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Maldivian Democratic Party
Draft Manifesto 2002
Main
sections
Preamble
'These
areas need our urgent focus and energy'
Giving
life to a People's Constitution
Restoring
economic stability, growth and job creation
Broad-based
Development
Building
accountable and transparent government, and fighting corruption
Restoring
civilian authority over the police and the military
Guaranteeing
health, housing and education standards
Preamble
In a time of social, economic, political and military upheavals, Maldivians find
themselves in a weaker position than any previous period in their history. A period
of fast development and modernization has left the majority of Maldivian islanders
powerless to pursue a decent human life, and marginalized in the world community
due to their lack of proper education, training and opportunities to develop.
Past colonizers never managed to introduce any trace of advanced governing structures
in Maldives.
While most emerging nations are steering towards democratization
and progress, Maldivians are doomed to lag behind, mainly because of a limited
leadership and the absence of dynamic vision. Authoritarianism and the accompanying
viruses of nepotism, corruption and mismanagement continue to crush the people's
yearning for meaningful change. A 1950s mentality pervades the core decision makers,
and the commerce and business sectors.
People are demoralized by lack
of leadership and corruption in the highest levels of government. The problems
are compounded by oppressive and self-interested responses from those in power,
and by the lack of progress towards solving people's problems. This is a hard
fact of life in Maldives.
The following article is a draft of the
party's aims, prepared in consultation with those courageous enough to air their
opinions and express their ideas in a time of severe government harassment. An
examination of other people's movements, to determine their methods, concepts
and structures, was also undertaken.
This manifesto is an initial
draft that sets out a path to build a better future for ourselves and our children.
The manifesto calls on us to unite and reclaim our power, and to use it to put
in place a leadership and a political system that will prioritize the interests
of the people and the nation.
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Majlis entrance, Malé
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The Maldivian Democratic Party, MDP,
will stand for the supremacy of the people and the nation, over partisan or individual
interests.
The MDP will be guided by socially democratic, human-centered
and equitable development policies, pursued in an environment of political pluralism,
participatory democracy and accountable and transparent governance.
The MDP will aim to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist and a secular democratic
society.
The MDP will encourage sustainable, equitable, long-term
and stable growth in our economy through investing in our people and developing
their capabilities with opportunities from our national resources and infrastructure.
There is an urgent need to draw up clear policies for all areas of political,
economic and social development. Such policies can carry us forward in this new
era as a stronger nation with a more cohesive and capable society, and a sustainable
and stable development path.
We can, as a nation, achieve all these
goals. Informal discussions and more serious consultations and debates among like-minded
Maldivians have outlined a framework for such a strategy. Immediate issues and
priorities have been identified that will turn the nation from its economically
weak state towards a firm and stable path, towards meeting the people's needs,
towards sound governance and towards sustained properly distributed returns for
production.
These
areas need our urgent focus and energy:
1. Giving life to a People's
Constitution, in which the separation of powers, political pluralism and individual
rights form the pillars of national progress. Such a constitution will be woven
from the traditional threads of Maldives' historical and cultural heritage.
2. Restoring economic stability, growth and job creation.
3. Land
reform in the interests of the nation's people.
4. Building an accountable
and transparent government, and fighting corruption.
5. Restoring
civilian government authority over the Police and the Military.
6.
Guaranteeing health, housing and education.
To achieve these goals,
we must prepare a more detailed program of action in direct consultation with
as many Maldivians as possible, since they are the major stakeholders in the country's
development. This can only become a reality when the current regime accepts unconditionally
that there is a pressing need for public dialogue in a safe and secure environment.
These discussions should take place in active consultation with the international
community who, through their investments and honourable work and interest in our
country, are also stakeholders in our progress.
Giving
life to a People's Constitution
The MDP believes that a unifying
and enduring national constitution can only be made through a transparent, irreversible
and accountable process agreed to by all stakeholders, and secured by an appropriate
legal framework which ensures that the views of all Maldivians will be addressed.
This new constitution would be adopted through a free and fair referendum in which
all adult Maldivians will be free to vote as they wish.
Within this
new constitution the MDP will support ratification of the following principles:
a. A clear separation of powers between the law and the executive, recognising
the independence of the judiciary and the accountability of the executive to parliament.
b. Entrenchment of equality of all persons before the law of Maldives, regardless
of their race, sex, religion, or ethnicity.
c. Entrenchment of the
principles of the rule of law, due process and demands of natural justice.
d. Recognition of a strong Bill of Rights containing all the fundamental freedoms
and rights currently secured in international human rights treaties such as the
rights to liberty, privacy, freedom of association, expression, assembly, and
movement; and the rights of working people to just and fair labor standards, education,
health and decent housing.
e. The recognition of the rights of all
nationals to participate in the politics of the country directly, and through
free and regular elections at all levels of government, based on proportional
representation.
Restoring
economic stability, growth and job creation
The MDP will put
a stop to over twenty years of mismanagement, gross incompetence and corruption,
that has led to economic decline, the destitution of ordinary Maldivian islanders,
increasing national and international debt, and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
The MDP will:
a. Rationalize government expenditure by removing unnecessary
ministerial posts.
b. Limit the role of the state to facilitate economic
activities in a strategic, targeted, transparent and time-conscious manner. Resolve
market failures related to ownership and access to productive assets. Allocate
resources in a manner that maximizes the welfare of society, and intervene where
the market has indicated prospects for growth but is unable to successfully exploit
such opportunities. Here, the state will participate as a regulatory body, leading
the market by providing supply-side incentives that will entice the private sector
to undertake potentially profitable activities.
c. Define and broaden
the tax base, suppress tax evasion, implement progressive taxes that lighten the
burden on middle income and poor families, and give tax exemptions on the basic
goods that poor families rely upon for survival. Government savings will be realized
through debt reduction measures involving privatization schemes and the restructuring
of the Government budgetary framework.
d. Move away from the current
high spending that leads to high taxation, high interest rates and inflation.
Dealing With the Debt Burden
The MDP will
initiate negotiations to reschedule external debt and swap domestic debt for external
debt. Repacing domestic debt for long-term external debt will give the economy
more breathing space, and release resources for development which are presently
tied into debt servicing.
Stabilizing the
rufiya currency
The MDP will unlock foreign aid to help stabilize
the local currency and restore confidence in the money markets; promote exports
through tax incentives and encouraging an export culture; discourage all non-essential
imports and reduce imports of non-essential foodstuffs.
Social
Contract
The MDP will negotiate a social contract with stakeholders.
It will be based on mutual accountability and mutual trust among the partners,
and transparency and disclosure of all relevant information. It will cover pricing
policy, incomes, wages and employment policy, and fiscal policy.
Broad-based Development
The MDP aims to achieve broad and sustainable economic development in Maldives,
through enlarging people's choices and enabling them to live long, healthy and
creative lives. The principles of the MDP aim to build economic development that
meets the needs of all the people; creates opportunities for all inhabitants to
participate in development by ensuring equitable distribution of resources. This
will help to eradicate poverty, inequality and deprivation, and will improve social
well-being and empower people to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
The MDP will promote a program that will:
a. Equitably distribute resources
such as land, skills, capital, and technology.
b. Adopt a bottom-up
strategy, using community-based participatory initiatives.
c. Decentralize
administration, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
d. Build capacities at community levels e.g. through training and research programs.
e. Create a productive culture.
Building
accountable and transparent government, and fighting corruption
Maldives is desperately in need of a political environment that unleashes the
full potential of its people. The MDP will provide that environment through social
democratic and inclusive policies that protect constitutional government and the
rule of law. These policies will nurture participatory democracy and representative
democracy, and build accountable and open governance.
Accountable
government
The MDP will promote and safeguard a political environment
in which people can exercise their right to vote without fear or enforced apathy.
The people must receive the information they need to make informed choices from
among their prospective leaders, and where they will be able to hold those leaders
accountable.
The MDP will implement changes to electoral law and systems
to provide for:
a. At least one member of the opposition.
b.
Establishment of an Independent Electoral Supervisory Commission
c.
The whole commission to be fully accountable to Parliament.
d. Repeal
of the present Presidential powers to directly appoint 8 members of Parliament
and to amend sections of electoral law without going through Parliament.
e. Legal and institutional review of voter education, a fair system of election
financing and media coverage of political parties.
The MDP will introduce
measures that strengthen the accountability, efficiency, integrity and transparency
of government. These measures include:
a. Limiting
the size of the cabinet to around 15 ministers.
b. Reforming parliament
to make it more open to the public, more informed in deliberations, better supported
and more strongly accountable to its constituents. The MDP will publicize parliamentary
debates through the national media.
c. Removing unnecessary secrecy
from government, and building a more open system supported by the effective and
timely gathering and dissemination of information.
The MDP will decentralize
central government functions and powers in a manner that balances the transfer
of responsibility with that of authority and resources. It will ensure protection
of national interests, particularly those of economic and social equity, and it
will be backed by adequate investment in the capacity for accountable governance
at all levels of government.
The MDP will ensure that local authorities
become centres of local democracy and participation, economic development, and
service delivery, and will revitalize ward-level structures across urban and rural
areas so that councilors are more responsive to their constituencies.
The MDP will invest in and reorganize the public service to more effectively meet
the priorities of the public in a professional and objective manner, guided by
national objectives.
The MDP will reverse the policy of direct government
control of the media and establish a democratic media commission that will include
representatives of public and private media. There will be a viable environment
for an analytical, competitive, diverse and thriving media industry, combining
commercial success and genuine public service. The airwaves will be deregulated
to allow fair competition.
All major areas of economic and social
policy input should set up legally defined institutional mechanisms for participatory
democracy, with clear mechanisms for effective involvement and accountability
of civil institutions representing key social interests, clear mandates, supportive
resources, roles and authorities.
The MDP will actively support the
links between such civic forums and relevant parliamentary structures, to strengthen
the debate of national issues within Parliament which should be the highest organ
of the people.
The MDP will promote a grassroots process towards gender
equality in economic, social, political and domestic life, and build a supportive
environment for the social, physical, cultural and economic development of youth.
Restoring civilian
authority over the police and the military
The MDP will introduce
civilian authority over the security forces by designating the Ministry of Home
Affairs as the party under whose direct supervision the Police force performs
its duties and obligations. A permanent Select Committee in the Citizen's Majlis
must oversee the role and activities of the Police and the Military which have
a role to safeguard the rights of the Maldivians by providing security and advice,
within the framework of national and international laws and regulations. Policies
on Security and Defence will be re-aligned in accordance with international and
national rules of engagement and practice.
Guaranteeing
health, housing and education standards
The massive decline in
health and education standards, epidemics, and the decline in living environments
worsened by the lack of a clear re-investment in the social sector, highlights
the need for an integrated national plan of action designed for the longer term,
and encompassing safe, secure and comfortable shelter, health and education. Total
privatization of these sectors may not be ideal for Maldives.
An Ombudsman
will be given the responsibility of monitoring the status, quality and frequency
of these public services.
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