The names of Mohamed Ibrahim and Hassan Shah, proposed by President Mohamed Nasheed for membership at the Elections Commission, were rejected by the People’s Majlis for the second time on Monday.
All 77 MPs were present at the sitting when the names were rejected. Hanimaadhoo MP Mohamed Mujthaaz made the proposal to reject the names and was seconded by Villi-Maafannu MP Mohamed Nihan Hussain Manik. The proposal was passed with the approval of 39 of the 75 members who voted, while 36 voted against the proposal. One MP declined to vote. Mohamed Ibrahim is the President of the interim Elections Commission and Hassan Shah is a member.
Although Mohamed Ibrahim and Hassan Shah were rejected by the Majlis, the name of Hussain Siraj, who was President Nasheed’s third nomination to the Elections Commission, was approved and submitted for inspection by a 7-member committee. The committee members include North Ari atoll MP Ali Waheed, Maafannu Hulhangu MP Abdulla Abdul Raheem, Kaafu atoll Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam, Laamu Maavashu MP Abdul Azeez Jamaal Abubakur, Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo MP Mohamed Gasam, Noonu atoll Kendhikulhudhoo MP Ahmed Easa, and Seenu atoll Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb.
July 17, 2009
Majlis rejects President’s two nominees for the second time
More than 300 tonnes of MIFCO fish rejected by Iran
More than 300 tonnes of fish exported by the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) to Iran has been rejected and returned, the Company has said.
The Director of MIFCO, Adhly Saleem, said that they had exported 1500 tonnes of fish to Iran last month and that more than 300 tonnes had been rejected and returned because the quality of the fish was not up to standard.
“The fish shipment exported to Iran was rejected and returned because parasites had been discovered in the fish,” Adhly said. “But we don’t plan on bringing it back to Malé to be destroyed. We are hoping we will able to process the fish at Felivaru.”
He said that it wasn’t the first time that such a thing had happened and that last year 1,100 tonnes of fish, from a 31,000 tonne shipment, had been rejected by Bangkok and sent back.
“Bangkok is our biggest client,” Adhly said. “But we export to Iran because we get a better rate, US$200 more per tonne, than from Bangkok. Still, we face more difficulties with Iran than with Bangkok so we don’t export to them that much.”
He said that the company tried to ensure than not more than 1.5 percent of their exports was rejected. He also said that the reason that parasites were present in the fish was because sometimes the fish that were caught by the fishermen was not kept in ice to preserve freshness.
“The only solution to this problem is to ensure that fishermen get access to enough ice,” he said. “They seem to think that just because we are a Government company we have to buy all the fish they catch. The company suffers huge losses because of this.”
Adhil said that some of the fish that were rejected and sent back from Bangkok were sold as pet food.
“There have been occasions where we have sold the rejected stocks as pet food for US$800 per tonne,” he said. “Others have expressed interest in buying it to make fishmeal.”
Man stabbed near Sina-Malé flats
A man was stabbed during a group fight that broke out near the Sina-Malé apartments early Tuesday.
According to the Police, the incident had occurred around 2:40am and the 22-year-old man had suffered severe injuries in the fight. However, Police did not reveal the identity of the victim.
Dr Abdulla Ubaid of the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital said that the stab victim was bleeding profusely when he was brought to the Hospital. He had been stabbed repeatedly with a sharp object, he said.
“The wound was very deep in two places,” Dr Ubaid said. “One of the wounds was to his left side of his chest. It had punctured his lungs and blood was leaking into it.”
Police said that they were looking for two suspects, one an 18-year-old boy and another underage boy, in connection to the attack.
Newspaper editors raise concerns over Government’s decision to stop publishing notices in newspapers
Following the Government’s decision to publish Government notices only in their gazette after 1 September, local newspaper editors met to discuss the matter on Monday night and raised concerns about the decision.
The meeting was organized by the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) and during the meeting the editors agreed that it was necessary for the Government to take measures to cut expenses during the global recession. However, they also said in a press release that the Government’s decision to stop publishing notices in public media altogether could lead to negative effects.
The editors raised concerns that the Government’s decision could negatively affect the operations of the newspapers, leading to bankruptcy, layoffs, and low media coverage of events.
During the meeting some of the editors proposed alternatives to the Government’s decision, such as policies to oversee how the Government notices would be published in various media. They also said that were open to negotiations to lower their advertising rates and to distribute the notices across the many newspapers in a fair manner. The editors also proposed providing adequate subsidies to help the newspapers stay in circulation.
Majlis session called off after heated argument
Wednesday’s sitting of the People’s Majlis was cancelled after a heated argument broke out among the MPs.
The Majlis was debating an urgent matter submitted by Lhaviyani Naifaru MP Ahmed Mohamed when the argument broke out. According to reports the disturbance had occurred after a heated debate between Galholhu South MP Ahmed Mahlouf and Hulhu-Henveiru MP Reeko Moosa Manik over something that Laamu Maavashu MP Abdul Azeez Jamal had said.
The situation got worse as many members got up from their seats and took part in the argument, and some were seen throwing punches, pushing and shoving other MPs, while others tried to keep some MPs apart. Speaker for the People’s Majlis, Abdulla Shahid, had cancelled the session and walked out of the Majlis Hall.
Shortly after the disturbance at the People’s Majlis, a large crowd gathered in front of the People’s Majlis building.
