Advertising Standards

Have you been watching local TV recently? The programs are bad enough but the ads - man! they are bad! Can't we sell anything without adding a bit of domestic dispute in it? Angry wife can only be cooled by a certain fan, marriage can only be salvaged by a certain toilet cleaning liquid! Is this the sort of message we want to send to little kids watching TV? Can't we sell products with a more positive message?

I say we ban them all!

Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik

At the time of the elections back in 2008, I thought Nasheed had made a very good choice in choosing a VP. Both of them were very different in style and background and that seemed to be a good combination. With Nasheed's grassroots connections and hands-on approach and Waheed's UN experience, it looked like a good match for the next 5 years. I knew all along that Waheed also wanted the top job and this for him would be just a transitional phase. I just didn't know that things would start to become messy this quick - perhaps I was just naive.

To think of it, Waheed has not been able to leave any impression at all over the past year or so. He has neither been able to achieve much nor demonstrate his abilities to the public. True, his default excuse for this would be that he did not have the chance, that Nasheed did not give him the opportunity or the role to use his talents.


I feel that at his level, it is childish for him to say that! The position of VP might have been handed to him on a plate but position and role within the government has to be exercised with his personality, drive and charisma. I would think that Waheed would be best suited to have a foreign policy role or a role in education. He has his man at the Ministry of Education so this should not be a problem although we don't see Waheed being the 'visionary' there! In fact, Musthafa seems more prominent than Waheed in that area. Next is foreign policy. Shaheed certainly has a distinct personality (which some people love and others loathe) and Waheed with his lack of a strong personality would not be able to shine against Shaheed.

Just because he is the VP, does not mean that others have to bow to him and give him opportunities to take credit. He has to take his own initiative and do things on his own and make a name and perhaps space for himself within the government. The position might have been handed to him on a silver platter, but credit wont!

Thoughts on the Gitmo detainees.

The issue surrounding the Gitmo detainees seems to be the biggest news in town these days. What's the fuss all about? President Nasheed wants to bring a few detainees to the Maldives and the opposition is hell bent on making sure this does not happen. The opposition is branding them terrorists whilst the government brands them 'Muslim brothers'. Interesting huh?

Up until now, we were all appalled at the US government for imprisoning our 'Muslim brothers', in Guantanamo bay, holding them there for years without charge or trial. How could a country such as the USA, a so called champion of freedom and individual rights do this to our brothers? Surely, this is George W Bush's plan to enslave us all Muslims! And then how relieved were were when President Obama promised to closed Guatanamo bay and release all those who have not been charged?

And now, when a few of them 'Muslim brothers' who have never been charged with a crime may land next door to us, we are enraged! How could President Nasheed bring terrorists to live in our Country! This is outrageous we say!

How bloody hypocritical are we?

Anyway, do I think it will happen? Actually no. Our laws (especially those on residency and citizenship) are crafted in a way that it will be virtually impossible for the Government to give them residency here. One of the reasons that they are not being taken to their 'home country' is probably because they are stateless - no country would accept them as theirs. To bring them here, would mean that they would probably need to be given citizenship - which as I said before, would be virtually impossible without a change in law.

Thoughts on Adhaalath

Prior to the 'dawn of the new democracy' we always blamed Gayoom and his regime for politicizing Religion. For using Islam as a 'weapon' to enslave people and to consolidate their 'absolute and divine' power to rule over us minions. We loathed the regime for that and used it as a powerful campaign against him in the elections - and it worked!

Sadly we now see a situation where one of the minor partners in the Nasheed government (one who does not even command a single parliament seat) - the Adhalat party with their control over the Islamic Ministry trying to do exactly the same. Textbook Gayoomism I would say. In fact, their effort is even 'better and more targeted' that Gayooms. I was dumbfounded when I looked through the religious unity regulations which they tried to publish! It is one the most extreme piece of religious unity law I have ever seen (and I have briefly gone through ones in Iran and some of the states of Malaysia and Nigeria). There is a component in the regulation which allows the Ministry to poke into anybody's business. From an absolute restriction on freedom of speech to potentially dictating on the standards of advertising and marketing materials of tourist resorts! Just imagine the consequences! The only thing they fell short of was the creation of a religious police who would roam around the streets like they do in Saudi. Or perhaps, they will claim they have the authority to do this under some section of it later on!

Nevertheless, this cannot be tolerated.

Boadhaabas

I'm just an average Joe living in Male' and quite frankly fed up with our society. I normally keep quite about these things but it has come to a point where I feel that it is my social duty to raise my voice. I would like to believe that the the concept of 'adu gadha meehaa ge ruh giha vun' is only a myth but I am being proven wrong each day.

This blog is intended to be a venue where I can share my frustration, thoughts and ideas with the world!

There you go.