Talking Point

As I boarded flight SQ 452 to Male’ last night from Singapore, I took a tablet of avomine to induce a calm and restful sleep. I carried The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell to keep me company till I fell asleep. During the four hour flight, I could do neither. As I put my first step into the aircraft, my eyes caught sight of Mr Champa Hussain Afeef sitting on the very first row. I shook his hand, greeted him, put my carrying case to the overhead compartment and tried to settle down in my seat. I was booked on a seat three rows behind him. I could not settle down. My inner self urged me to move up to the empty seat beside Mr Afeef and say hello to him more completely instead of that brief greeting we exchanged. It took me more than three hours to finish saying that hello.

Some amongst us who have obligations to perform professionally do occasionally use their otherwise-not-available platforms for enhancing purely personal agendas. Many of us have suffered such circumstances many a time. I have been a victim too, a few times. Here I give just two examples.

The press conference announcing the broadcast of Majlis sessions on radio and television invited mixed reactions. Some thought my responses were harsh and angry while others felt that my responses were direct and forceful. I was not angry. Those who were there from the media and have met me several times over the past two years would know that, that is how I am - that is how I speak. I have tried to be diplomatic and soft spoken at times. I have failed at every attempt. I feel too artificial. What you see is what I am. I speak with gestures and I speak with spontaneity. My apologies if I fall short of expecatations.

Special Majlis Speaker Qasim Ibrahim has been under intense criticism from various quarters of the Special Majlis for his snap decision yesterday to discard a sensitive matter off the day’s agenda. The Speaker removed from the agenda the sensational motion put forward by Adnan Haleem to remove members appointed to the Peoples Majlis and the Peoples Special Majlis and revoke rights of the President to ratify bills and constitutional amendments.

The form of government that would be installed in the Maldives will be decided by the people of this country on 18 August, this year. It is becoming increasingly certain that the constitution will be complete by the end of November this year. The new constitution would usher in a liberal and modern democracy in the country. The first major step of that liberal democracy will take shape in the first ever multiparty elections in the Maldives in 2008.

Warmest congratulations to the first ever female judges who were sworn in this afternoon. The appointment celebrates a drastic departure of policy as regards the erstwhile male only bench. It also marks a brave decision on the part of the Maldives Government to move ahead with the appointment despite formidable objection from fundamentalist quarters. This development would bring about a penetrating impact on the Maldivian male dominant psyche as well.

Q [1] What made you agree so late in the day to telecast the Majlis on television?

A: There never was a request on which I sat for long. I acted within a reasonable time when I received the letters from Hon. Qasim Ibrahim and Hon. Ahmed Zahir in respect of telecasting Special Majlis and Peoples Majils respectively. If you look at the dates of those letters and my response, I do not think that you would say I wasted anytime unreasonably. Naturally, I would take sometime to consult my staff, brainstorm a policy guideline and reflect upon the issues and challenges. When we talk of telecasting Majlis we are also talking about doing away with programs made to fit 36 or so hours by both the stations, VOM and TVM. That is a lot of pressure on me. When we talk of telecasting Majlis, we are also talking about not a policy improvement, but a major policy shift. All this takes time and reflection.

I have often hoped that democracy referred to a set of values that we like to attain in our national life. I have often believed that democracy was about a process that allows us to correct ourselves, our systems and our institutions on a continuous basis. I have often taken it for granted that democracy was an ideal route to achieving a set of noble ideals. I have often concluded that democracy was the only system of government through which the ordinary members of the public or the masses had any role in national debates and national choices and national decisions.

Mr Ismail Naseer of Haveeru Daily has a good take on the climate prevailing over the campaign for choosing a presidential or parliamentary form of government. Writing in his Thaaseeru column on 17th July 2007, he has given a vivid reflection of the current status quo. He has pointed out several issues: a large segment of the country is unaware of or indifferent to what is coming their way; many would not want to buy what party activists are saying; campaign activists are not able to give correct information or facts or figures; activists are not able to explain issues or respond to questions; activists campaigning for a presidential system misinform the public on a parliamentary system; and activists campaigning for a parliamentary system misinform the public on a presidential system.

My last post " Sate Media Will Not Be Sleeping" was on the role VOM and TVM will play in the campaign for system of government. I received some comments. I thought of writing this post to answer the misconceptions I sense in those comments.

Responsibility

My only motivation in asking VOM and TVM to start the campaign to create awareness on the two systems of government is deep rooted in my sense of responsibility. As Minister of Information I feel that there is a reason for me to ensure that the sections of Maldivian people who are genuinely interested in understanding the system must have a credible platform to benefit from at this crucial time.

DRP as a matter of law is not the ruling party. There has not been an election in which political parties have contested. DRP has not won such an election. MDP as a matter of law is not the opposition party. Again there has not been an election in which political parties have contested. And MDP has not been defeated in such an election.

Then how is it that DRP has become the ruling party and MDP has become the opposition party? Who made them so? What made them so? Some DRP executives say they are the ruling party. Some even attribute that title to DRP. Almost all MDP executives say they are the opposition party. Some even attribute that title to MDP. Media sources often quote the ruling DRP or the opposition MDP officials in their reports.

Maldives Media Company has become the country’s first ever licensed private radio broadcaster to hit the airwaves. My warmest congratulations to everyone at DhiFM 95.2 launched this afternoon by the President in that special ceremony.

After spending three years and Rf 680,000/- per person for the exercise, people are getting frustrated with the slow pace of the Special Majlis. After following the Special Majlis on radio and television for a few days, people are wondering if any real work could be done before the self imposed deadline of 30 November 2007. People are getting truly amused by the show that the Majlis members have put up for the nation to see. People are asking about the likely options that could be employed beyond 30 November to deal with this monster called Special Majlis. Some are saying that all members should resign on that date if the revision of the current constitution is not completed. Some others are saying that members should abandon their salaries and other monetary benefits. Some others are checking on ways to get rid of it by dissolving the Special Majlis.

Today, I have asked the Voice of Maldives and Television Maldives to let each of the five registered parties know that VOM and TVM will give them airtime to carry out their individual campaigns for the 8/18 referendum.

Q [1]: Is it a presidential system we are having now or a parliamentary system or a mixture of both?

A: What we have now is a home grown system with some parliamentary features and some presidential features.

Ministers found as members of parliament; vote of no confidence on ministers; ministers being questioned in the full session instead of committees; presidential nomination of members to the parliament; presidential candidate being approved by parliament; concept of private members bills and private business days in parliament are features that are identified largely with a parliamentary system. The president being head of government and head of state; it not being an absolute requirement that all ministers have to be members of parliament; there being two elections to elect members for parliament and head of state; and presidential candidate approved by parliament being put later to a yes no vote direct from the public are features that are identified largely with a presidential form of government.

On 4th August 2007, when the “Haveeru Debate” takes place, history will be made in several aspects.

Haveeru came to me a couple of days ago with the idea and asked for my assistance. I have given them my word that VOM and TVM will give every support to this cause as part of their own campaign to raise awareness on the two systems. VOM and TVM will advertise the debate free of charge and both the station would broadcast the debate the following night. The content will be used in several programs that the two stations would jointly run in preparing the nation for the 8/18 referendum.