The whole thing might backfire!

So far the noise regarding the referendum on islands proposed as one administrative unit is rather minimal with comments like there should be a law on referendum, and some groupings do not make sense etc. Lack of proper laws is one aspect that stands between us and economic progress; but who is interested in passing such laws. Sometimes it seems that the problem with us is we have too many lawyers and criminals and ‘capitalism without ethics loving politicians’ rather than economists, engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs etc. (I know it’s a contradictory statement-we need honest lawyers and politicians. Don’t laugh.)

Living in a tiny island with a population barely reaching 500 is expensive and risky. You may have to hire a boat for couple of thousand Rufiyaa, even to buy a Panadol or staple food items like rice, floor.., If you can’t wait for a day or two, to get it. Cost to maintain such an island to government is quadruple or even more because the basic services have to be provided in spite of it being available from a nearby island within a 10 minute boat ride. We have solved none of these extraordinary problems requiring ordinary solutions. The end result of this neglect is few people being transferred to the first world while half of the majority is in the third world and the other half is in the prehistoric era.

Nevertheless, the government is not doing enough to educate the people on resulting benefits or loses of the move. Some talk on the ‘ if and possibilities’ is not enough. The people have the right to know the Hows and the Whats! Perhaps the government itself is not clear at the moment about what hardships will be eased up; except that, all will be able to reap the benefits of economics of scale and low transaction costs. In theory, to ensure success of any major change, it’s a must to provide some benefits (cheap ferry services within the administrative unit?) at the initial stage. Otherwise the whole thing might backfire!

Related link: Islands proposed as one administrative Unit (island) for the upcoming referendum: Population before and after merger

For more go to Resource Page

Comments

1000 islands, 1000 opportunities

Often we are bombarded with messages stating, we do not have any natural resources and therefore we are poor. Just because we do not have oil does not mean we lack natural resources to move our economy forward. When you think of it, the 1000 more islands are the natural resources we have. We are using less than 150 islands for industrial purposes. The rest is untouched and unused. Tourism has shown that each island can be turned into multi million dollar cash generating investments. However, the problem is policy makers seems unable to think beyond tourism. Policies in assigning islands for industrial purposes need to be reviewed and prevent over concentration on tourism in a single atoll. Within the atolls (including Kaafu and other atolls that has high concentration of tourism), islands can be leased to fisheries, agriculture, education, health, and many more other industries and make them easily accessible for people to go for jobs or to acquire goods and services. Build...

A Nation Sold Out!

We often talk about how corrupt are the politicians and those who are in high offices. I would say all of us are bonded through the chain corruption. First we sell our vote to the highest bidder, digging our own grave. The members than sell his/her vote to the Ultimate Buyer for money, position, power and so on The Ultimate Buyer, instead of meeting our demands, controls the members through the chain of corruption; we become helpless and our hopes for a decent life and a prosperous future gone. We cry, and whine saying how corrupt is the Majlis, the government and each and everyone who are in positions of power. After 21 days* we forget about everything and go about our lives and in between if some need arise, we beg the member or the Ultimate Buyer the member or the Ultimate buyer fulfills the need, on the promise of selling our vote again. It’s a vicious circle My request to Mps - to include vote buying/selling undue inducement as a criminal offence ...

Can we, women of this country, have some space to grow food and offer food security to our family?

Illustration by Aishath Rishtha Translation: “When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money” 2014: Think about it? In 2014, I started writing a book using census and all available economic data on every atoll including data on how many uninhabited islands each atoll has. I thought that showing demographic, geographic and economic data will make people realize we need to do something about abandoning such rich resources for a congested living in Male’…. I shared the first draft with friends and mother thinking everyone will be very pleased. They weren’t happy. Major problem seemed to be - “just throwing data on people is not enough… we need to talk about some solutions. Take food security for one…..” 2016: Write about it? The book (Falhu Aliran Muy)- now twice bulky, with economic history (on the suggestion of Late Ali Hussain of Novelty Printers) and 11 interventions on future of ato...

Voice of Maldives Islands

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