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Office move blamed on God and lack of money, says Atoll chief Umar Zahir 31 October 2002 translated by Maldives Culture editors
 Saljamge F. Feeali Maldives To the Honourable Members, Greetings and I would like to say, I am compelled to present this letter to your honourable presence because I can no longer maintain the noble virtue of patience granted by the gracious Allah. Who else can understand, except those who are enduring cruelty, distress and pain. Honourable Member, for about the last nine years, people in the island of Magoodhoo in Faafu atoll, from the young children up to eldest person, have been enduring this suffering. Yes! Who would believe that in world famous country intent on protecting its renowned democratic system, a group of its citizens would be subject to this sort of injustice and cruel treatment. There is no doubt that anyone who has no idea about the truth of the matter, would find it difficult to believe. I am writing this letter to you, Honourable sir, relying on the truth and keeping in mind most gracious Allah, because there is no other alternative except to beg and plea to you to end the unjust cruelty we are subject to. Under your solid leadership, the country has gone through revolutionary and civilising development, which has allowed young and old people all over the country to pass their lives in comfort and relaxation. Meanwhile the people of this island (Magoodhoo island, Faafu atoll) have been pushed into a pit of despair. Our dear children live in destitution, and tears of suffering fall from the eyes of our parents. Our houses and property are being neglected and falling apart, and for no other reason than the cruel and unjust conspiracy by the atoll chief of Faafu atoll Zakariyya Hameed of Fee-ali island. Honourable sir, as if it was only yesterday that I heard it, a statement is still in my ears. On a day in 1997 marking the occasion of International Women's Day in Magoodhoo island, in the speech that the honourable President gave addressing the entire country, he said that Maldivians should see Magoodhoo as an exemplary island for the nation. Now this island (in the view of Zakariyya Hameed) is showing the whole country that it is an island where the people have no manners, and no traditions except nastiness and savagery. Yes! This island which has a 96 year history as the residence of the atoll chief. Countless atoll chiefs and their assistants must have been on this island. It is a place where many important meetings have been held and many dignitaries have visited. Has there been any kind of harm, disturbance or inconvenience caused by anyone from Magoodhoo island? However, as soon as Zakariyya Hameed arrived in this island as atoll chief, he has been trying to portray its people as disobedient to the government; and all because of a 40 year grudge he harbours against the people of this island. He has treated the people of Magoodhoo island as his prey. Honourable sir, for the first time in the history of Magoodhoo, the doors of prison were opened for its people when they experienced this punishment from Zakariyya Hameed. At the time, he was the island chief of Fee-ali, and the problem was due to a brawl which erupted when people intervened to stop him taking away food stored for a mauloodh religious ceremony. Zakariyya Hameed arrived in the island and removed the food with the help of the person who had the keys to the storage area. That was the beginning of the grudge Zakariyya Hameed holds against the people of Magoodhoo. (Despite this, people remained calm when he arrived in the island as atoll chief, due to the trust the people have for the present government of the country). After 40 years of the doors of the prison being shut for the people of Magoodhoo, now for the second, third and fourth time these doors are being opened and many people are imprisoned and punished because of this revived grudge. Yes! Since becoming the atoll chief, Zakariyya Hameed's every move and action has been designed to arouse anger in the hearts of the people of Magoodhoo, dividing the people, jeopardising the peace and harmony, and causing hostility between the people and the chiefs of the island. Yes! When Zakariyya Hameed arrived at Magoodhoo as atoll chief, Anwar Abdullah, from Lily Maage house, asked him about the possibility of swapping a block of land. Anwar was unhappy about the location of the block of land he had been given to build a house. He wanted another piece of vacant land within the residential zone, and Zakariyya Hameed told Anwar that if he sent his older sister Najuma Abdullah to work in the atoll office, then Anwar could have a block of land from anywhere he liked in the island. After this promise by Zakariyya Hameed, Najuma Abdullah a mother of six children and with no experience in a government job, accepted a clerk's position in the atoll office. After that, Zakariyya Hameed instructed the island chiefs to grant a block of land to Anwar from anywhere he liked in the island. The chiefs of the island informed Zakariyya Hameed that after holding a draw among the 20 people eligible for blocks of land, the block Anwar Abdullah received had been accepted by him and handed over to him by the island office. If such a favour is done for one particular individual, they said, it would disrupt the peace and harmony in the island and there might be trouble. When the island chiefs mentioned this, they were told to stay home and prevented from attending their jobs. A high level official from the atoll office was put in charge of the island office, and without any consideration for just and fair land granting procedures or the peace and harmony of the island, Anwar Abdullah was given a block of land where he wanted. The peace of the island was disregarded and after that, the story of the close relationship between Zakariyya Hameed and Najuma Abdullah is not acceptable to be described in a letter, and hence I will leave it at that. As you may recollect [here the writer is referring to President Maumoon Gayyoom, and this letter was probably written originally to him and then altered slightly for the Majlis members and ministers] during a visit to Magoodhoo, the NSS Coast Guard launch hit the jetty and very seriously damaged it. You sir, expressed deep regret and promised to built a much better jetty in Magoodhoo. When the atoll office asked the island office to prepare an estimate to repair the jetty, the estimate was prepared and sent it to the atoll office. Apparently Zakariyya Hameed did not like the estimate, but he did not say anything nor advise how it should be done. After some time, he attended a meeting of the island development committee and told them that the estimate was unacceptable and verbally abused the chiefs of the island and members of the Committee. He said that he would not permit the rebuilding of the jetty. One day, Zakariyya Hameed gathered all the employees of the atoll office and told them that the government was thinking of transferring the atoll office to another island, but he did not know which island it would be. He asked all the employees whether they would be happy to move to a different island, and this news spread all over the atoll. Because there were no official plans or government announcement about the construction of a new atoll office building or atoll chief's residence on the atoll, ten people from Magoodhoo island went to see Zakariyya Hameed to find out why, after 96 years, the atoll office was all of sudden to be transferred to another island. Addressing these 10 people, Zakariyya Hameed said that when the government decides to do something, people always want to know why. He would clearly explain the reason to them and they should listen carefully. Zakariyya Hameed said that he was a person who prayed five times a day without fail, and he worked all day and night to make money, but he could not make enough and was constantly required to go to elsewhere in Maldives and abroad for medical treatment. He pointed out that Gasim Ibrahim (Buruma Gasim) had never performed a single prayer for holy God and yet didn't we all see the massive amounts of money that Allah grants to him. And the Americans bomb Iraq everyday and many people get killed, Zakariyya Hameed said, and the Jews of Israel murder many Palestinians and level their houses to the ground. Where is God? Could there be any worse God? he asked the ten people from Magoodhoo. And then he asked whether that was not a good enough reason. Honourable sir, isn't ten people enough to prove this? When we are a hundred percent Muslim country, is it acceptable to have a chief like this leading its people? The second and final half of this letter is available here.
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Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldivian cultural issues.
Editors and translators: Michael O'Shea and Fareesha Abdulla, Australia
We invite contributions from Maldivians and others interested in Maldives.
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