Maumoon Abdul Gayoom " Towards New Heights ": DhiFM Polls invalid, Dr. Shaheed is the most corrupt among presidential running mates

Sunday, September 28, 2008

DhiFM Polls invalid, Dr. Shaheed is the most corrupt among presidential running mates – Presidential Spokesperson

Mr.Mohamed Hussein Shareef

MALE, Maldives – Presidential Spokesperson Mr. Mohamed Hussein Shareef has said that private radio broadcaster, 95.2 DhiFM’s Presidential polls cannot be held valid. He has also said that independent Presidential candidate Dr. Hassan Saeed’s running mate Dr. Ahmed Shaheed is the most corrupt among all the Presidential running mates taking part in this year’s election.

DhiFM Polls Cannot be Held Valid

Speaking at a press briefing held at the Maumoon 2008 Campaign Media Office, Mr. Shareef noted the lack of proper monitoring and evaluation systems in the country for unofficial SMS polls conducted by radio broadcasters such as DhiFM.

Dr. Shareef told the media that SMS polls are a common method used all over the world to assess public opinion. He added there are no proper systems to regulate, monitor or evaluate the validity of polls conducted in the Maldives.

Speaking to members of the media, Mr. Shareef said that it is common in countries all over the world to conduct unofficial opinion polls close to an election. He noted the importance of following an existing code of ethics while conducting such polls and expressed concern over the lack of a transparent monitoring system in the Maldives to evaluate polls held by private parties such as DhiFM.

Mr. Shareef said that in the absence of a proper monitoring system, polls conducted via text message cannot be held accurate. In explanation, he said that the current system used by radio broadcasters such as DhiFM limits the number of possible voters and opens up the possibility for a single person to vote more than once using several phone numbers. He also expressed concern over reports that certain individuals have paid expatriates to text votes.

A previous DhiFM opinion poll was declared invalid by the station itself following a landslide win for Hassan Saeed by 90 per cent of the votes.

Mr. Shareef stated that if polls continue to be conducted in this manner they would have an adverse psychological effect on the voting public.

He urged broadcasters such as DhiFM to publish a log of their polling results or the government will have to request the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts and the Telecommunications Authority of the Maldives as monitoring bodies to oversee polls.

Mr. Shareef said in conclusion that the results of DhiFM’s polls vary from the independent votes carried out by the Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP) several months ago. DRP polls show that DRP Presidential candidate and incumbent President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will be elected President without requiring a second round of elections.

Dr. Shaheed Involved in Corruption Scandal

Dr. Ahmed Shaheed

Dr.AhmedShaheed

During the press briefing, Mr. Shareef also expressed his view that independent Presidential candidate Dr. Saeed’s running mate Dr. Shaheed should refrain from accusing others of corruption when he himself has committed extralegal acts during his time as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

To support his statement, Mr. Shareef explained that Dr. Shaheed had acquired the services of Indian web designing company Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) India Private Limited for the design and maintenance of a website. Mr. Shareef said that the Government has no official record of the purpose of this website which Dr. Shaheed had set aside for personal use. Mr. Shareef reminded Dr. Shaheed of his responsibility as a man in his position to answer to these charges.

Mr. Shareef said that he is aware of the fact that the Public Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for which the website was commissioned did not have the funds for such expenditure at the time and that as a result the Government is now forced to pay the outstanding amount of US$ 24,000 to IANS.

Mr. Shareef expressed his concerns about public funds having to be used to pay for private indulgence, especially in these economically difficult times.

Mr. Shareef said that those who wish to condemn corruption and advocate human rights should have a clean record. He also said that the government will be asking the soon-to-be established Anticorruption Commission and the independent Auditor General to look into this matter.

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Development Heights in the last 30 years

1. In 1978 the GDP per capita of the Maldives was USD 200 but today it is USD 3,000 - a 15-fold increase.
2. In 1978 there were only 4 government schools and 15,000 students. Today, there are 349 government schools and more than 86,000 students studying in the Maldives.
3. In 1978 there were only 65 university graduates in the country but today there are more than 3,000.
4. In 1985 there were 23 doctors and 74 nurses in the country, but now there are 550 doctors, 1,200 nurses, 600 medical personnel, and 800 community health workers.
5. The Infant Mortality Rate in 1978 was 120 per 1,000 live births, but today the number has been reduced to 10.
6. From 1978 till today, the Maternal Mortality Rate has been decreased from 6 to 1 per 1,000 live births.
7. Child Mortality Rate of children under 5 has been reduced to 18 per 1,000 live births from the previous figure of 180.
8. Life expectancy has been increased from 48 years in 1978 to 73 years in 2008.
9. In 1978 there only 7 doctors for all Maldivians totally but today there are 500 plus doctors
10. In 1978 there were only 7 doctors working in the country, but today the number exceeds 500.
11. From 1978 to 2008, the number of hospitals in the Maldives grew from 1 to 22.
12. The number of tourist arrivals in 1978 was 29,325 but today the figure stands greater than 675,000.
13. There were only 17 resorts and 1,300 beds in the Maldives in 1978. However, today there are 94 resorts and 22,000 beds.
14. The fish catch in 1978 was 25,800 tons but it has increased to 184,158 tons in 2006.
15. There were 413 mechanized fishing boats in 1977 but today the number exceeds 2000.

His Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

His Excellency Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is truly a man of the people. He is a leader who has earned the people’s trust and one who understands the needs of his people. It is under his skilled stewardship that Maldives became a highly respected member of the international community. Gayoom has maintained religious unity and promoted Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance and understanding. He is a philosopher, an academic and an Islami Scholar. Campaigning under the slogan of “Towards New Heights” he is undoubtedly the best contender in the presidential race.

Born in Male’ in 1937, to a middle-class family, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom demonstrated academic potential at a young age and, following early schooling in the country, went first to Al-Azhar University in Cairo and later to the city’s American University. He obtained an M.A. in Islamic Studies at Azhar, where he also studied law and philosophy. His Degree in Islamic Studies earned him an academic appointment as Lecturer in that discipline to Nigeria’s Abdullahi Bayero College, a faculty of Ahmadu Bello University. According to the work of biographer Graham Wilson, Gayoom is one of the three most intellectual students to ever graduate from Azhar University. Gayoom married Madam Nasreena whilst in Egypt and started his family while working in Nigeria.

Gayoom returned to his homeland in 1971 and began a long and successful career in serving the nation. His public service, which began with a teaching post at Aminiyya School, one of the only three government schools in the country then, is one of the most distinguished. He served as the Manager of the National Shipping Department, which quickly led to his becoming Director of the national Communications Department. By 1974, he had established his reputation as an able administrator and consequently, was appointed Special Under-Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister. His first overseas appointment was to the diplomatic post of Deputy Ambassador to neighboring Sri Lanka which was followed quickly by his appointment as the Maldives Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

On his return to Male’ in 1977, he was appointed Minister of Transport, and then in November of 1978 was nominated as Presidential candidate by the Citizens’ Majlis winning a record 92.9% of the popular vote in the referendum which confirmed him as the people’s choice for the post. The people’s decision has proven to be a prudent one for the country; a decision that brought the Maldives, with its relatively small geographical size and few resources, rapid progress and development, as well as an established and reputed position in the international arena.

The record-breaking progress, of the country, in the past 30 years under Gayoom’s able and far seeing administration is truly remarkable. Gayoom has guided a country poor in natural and human resources, within 30 years to astonishing heights of progress. This change did not just come about of its own accord. It is an undeniable fact that it was Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s able leadership that guided the country to those heights.

The pace of socio-economic development in Maldives is a testament to Gayoom’s hard work and vision. The multiples increase in per-capita GDP, increase in average life expectancy in the Maldives from 48 to 71 years, the decrease in the rate of child mortality and advancements in the educational and health sectors all bear witness to this fact. Gayoom’s leadership has enabled Maldivian fishermen to harvest the wealth of the Maldivian seas and made Maldives a synonym for the best of what a relaxing holiday can be.

After 25 successful years of nation building, at the inauguration of his 5th term to the Presidency, Gayoom announced that in this, his 6th term, he would prioritize the full and modern democratization of the now fast developing Maldives. The successful implementation of the education programs which he initiated in his first term in 1978 and the excellent results of his social and economic strategies had resulted in a young and educated population, who Gayoom believed, were now ready and primed to enter into the boisterous and animated arena of a modern, liberal democracy. Gayoom, had hoped that his Reform Agenda which he proposed in June of 2004, would be completed by the end of this 6th term, however it was not to be and Gayoom the originator and prime mover of the Reform Agenda is running for president today to ensure the smooth progress and successful culmination of the process of reform and democratization that he initated five years ago.

Significant achievements have already been made under Gayoom’s Reform Agenda which include a new, modern and liberal constitution whose Bill of Rights is amongst the most comprehensive in the world and in accordance with International Standards. Independent Institutions required by the new Constitution have now been created including the recently established Supreme Court, that has ensured that the powers of the executive, legislature and judiciary are now fully and effectively separated. A free and vibrant media is now flourishing in the country. These changes brought about, in the face of local and international skepticism and even active resistance, was implemented with patience, perseverance and foresight by Gayoom.

However, as these institutions are creations of the New Constitution, they are still in their infancy, some only a week old. They need time to mature and gain experience and acceptance. While the Maldives has a proud history which is more than 2000 years old, the new democracy of the Maldives, is yet a fledgling one. These will be testing times. The draftsman, who with foresight and wisdom, drew up these blueprints, is invaluable in these times, so that the rights, which bring with them corresponding responsibilities, are woven into the fabric of the Maldivian way of life and become part of our culture. This is too difficult a challenge and important a responsibility to be passed onto a new comer, a challenger with no experience and maturity, wisdom or foresight. This is not the time for experimentation. It’s the time for the only contender with a proven track record.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is ready to serve the people and take this country to new heights in five dynamic years.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

DhiFM Polls invalid, Dr. Shaheed is the most corrupt among presidential running mates – Presidential Spokesperson

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Development Heights in the last 30 years

His Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

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