A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
A ruling party lawmaker has berated islanders in the south of the country, accusing them of being ungrateful towards the president and telling them to boycott an upcoming opposition rally. The MP and parliament majority leader Ahmed Nihan lashed out Tuesday night at a Progressive Party of the Maldives event, taking aim at the people […]
A criminal court order to seize the mobile phone of a prominent social media activist has sparked outrage and concern over the constitutional right to protect sources. Citing a secret intelligence report as evidence, the police sought the warrant to identify Thayyib Shaheem’s sources for an investigation into alleged false claims about President Abdulla Yameen, […]
The Maldives central bank has warned of dwindling national reserves as the rate of foreign borrowing increases. Governor Ahmed Naseer of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) sounded the alarm in a statement sent to the parliamentary budget review committee, which met Monday. The committee cancelled two hearings they had scheduled with him and the auditor […]
A record budget of MVR27.9 billion (US$1.8 billion) was approved Monday without any cuts by a parliamentary committee after opposition lawmakers boycotted meetings. The budget was approved thanks to the votes of 12 politicians aligned with the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) with only change – to a public sector investment project for […]
President Abdulla Yameen promised pay hikes for civil servants at a rally held Friday night to celebrate the fourth anniversary of his administration. Addressing a crowd of thousands at the carnival area in Malé, Yameen pledged a 37 percent hike for civil servants in the lowest salary bracket and a 25 percent rise for the […]
Mobile phones belonging to family members of a key witness in a bribery trial have been confiscated by police. The police action follows Ahmed Shafiu’s allegations of a lawmaker attempting to coerce false testimony against MP Faris Maumoon, who is at the centre of the trial. Shafiu, a Jumhooree Party activist, was arrested a day […]
A newly hired spin doctor for the Maldivian government has been blasted by opposition activists for defending the “biggest rogue” in the country – President Abdulla Yameen – as well as his for previous work with an African dictator. Celebrated human rights lawyer Jason McCue is a director at Rigel Corporation, which last month issued […]
The easiest way to ‘colonize’ a country is by weakening its economy and forcing it to depend upon another country for its income and livelihood, President Abdulla Yameen has said, even as the Maldives attracts massive overseas investment for mega projects and relies heavily on foreigners for tourism. Yameen was speaking at the capital’s convention […]
President Abdulla Yameen speaks at the ceremony of the Maldives’ 49th Republic Day. PHOTO/PRESIDENT’S OFFICE Political differences should not lead to national divides, declared president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Saturday night at the ceremony of the Maldives’ 49th Republic Day. In his address, Yameen proclaimed that “no one will be excluded from nation building” […]