Maldives This Week: 12 - 18 September 2021

On 17 September, the United Kingdom removed Maldives from its red list and moved it to green. This means that from 22 September, travellers from the Maldives will be able to enter the UK without having to quarantine.  

On 16 September, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that the census will be carried out from 17 to 30 September 2022 and will cover economic activities in addition to population and housing.

On 16 September, the Civil Servants Association announced a protest by civil servants to take place on 19 September calling for positive salary changes and the establishment of a minimum wage. The association said that it will give the government until 20 September to respond and that civil servants wills top work if there was no appropriate response. 

On 16 September, Spokesperson at the President's Office Mabrook Azeez said that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has assured doctors and nurses that their concerns will be resolved. Close to 500 doctors and nurses have submitted a petition to the president over suspensions in promotions. 

On 16 September, former President Abdulla Yameen said, at an appeal hearing on his conviction at the Supreme Court, that he would not have touched the USD1 million received into his account if he had known it was corrupt money through the MMPRC. He also claimed that the state was unclear about the charges against him on the money laundering allegations. 

On 16 September, the High Court ruled that the State had not kept to stipulated durations in filing charges against alleged terrorist Mohamed Ameen and dismissed the case. The Prosecutor General's Office has said it will appeal the case at the Supreme Court. 

On 16 September, the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) issued a warning to former President Abdulla Yameen over his participation in an opposition protest on 10 September, while under house arrest. 

On 15 September, chair of the parliament committee on foreign relations Ibrahim Shareef said that the committee has been invited by the Indian government to make an official visit to India. He said the Government of India will bear all costs of the visit and that it has requested opposition lawmakers also to participate. 

On 15 September, close to 500 medical doctors and nurses at the IGMH submitted a petition to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih calling for the Civil Service Commission to recant a decision to halt promotions in the technical cadres of the civil service. 

On 15 September, the Maldives National Party submitted its application to the Elections Commission to register as a political party. 

On 15 September, the Elections Commission elected Fuwad Thaufeeq as president of the commission. He has served as president from September 2009 until 2013 as well. 

On 15 September, Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem noted a lack of knowledge and research into how to deal with the issue of narcotics abuse and addiction in the Maldives. The National Drug Agency was transferred to the Ministry of Health on 10 May. He also noted the lack of a mechanism to ensure that proper treatment was available. 

On 15 September, the President's Office announced that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will be travelling to the United States on 18 September, to deliver his address at the 76th UN General Assembly. President Solih is scheduled to deliver his address on 21 September. 

On 14 September, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer announced that the government will be proposing a MVR37 billion budget for 2022. New revenues measures are estimated to generate MVR1.3 billion. 

On 14 September, the Maldivian parliament approved the appointment of Samaau Ahmed Najeeb as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM). 

On 14 September, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid officially assumed the position as President of the 76th UN General Assembly. 

On 14 September, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched the gov.mv message services, which will enable anyone to send formal letters to any government organisation.

On 14 September, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna said that the government will be introducing digital national identity cards by 2023. 

On 13 September, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail said at parliament that there was no more human trafficking in the Maldives. He made the statement in response to questions on progress made in combatting human trafficking since the new government came to power. He also said that there were 281,000 foreign workers in the Maldives.

On 13 August, the Prosecutor General's Office said that three more individuals have been charged in relation to the bomb attack against Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.

On 13 August, Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim said that although former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed has been charged he has not been convicted of any crimes. He also said he had concerns over whether Waheed was 'framed.' 

On 13 September, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail, said at parliament that there were 281,000 foreign workers in the Maldives. 

On 12 September, the Maldives Police Services started investigations into a bomb threat written on a pillar at Noor Mosque in Male. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has issued a statement calling on the government to take quick action against such threats, and raising concerns that a state of emergency has not been declared. 

On 12 September, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met with pilots at The Maldivian who are on strike calling for reinstatement of their salaries, which were reduced to 40 percent with the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic impact. The President has reportedly approved increasing salaries to 80 percent, with efforts to be made to reinstate salaries 100 percent by 2022. Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer who was also at the meeting, said that the government has spent close to MVR200 million to ensure that no pilots were laid off even with the downturn in business due to the pandemic. 

On 12 September, the Supreme Court held a hearing on an appeal filed on the conviction against former President Abdulla Yameen for money laundering, for which he has been sentenced to five years in prison along with a USD5 million fine. Yameen's lawyers filed to delay serving the five-year sentence and to release him on bail.

On 11 September, former President Mohamed Nasheed submitted a case at the Office of the Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice, to investigate the takeover of Televisión Maldives by security forces on 7 February 2012. 

On 11 September, former Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed tweeted a message saying that he will not take a step back in the face of attempts to make politically motivated charges and framing individuals. He further said that he will make all sacrifices necessary to ensure a fair and just judicial framework for Maldivian citizens.