was as if he was trying to see what side I was on and divide and conquer. Baffled, I said that my colleagues had showed me nothing but kindness and respect and I didn’t want to be part of anything he was insinuating. I felt really uncomfortable with all of this.

I told my colleagues about his strange behaviour and bribes. They said they were not surprised. At various times he had tried the tactic with them all.

This alarmed me. Understandably at this point I was scared because I did not know what I had got in to. I only took the job because I thought this was an opportunity to further develop myself after my Middle East experience. I didn’t have the resources to move on.

Strangely, there was another power struggle going on between the publisher and the GM, who used to turn up late in the afternoon. Overall their attitude was arrogant and disdainful towards us and they showed no recognition for how hard the staff had been working to make their product
a success. Morale was so low in the office and all the energy and enthusiasm I had brought with me was being sapped. I felt I had served a lifetime, though barely a week had gone by.

There was a clocking in machine and we were required to clock in between 9am and 5pm and soon our interviews were being classed as time out by the publisher and his minion. I couldn’t believe their method of thinking!

We had contacts begging us to go out and visit them, yet we were ‘trapped inside the office.’ We tried everything to convince the publisher in the value of letting us out of the office. Yet he turned it into a punishment, banning press trips from the second week.

The day after Halloween, I received a phone call from my colleague who said she had just been fired. I was running late into the office from a meeting, so I couldn’t quite process it, she said that she had not been given any reason for the dismissal. My editor and the other reporter were in the office when I arrived and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. It was such an awful morning. My macabre mood suited the topic of my writings that day a feature about ghouls and jinnis of the Maldives for a Halloween special.

We met outside for lunch and one of the reporters revealed that he was tendering his resignation on principle. The editor said he was looking for other jobs abroad but he would need to stay in this job for as long as possible. I felt for them and for the nightmare struggle they must have had so far. I felt suicidal after a few weeks, how about these poor souls?

I began to feel increasingly fearful as I did not want lose my job and have to go home. Not after all the struggle to get here. All those hours spent working in three menial jobs back to back, and taking on limited freelance contracts over the summer just to manage the airfare to the Maldives. I had no option, I was trapped, without enough money to go forward or back.

A few days later all hell broke loose. First the reporter who had tendered his resignation was called in and told that he was going to be dismissed that day, even though he was owed 30 days notice.

Then the editor was called in – luckily he had also just written his notice and handed it in before he could have the satisfaction of dismissing him. Two bully security guards were called in to almost forcibly remove them. I was so upset and shocked by the whole events which were unfolding. It was all going too fast – I couldn’t compute.

My state of mind was in tatters at this point imagining the worst, wrestling with my conscience, my pride and my dignity. My home was part of the work package so could not leave the company and try to find another job.

I didn’t have a choice. At this stage still hadn’t even been paid. I was also running out of cash and there was no one to help back home.

So I stayed… but at this point I still hadn’t even received my visa, and was required to leave the country and go to Sri Lanka. Still with no money, I asked the publisher to pay my expenses, but he said he would only pay for the airfare. I asked for an allowance to spend but he refused. Instead he turned out his moth-eaten wallet with £5 GBP and 15 rupees he said I could exchange.

In the meantime my colleagues had an awful time of it having to shift from place to place, but with the help of friends they got by and began setting up their own plans for the future. I tried to support them where I could.

Then I was called into the office and the publisher said he had been told that someone was else living in the flat and there were people visiting me. So what? I felt violated and angry as he had just admitted he been watching my flat. He said that he needed to give permission for anyone to stay. Another control mechanism.

The wheels were already in motion for my own removal. My visa was still in the process of being arranged and they had my passport. Less than 10 days later my fears were realised. I was called into the office and told that they would no longer continue with my employment and when I asked about my passport I was told I had to go to the immigration building to collect it.

I called one of my friends who had contact with immigration and I was told to come down to the office, they had my passport and tickets for me to fly out with Qatar within two days. I filed a case
with the employment tribunal and got my passport back.

The employment tribunal was a long and arduous process and in the end they ruled against me, as I hadn’t worked there long enough so I could not receive any compensation for the trauma of the last few months. Despite a ruling by the court to issue a one way ticket to the country of my choosing, I still have to receive that ticket from the employer. Along the way he pulled all sorts of nasty tricks including putting holds on empty tickets so that he would look good in court, and gazumping me when I went to buy a ticket at the same travel agent.

Overall, I felt an overwhelming feeling of freedom. I want to help people from making the same mistakes as me.”

 

India and US are offering Border Control Systems that are not as expensive as nexbiz. thatz what ACC keep saying..

Great article. while many of have been aware that this was a dodgy deal, thanks for writing about the details and enlightening us. I urge you to write the same article in dhivehi. publish it anywhere online. Make sure that ordinary Maldivians read it and One side media  Haveeru media Sun FM and CNM  will write one day when they are fully independent.

No one is asking about what we NEED in maldives right now. where the frack is that majlis committee on national security?!

Azra Naseem MAY 13, 2013
DHIVEHI SITEE

What is the PISCES?

Maldives post-coup Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim introduced the PISCES — Personal Identification, Secure Comparison and Evaluation System– to Maldivians as a ‘state of the art’ sophisticated border control system installed at all major points of entry and exit points in the US as well as in another twenty or so ‘advanced countries’ of the world.

Speaking in Dhivehi at a joint press conference with US Ambassador Michelle J Sison, Minister Nazim also told journalists the border control system would ‘increase security and the economic and social well-being of the Maldives.’

What interests me as much as Nazim said about the PISCES is what he left unsaid. He did not mention, for example, that the PISCES was built, and is operated, not so much as an immigration/emigration control mechanism as a top intelligence weapon in the endless War on Terror.

The US description, as published by the Bush-era State Department’s online archive, describes it somewhat differently from Nazim:

The Terrorist Interdiction Program seeks to constrain terrorist mobility globally by helping countries at risk from terrorist activity enhance their border security capabilities. TIP provides participating countries with a computerized watchlisting system known as PISCES (Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System). Countries are identified for eligibility to participate in TIP based on known terrorist activity or transit, need for a watchlisting system, and political will to cooperate with the United States in counterterrorism efforts.

Although Nazim alluded to the importance of intelligence gathering mechanisms and intelligence sharing among allies in ‘an increasingly dangerous world’, he deliberately omitted from his carefully rehearsed speech the fact that the Memorandum of Intention that he signed puts US in control of all the data mined by the PISCES.

‘We don’t have to share any information gathered from the system with anybody that the Maldivian government does not want to,’ said Nazim. The US, as supplier, installer and operator of the system is, of course, not on the list of countries the Maldives will or can shun.

Nazim also failed to mention that the so-called ‘advanced countries’ at which he said the PISCES was installed is actually a list of countries which the United States has ear-marked as popular transit points for dangerous terrorists.

Since 2002 the US has installed the PISCES at close to 200 entry/exit points in 18 countries—among them Afghanistan, Iraq, Algeria, the Philippines, Tunisia, Yemen, Morocco and Niger—willing (or unable to reject) the system since the Bush administration began pushing it in 2002. Worldwide, it now screens and gathers information on 250,000 travellers a day.

The PISCES experience of several countries contains valuable lessons for the Maldives. In 2011 Pakistan decided to discontinue the PISCES and replaced it with its own system, refusing US$42 million the US offered to have the PISCES upgraded instead.

Throughout the years in which PISCES was operated in Pakistan, her government denied all reports that US has access to all data gathered through PISCES, including this 2004 Times of India exposé describing how the PISCES had enabled ‘the unshakeable grip of a million American tentacles that have an all pervading grip on Pakistan’s present and future.’

Despite the denials, when Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director-General of Immigration, Chaudhry Mohammad Manzoor, announced the Pakistani government’s ‘inflexible’ decision to replace the PISCES, it was clear –as reported in The Express Tribune in June 2011— ‘the government’s rejection of PISCES stems from fears that the database is accessible to the Americans.’

Since the software will be indigenously developed by FIA, the integrity of data will be secured as opposed to foreign software and database, whose source codes are not disclosed to Pakistanis. This will help in maintaining vital data to national security.” It [documents proposing new system] adds: “Due to the sensitive nature of the project, it is imperative that data be secure and administered only by Pakistanis.

Had Pakistan been the only country to encounter problems with the PISCES, she could have been easily dismissed as part of another episode tide in the ever-vaciallting US-Pakistani goodwill.Fact is, the PISCES has proved troublesome in several other ‘host countries’.

This vital information was also missing from Nazim’s ‘explanation’. It is not entirely beyond the realms of possibility that Minister Nazim, with no experience or knowledge of international relations, is ignorant of such matters. The same cannot be said about the US. She knows full well the inherent shortcomings of the PISCES.

As an example, here’s what US Ambassador to Senegal, Janic L. Jacobs had to say about PISCES, in a classified diplomatic cable in 2003:

The “American Way” is not always indigenously sustainable in West Africa.  As an example, the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES), a high-tech, computer based immigration tracking system was first deployed in 2003.  The concept was to determine exactly who was transiting the international airport.  The program was discontinued at the end of FY-2006.  The GOS immigration officials responsible for using the system were plagued by software and hardware problems that required frequent visits by maintenance teams from CONUS. Often the problems were minor, but the users lacked the technical competency to resolve them.  In the end, after spending several hundreds of thousands of dollars, funding for the program was terminated.  As we proceed with other high-tech solutions to facilitate the regional sharing of intelligence, we need to assure that long-term maintenance and training are addressed.  If we do not address the issue of sustainability during the program design phase, it will most likely fail.

In the rest of the world, Malta is the only EU country to have agreed to the intrusive PISCES, while in Kosovo, the system was found to be incompatible with EU standards and replaced.

The US government and its national security apparatus is well aware that most of the Maldivian population almost as ignorant of its destructive foreign policies as the American population. Combine this with the absence of political leaders to stand up for sovereignty and people’s civil rights, and the US has found in the Maldives a most conducive environment in which to pursue its all important ‘South Asia Pivot’. Regardless of what that may mean to Maldives.

What does it mean for the Maldives?

The easy manner in which the Maldives has signed away to the United States integrity of all the data it collects on travellers in and out of the Maldives raises major issues of sovereignty and civil rights, to which the current government pays no heed.

Apart from these concerns, according to some experts, the PISCES will slow down and hinder the border services the Maldives currently provides. Here’s a simple example: Immigration officials currently process travellers at an average speed of one every 15-25 seconds. The PISCES will slow this down to between 60 and 90 seconds.

There are much more serious problems—PISCES does not allow integration with some of the most vital components of border control such as issuing visas and work-permits. How such a system prove to be adequate to the border control needs of a country which relies on the tourism industry for its survival, and is battling with international pressure to properly address its escalating human trafficking problems?

The PISCES’ inadequacies should not really be surprising, a system purpose-built for monitoring everybody travelling through a dangerous ‘terrorist hub’ cannot also be expected to smilingly grant tourist visas and diligently screen thousands of poor Bangladeshi labourers and hundreds of South East Asian girls for signs of trafficking.

The question is: why is the Maldives government allowing the US this complete takeover of its borders?

The ousting of Nexbis

The Maldives’ attempts to secure its borders have been plagued by disputes and legal issues. Nexbis, the company which, right until the time Minister Nazim announced his agreement with the US, was under contract to develop and install  a border control system for the Maldives, has long been alleging ‘criminal sabotage‘ of its contract by certain elements with different interests. [The long-running Nexbis issue is covered well by Minivan News.]

But, as with the treatment of GMR in the airport dispute, and the recent ousting of Hilton from the Maldivian tourism industry, the government insists all is being done ‘for the good of the country.’

Take some time to look at the two documents I have come into possession, comparing the various features that would become available to Maldivian border control personnel through the two systems:

When we look at what the two systems offer, the purpose of each is clear. The purpose of the PISCES is to gather intelligence for the United States’ ever-expanding intelligence network in the War on Terror. It lacks the ability to provide some of the most indispensable border control services for Maldives while it comes free of charge in the other.

At the press conference, Nazim also told local journalists that PISCES can be integrated with the India’s Advanced Passenger Information System (PISA). Local Immigration sources contradict Nazim’s claim. An Immigration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several experts—including those visiting from the US—told the government that ‘integration with the Indian system is not possible’.

Was Minister Nazim not just lying by omission but also through his teeth? Did he speak in Dhivehi so Ambassador Sison did not have to be seen to be party to the dissemination of misleading information?

As the United States has witnessed several times, it is rather easy to get the mainstream Maldivian Fourth Estate to stop asking questions. The criminal Armenian ‘Artur Brothers’ remain ‘at large’, not many questions asked. An unknown Armeninan cargo plane landed, unloaded its cargo and left, no questions asked. Blake’s ‘I haven’t seen it, therefore cannot I cannot verify it’ has sufficed as an explanation of the SOFA, no more questions asked. NGOs have duly put out their statement of concern relating to ‘reports about the SOFA’ and given the additional information that ‘there are American officials all over the Maldives making full socio-economic assessments’, no questions asked. If all goes to plan, PISCES will begin operation in the next two weeks, no questions asked.

Well, here are some: Does the PISCES meet Maldives’ border control needs? Why are Waheed, Nazim, Abdulla Riyaz and other key players eagerly signing control of our affairs and territory over to the United States? Did this level of US interest in the Maldives begin before or after 7 February 2012? Is the US interested enough to retain in place a government hand-picked by its officials for their willingness to sell Maldivian national interest for self-interest? Does Waheed’s inexplicable swagger in the face of obvious and patent unpopularity stem from the confidence of knowing he has the backing of the world’s only hyper-power?

If so, how far is the US prepared to go to win Maldives for itself in the upcoming September elections?

THIS IS NOT A DICTATORSHIP

Azra Naseem JULY 27, 2013
Dhivehi Sitee

Since the 7 February 2012 coup that was not a coup, a disconcerting dissonance between what people witness with their own eyes and what they are officially told they see has become a regular part of life.

Last week, thousands of voting Maldivians watched the X-Rated video of Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed having sex with three prostitutes at a high-end hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was not just his clothes that Hameed shed in front of the people but also his dignity along with the ethical and legal right to sit on the bench. Ethical because he so carelessly flouted the values of his profession and legal because Maldives defines unmarried sex between consenting adults as the crime of fornication.

Yet the official reaction has been like a ticker-tape running across the entire length of Hameed’s sexual marathon saying, ‘This is not sex. This is not zinah. This is not Hameed.’

Gasim Ibrahim, the presidential candidate for Jumhooree Party, has been one of the most vocal defenders of the judge. He asks us to ponder the infinite possibilities of why it was not Hameed in the video: ‘Anyone can dye their hair red.’ No one can argue with that, not in these days of L’Oréal etc.

Adhaalath the self-appointed ‘religious leaders’—and the last Maldivian political institution one would expect to favour an informed decision over an ignorant one—has announced it cannot say ‘Hameed is fornicating’ or ‘Hameed is not fornicating’ unless the Judicial Service Commission says ‘This is Hameed or ‘This is not Hameed.’ Until then Adhaalath — or any other government entity — will not see what it sees, nor must our own eyes see what they see.

In November last year, 38 MPs in Majlis agreed President of the Civil Service Commission, Mohamed Fahmy, was more likely than not to have sexually harassed a female servant as she alleged. They voted to have him removed from the CSC. Fahmy, though, is still there in the CSC, accompanied by a subliminal government-issue caption designed to appear under every image of Fahmy we come across: ‘This is not a sexual harasser’ or ‘Sexual harassment is not a crime.’

Back in April this year, pictures emerged of Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb hob-nobbing with the Artur Brothers – Armenian gangsters who were chased out of Kenya in 2006 for heroin trafficking and involvement in the country’s troubled political scene.

Initially the official line was to say it was neither Nazim nor Adeeb hanging with the gangsters. Then came a very Gasim-esque defence: ‘It is possible that the Ministers and the Brothers were in the same place at the same time. That doesn’t mean they were together as in together together.’

Soon after, pictures emerged of the Brothers at the gala event organised by Nazim and Adheeb to re-open Olympus theatre. This was followed by evidence that one of them was staying in Farukolhufushi, a resort under direct control of Adheeb at the time. Still, the official line was: ‘This is not happening.’

It was the same with the leaked draft Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States. Nazim and others denied they saw the leaked version on ‘social media’, but were able to confirm ‘this is not the SOFA’. So it was not.

A similar story with the PISCES system gifted by the United States: ‘This is a border control system,’ said both governments, and so it is; even though controlling borders is the least of PISCES’ concerns.

Then there were reports of the forged ‘extension’ of the agreement to extend the lease of Farukolhufushi resort, a copy of which was shown on Raajje TV. Independently verifiable evidence exists that Adheeb took US$400,000 as a sweetener from the lessee of Farukolhufushi in exchange for the extension. But, the authorities have stuck the ‘This did not happen’ label on the incident, so it hasn’t.

Latest in these series of events occurred yesterday, the day marked on the calendar as ‘The Independence Day’. Two events were held to confirm this: one at the museum and one at the Republic Square. The event at the museum was a reception hosted by Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and his wife Ilham Hussein for local and foreign dignitaries. It was held in the hall usually reserved for the most precious of national heritage artifacts. Their storage requires specific conditions, their care and handling needs highly trained hands. This is the expert opinion. The official line, however, is different. In direct contradiction of results of years of study, the President’s Office put out a statement saying: Having the party at the museum, or having untrained labourers move the priceless artifacts will not damage them. So it won’t.

Last night Male’ watched as Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was given the highest national award of respect. For thirty years, Gayoom ruled the Maldives without respect for either human freedoms, dignity or the rule of law. It was a dictatorship that stalled economic, social, cultural and intellectual development for an entire generation. But, the national honour, the shining thing around his neck, screams ‘This is not a dictator’. So he must not be.

http://www.dhivehisitee.com/

Day News Photo

Nature of Politics

މިރާއްޖޭގެ ހުރިހާ ކަމެއް މިދަނީ ރާއްޖޭގެ ރައްޔިތުން ބޭނުންވާގޮތަށް، މިއަދު ހަގީގަތަކީ ކުރިން އަޅުގަނޑު އެވެނި މިވެނި މީހަކީ ނުބައިވެގެންވާ ނުލަފާ ޖައްބާރު މީހެކޭ ބުނާ މީހާވެސް މިއަދު ސިޔާސީ ގޮތުން އަޅުގަނޑު ތާއިދު ކުރާ ކޮޅަށް ޖެހޭ އިރަށް އެމީހަކު ނުލަފާ އަދި ޖައްބާރު މީހަކަށްވެސް ނުވޭ.....އަޅެ މީ އަރަތެއްތަ؟

ދިވެހި ރައްޔިތުންގެ ތެރޭން ސިޔާސީ ޒާތީ ނިޒާމުގައި ނުޖެހޭ ބޭފުޅުންނަ ވަރަށް ރަނގަޅަށް ފަހުމްވާނެ ބޯޑިއަމްތަކުގައި ދައްކާ ވާހަކަތަށް އަމާޒް ކޮއްފައި ހުންނަނީ ދިވެހި ރައްިތުން ގުނބޯ ހެއްދުމާ އެހެން މީހުންނާ މެދުގައި ނަފްރައްތެރިން އުފެއްދުމަށް ކަން.

ދައުލަތުގެ ބަޖެޓަކީ 50 ބިލިޔަން ކަމަށް ހަދާ ދިވެހި އެންމެހާ ރައްޔިތުން ލަގްޒަރީ ފްލެޓްތަކުގައި އުޅުނަސް އެކުވެރިކަމާ އެއްބަނޑު އެއްބަފާ ކަމުގެ ގުޅުން ނެއް އަދި ނަފްރައްތެރިކަމާ ހަސަދަވެރިކަމުން ފުރިގެންވާ ރައްޔިތަކު ދިރިއުޅޭ އެއްވެސް ގައުމަކަށް ހަމަޖެހުމެއް ނައަންނާނެ

Because we are the children of this beloved land." HEP Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan

" I am standing in front of the national flag. Behind the national emblem. We are all gathered near the spot where Shaheed Hussein Adam sacrificed his life for this country. Where I can see the Islamic Centre, which is the symbol of the country’s Islamic identity. As I stand here tonight, my heart is trying to comprehend the thoughts of young Shaheed Hussain Adam, the twenty-year old soldier, as he lay breathing his last breadth, having tried with his own life to defend his country’s independence. What he must have willed to the people who came after him, who are now responsible for defending this country’s independence. The hope he must have had for the country he had just sacrificed his life for. It is our responsibility to fulfil his wishes. To let the light of independence shine bright. Take care of these responsibilities. Because we are Maldivians. Because we are the children of this beloved land." HEP Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan

Cabinet RESIGN - The start of Loose 2011

“Tomorrow President Nasheed will resign,” Umar Naseer predicted. ”Now it is the time to hold mid-term elections.” June 2010

The entire cabinet of the Maldives has resigned in protest against “scorched earth politics” of the opposition-majority parliament, leaving only President Mohamed Nasheed and Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan in charge of the country June 2010.

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) had arrested the leaders of several opposition parties, including Jumhooree Party (JP) leader MP Gasim Ibrahim and People’s Alliance (PA) leader MP Abdulla Yameen (DRP), who have reportedly been taken to the prison on Dhoonidhoo island.

Out of control Situation and Plan Fail situation came..

This was the change of entire MDP Government since they don't have enough seats in Parliament they lost most important Ministries like MNDF most trust person Ameen Faisal  could not get seats from Parliament and could not get the post and given Advisor Post which it was conflict with New Defense Minister that time.

IT WAS THE MAIN REASON LOOSE DEFENSE MINISTRY  BY MOST TRUST PERSON ANNI HAD THAT TIME.

Former Commissioner of Police Ahmed Faseeh could not control Police  commands and he knows now Police Commissioner Riyaz influencing to seniors and planning the plot but he was also among failure to handle this matter until it became big scenario.

The Question now I must ask why these two years 300 police officers were suddenly recruit?

What was actual strategies to recruit these officer's?

To our Boys

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL OFFICERS OF IMMIGRATION