• Voting procedures need improvement - Hours of delay, Haveeru 20 November 1999
  
  
• Haveeru editor calls for enforcement of the new campaigning law designed to improve Maldivian electoral practices.
  A Second Thought, Haveeru 11 November 1999
  
  
• Medicine costs Maldives $US 7 million in last two years, Haveeru 2 October 1999
  
  
• Thirty two percent of foreign workforce employed in tourism, Haveeru 6 October 1999
  
  
• Evidence of drug use by football players, Haveeru 5 October 1999
  
  
• Reducing the number of foreigners, Haveeru 26 September 1999
  
  
• Spend wisely on the internet - Atoll chief, Haveeru 29 September 1999
  
  
• Dead dolphins drift onto Meedhoo island, Addu (Seenu) atoll, Haveeru 13 September 1999
  
  
• Mass fainting again among girls at Alifushi School reports atoll office, Haveeru 13 September 1999
  
  
• Conflict - a lethal social disease, Miadhu 11 September 1999
  
  
• Racist ideologies, Haveeru 11 September 1999
  
  
• Islamic awareness campaign for all Maldivian islands, Haveeru 31 August 1999
  
  
• Stopping the Christian Missionary radio program - Chief Justice, Miadhu 22 August 1999
  
  
• Timor Divided, Haveeru 4 September 1999
  
  
• News Archive December 1999 - January 2000
  
• News Archive February - July 1999

Moosa Latheef
translated from Haveeru 20 November 1999

People were leaving because of the long queues. At the booths in Galolhu stadium, Majeediyya School, Iskander School, Aminiya School, and the STO Trade Centre, voters spent hours waiting.

'There has got to be a better way,' said one young man at Galolhu stadium.

The delays were caused by the bureaucratic process at the ballot boxes. Each desk had only one list. After checking the name , the voter was given the ballot papers. It seems the whole process was stalled by the slow processing of voters' details.

'A lot of people have already left without voting,' said a middle-aged man at the same stadium. 'People from the resorts coming here have to return at a certain time. All the resorts are full. They can't stay here that long.'

At Majeediyya School, a man confirmed that potential voters were going away due to the delay. 'There are two kinds of reactions from people. One type won't leave without voting regardless. The others only come when someone visits their house and asks them. They don't wait long.'

In Addu [Seenu] atoll voting was not completed until 5 hours after the supposed closing time. People were voting after one o'clock in the morning.

Several young people claimed that computers would solve the problem. 'A network is needed for this,' said a young man at the Haa Alifu ballot box in Malé. 'A lot of time would be saved, and that's very important.'

At some Malé booths there were long queues. Even now, some are estimating that voter turnout is a record. And if the process is improved, the numbers voting will be much higher.

'Some people will return to vote later, if they can't vote the first time,' said an old man at the Raa atoll booth in Malé. 'When people have to go through this to vote, the whole spirit of the occasion changes.'

This means that the public will view voting as a difficult thing. Many of the 128,000 people eligible to vote in Maldives turned up at the Malé ballot boxes. And the only problem was the delay.

Many things in Maldives are progressing and improving. If this extends to voting procedures as well, future elections will change for the better.

Editorial
translated from Haveeru 11 November 1999

An excellent new election campaign law has just passed through Parliament. If it is correctly implemented, election procedures will be considerably strengthened and the public will have every reason to be grateful.

Candidates are now prohibited from distributing anything which might be useful after the election, like a hat or T-shirt.

Only those people directly involved in the election on behalf of the candidate are allowed to receive and wear such gifts.

However, candidate promotion centres are still permitted to serve coca-cola and noodles. This is not illegal. After all, the people who go there are doing some kind of work for the campaign. Even if they are spying, that's also work, and not against the new election campaign law.

To speak to people about politics, and exchange views and ideas, is also considered work and not covered by the new law.

As well, coca-cola and noodles and other food do not last in the body after 24 hours, provided the digestive system is functioning. And if it's only coca-cola that will go out of the body even faster.

Only Rf100, $US9, can be spent on each eligible voter, with an additional 10% for each island in the atolls except Malé.

In some atolls people are under the impression this money should be paid directly to them. Candidates say that when they ask for votes, people ask for money.

There was media suggestion that awareness workgroups about the new law were to be organised. As yet there is no sign of such a program, but 2005 will be an appropriate time.

Under the law, to campaign against a particular person is illegal. Apparently in some atolls, people went around telling others not to vote for certain candidates.

In some atolls people talked openly about the price of votes, rumoured at between Rf100 - Rf500.

According to one candidate, he went past a house where there was a notice saying votes in that house cost Rf2,000 each, and only those prepared to pay the price were welcome inside.

The person responsible said it was just a ploy to keep campaigners away, but even so, what he did was illegal.

Responsible bodies like the Atoll Office and Island Office already exist which are capable of enforcing the new rules.

People in the Island Offices tend to avoid involvement in election campaigns, so they can usually be relied on to fairly implement the new law.

Ahmed Abdullah
translated from Haveeru 2 October 1999

The Maldives has imported Rf82 million worth of medicine in the last two years, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday.

The major share of the medicine, Rf63 million, was imported by private businesses. The STO [State Trading Organisation], and government imported the remainder.

The latest figures show medicine imports rising over the last ten years, and they have now reached Rf42 million per year.

And Maldives has the highest medicine use in the world, says the Ministry of Health.

The Health Minister, Ahmed Abdulla has announced that a special program is underway to reduce the level of medicine consumption.

'We are working to spread awareness among the people,' Ahmed says. 'And we are taking steps to address the problems of overprescribing by doctors, and the illegal sale of medicine.'

Ismail Rasheed
translated from Haveeru 6 October 1999

Thirty two percent of foreign workers employed in the Maldives are engaged in the tourism industry, says the Labour Ministry.

And the Director General of the Ministry of Human Resources, Employment and Labour, Rasheeda Ali says the government and the private sector must co-operate to reduce the number of expatriate workers.

Labour Ministry statistics show 25,000 expatriates currently working throughout Maldives. 8,000 are employed in tourism.

Within the tourist industry, foreigners are 46% of the workforce.

There are 82 resorts providing a total of 14,498 beds, and the tourism workforce is estimated at slightly less than 16,000.

As tourism represents such an important part of the country's economy, reducing the number of expatriates means investing in training programs and human development, says Rasheeda Ali.

And it is almost impossible to train this number of replacements in three or four years.

'Human development is a a huge and difficult task. This can be achieved only if everyone co-operates and works together, and it cannot be done quickly. It will take time. But we must give priority to this training,' says Rasheeda.

Mohamed Shaheeb
translated from Haveeru 5 October 1999

A team competing in the latest SAF games, held in Nepal, had used a performance enhancing drug, said an AFC official today.

Speaking to Haveeru at Bangkok airport, the official would not name the team.

However, according to information received by Haveeru the team was from Bangladesh - the gold medal football winners.

If the Bangladesh team is disqualified, the gold medal will go to Nepal, the silver to India, and the bronze to Maldives.

After the semi-final match between Nepal and Maldives, the Maldivian national team's Bulgarian coach Yordun Stoikorf requested a doping test on the Nepalese team.

'After the India-Bangladesh match both teams were exhausted. But the Nepalese players seemed completely unaffected by their match against the Maldivians,' he said.

Team manager Hamid Abdul Gafoor said doping tests are not carried out at the request of another team. They are only performed if the authorised committee decides to test particular players.

The head of the committee is Dr Rana - a Nepalese. The committee doctors from other countries did not attend the games.

The regulation is that drug tests are to be done on a third of the gold medal winners, and other randomly selected players.

Editorial
translated from Haveeru 26 September 1999

The increasing number of foreigners in the Maldives causes many problems.

Both economically and socially, the damage is high. The cost to the Maldives of paying for the 25,000 foreigners who work here, is estimated at $US30 million each year.

This is a large expenditure compared to the total income of the country.

In 1996 there were 17,000 foreigners in Maldives. Three years later the total has increased to 25,000, a 47% increase.

The social impact of the foreigners leads to changes in cultural and traditional customs, and changes in language.

The ability to commit undesirable actions is increased.

Concerned government departments are taking steps to control the total number of foreigners in the country. But this is a problem the Maldivian people must think about deeply.

We should abandon the habit of keeping servants to remove garbage, do the grocery shopping, and buy fish at the market.

All these things we can do ourselves.

I also agree that it would be difficult for the Maldives to move ahead without any foreigners, but we must consider the social and economic cost.

Without action at the individual level there is little that can be done about this huge national problem.

Aishath Solihu and Mohamed Saeed Moosa Wajdhee, Feydhoo
translated from Haveeru 29 September 1999

Time spent on the internet must be beneficial, says the Addu (Seenu) atoll chief Hamid Yoosuf.

Speaking at the opening of the first Addu seminar on the internet, Yoosuf says that useless information is sometimes downloaded when people are surfing the world wide web.

'This can be a waste of time, and a very expensive one too. We must use the net in such a way that we get maximum benefit for Maldivian society.'

The seminar began last night at 8.45pm at Southern Secondary School in Hithadhoo after two days of intense advertising around the atoll.

This is the first internet introduction course held outside Malé, and Addu was chosen because it has the largest telecommunication system after the capital, says Dhiraagu's public relations manager, Masood Ali.

'A cyber station is already open to the public at the Dhiraagu centre in Addu. And our intention is to use this seminar to spread internet information to as many people as possible.'

A public demonstration of the internet using a large video screen was given by Dhiraagu's internet products manager, Rif-ath Mohamed, who explained internet access and searching in detail.

The two-day seminar ends tonight at 11pm.

Aishath Solihu, Feydhoo
translated from Haveeru 13 September 1999

The corpses of large adult dolphins are being washed up on the lagoon beach at Meedhoo, says Island chief, Abdullah Hanee.

They were first sighted in the harbour area on the 30th of August, and, at the last count, 38 dead dolphins have floated onto the beach.

Hanee confirmed the 8 feet long fish are being buried.

'A hole as large as a human grave has to be dug out. There are too many dolphins to simply drag them away, besides these things are huge!'

At first, 6 dolphins were seen in the lagoon not far from shore, and they were coaxed out into the deeper part. Four of the dolphins returned to the harbour in a few days.

From then on, about 8 dolphins were seen every day.

'We used a fishing boat to drive them out into the lagoon but it wasn't very successful because the fish backed away every time they saw a dark patch on the bottom,' says Hanee.

'Since last Friday, there have been about 8 dead dolphins on the beach, each day.'

'We don't know why they are coming into the lagoon, but we have noticed they are very weak when they arrive,' says Hanee.

In 1945 when the British had a military base in this atoll, huge numbers of dolphins were killed when they were mistaken for a Japanese submarine and attacked with a mine.

Ismail Raheed
translated from Haveeru 13 September 1999

Girls at Alifushi island school, Raa atoll, are again fainting and experiencing psychosis.

Speaking from the atoll office yesterday, Ahmed Shiham said the same thing had occurred a month ago and had been reported to the authorities concerned.

Information from Alifushi indicates that only school children from a particular part of the island are affected.

On Tuesday last week eight children fainted, yesterday there were three or four.

Speaking to Haveeru reporters by phone Aminath, the mother of a ten year old girl who had fainted, said her child was unconscious for about an hour.

'She fainted at school and was having fits. She's never behaved like this before, and it's happening to a lot of other children as well. I'm keeping her home from school for a while,' said Aminath.

Before, girls of around 15 years age were affected, but in the latest incident the age is around 10 years.

The atoll office says nothing like this had happened until two months ago.

The girls who first fainted were treated by the doctor at Ungoofaaru, Raa atoll.

The medical reports, according to the hospital, said that the girls were not suffering from a sickness, and could heal themselves.

President Maumoon Gayyoom
translated from Miadhu 11 September 1999

Conflict between individuals or family members is one of the most deadly problems facing society, according to President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom.

In yesterday's 'Dheenuge Magu' [The Religious Path], the weekly newsletter published by the President's Office, Gayyoom writes that serious social consequences occur when love, friendship, and brotherly feelings which should exist between people, are instead twisted into the opposite emotions.

This is a disease which has infected human society from the beginning.

Learned and intelligent people have always been searching for a cure.

In fact, Holy Islam provides the best treatment for this problem, writes the President.

Revealing the cure, the Almighty Allah says:

'Good deeds and bad deeds are not the same. Better behaviour can defeat the effect of bad deeds. Then the hatred between you and the other will disappear and your enemy may become your friend.'

According to the President, the main reason for hatred between human beings is the escalating cycle of revenge.

Instead, by doing a kind deed for the sake of Allah, the fires of hatred and anger can be extinguished and harmony restored.

This is a divine lesson which Muslims must always keep in mind, says the President.

Editorial
translated from Haveeru 11 September 1999

In today's world people are connected by travel and communication technology for many different reasons.

Only a few societies now remain separated from others due to religious belief or ethnicity.

However, there are still many people who believe that a particular religious belief or ethnicity should be dominant.

During the 1930s, in Europe, a racist autocrat spread a fascist ideology. In the end, this caused a world war.

This European ideology has now spread, to a certain extent, to other parts of the world.

A letter was published recently in a neighbouring country's newspaper, written by a citizen of that country. The writer seemed to have a strong dislike of religious and ethnic differences.

Maldivians were accused of virtually invading and taking over, and described as being ignorant and useless people.

For these reasons the writer called for the deportation of Maldivians.

No doubt this is the voice of extreme racism and nationalism.

In reality, this city has been booming with the dollars of Maldivian tourists and businessmen.

Unlike people from other Asian states, Maldivians do not go to neighbouring countries to work as labourers, or illegally.

This is because, unlike other countries, Maldives is peaceful and calm.

by Ahmed Abdullah
translated from Haveeru 31 August 1999

An Islamic awareness program will be implemented by the government, targetting all the islands of the Maldives.

The Chairman of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim, said the program will be launched on Saturday in Malé atoll.

'A special delegation will be sent to each island, and this time there will be a high level delegation to the atolls,' he said.

Speeches will be given by high level officials including the vice-Chairman of the Council, Ahmed Farooq Mohamed, and the Director-General Faleelath al-Sheikh Usman Abdulla.

This program, with its high level input, is wider in scope than the on-going religious counselling scheme.

'As suggested by the President, this program is focussed at strengthening the Islamic belief system,' said Rasheed.

by Ali Mahir
translated from Miadhu 22 August 1999

Christian missionary radio broadcasts from FEBA in Dhivehi language are of continuing concern to the Maldivian government, says Faleelathul-Sheikh Al-usthaaz Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim, Chief Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs.

In an exclusive interview with Miadhu, Rasheed said that all the government efforts to stop the program, which started last year, have so far been unsuccessful.

Direct talks with the Seychelles government have been held on the issue.

However the difficulty in stopping this program is that FEBA is controlled by powerful private owners, and there is also evidence of Maldivian help with the program.

'Some Maldivians do this program in Dhivehi. We are trying to find out who they are,' says Rasheed.

Editorial
Translated from Haveeru 4 September 1999

A large majority of Timor people voted in favour of independence in the referendum.

Though it has been the 27th province of Indonesia, the dream of becoming an independent country is only days away.

For Indonesia, it is all very unfortunate. A racially related people are breaking away from the nation. In the past, the lands of Malaysia and Indonesia, or 'Mafilando' were settled mainly by a single race of people.

Western colonial powers, pursuing their own agendas, colonised and extended their cultural influences throughout South East Asia, spreading Christianity by force.

This was during the time of Portuguese and Dutch colonisation.

The area where the Portuguese had their strongest hold is about to become independent at a time when there are religious differences. Most of the population are Christian.

For the past 25 years the East Timorese have used several methods in the attempt to become independent. Guerilla warfare has been carried out. About 50,000 people have died.

East Timor's problem is the result of the spreading of Christianity by the colonial powers, and the religious division of the country.

And now East Timor is to be divided politically from Indonesia.

Portuguese efforts to colonise Maldives were not very successful.

Though the Portuguese controlled Maldives for about 17 years, their influence did not last. They were unable to divide the country religiously.

Anyway, reconciliation is the next task confronting the different ethnic groups in East Timor.