RSS

Maldives: A Glorious Past without a Future

03 Oct

My comment to the post Maldives: “Gone in 60 Seconds” by mnasheed.com:

Events and decisions “not so visual” have impacted on the recipe of the Maldivian tourism industry at the core. Sadly, our simple ways and simple minds habe been alerted only by “an explosion of sorts”. That should never have been.

We started a swimming program for school children when a CHSE student drowned. We put up speed breakers when a young life was lost. More recently, we have failed to act and respond effectively on the lives lost to suicide, gang fights, reckless driving and so on. Life has lost its value in our society. Yet, we have fortunately been alarmed when mega investments have been put in jeopardy. Lives of foreigners who make up the building blocks of our economy have been almost lost, yet did not get the attention nor the priority because they were not perceived to bring in the riches.

While I join in condemning those behind the explosion that targeted unsuspecting and innocent lives, in the strongest possible terms, I believe we the Maldivians have been wronged more and cajoled into the fantasy of living in a paradise on earth, by people who have robbed and eroded us of our dignity and human values.

The issue is not as simple as how it is being showcased by the very emotional sentiments of our politicians and parliamentatrians. Our economy that has lacked the foresight to build on its sustainable existence through measures of social responsibility has given rise to “invisible” explosions far worse.

In addition, I would also like to note that the “ownership” of the economy and more significantly the tourism industry has been limited in the hands of a few. In other parts of the world, the public participation in the ownership of the economy is made possible through public limited companies. In the Maldives, this provision in regard to the tourism industry though made possible through incentives to private owners has not been exercised, as there is no real need. Recent efforts by the government to make that possible through public listed companies such as MTDC and Fathuru Maldives has been vehemently challenged and almost nearly blocked by fronts I believe are backed by key stakeholders controlling the ownership of the industry now.

Maldives need to make timely and appropriate interventions to distribute the “ownership” of the economy and build a broad based SME sector in the country, if further incidents like the Sultan Park Explosion are to be avoided in the futre.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on October 3, 2007 in Neevey Adu Kon Adu

 

3 responses to “Maldives: A Glorious Past without a Future”

  1. shahuru

    October 6, 2007 at 10:56 am

    Dear Anonymous and SimonThe bomb that went off we all know has hurt us all. Interpretations of the implications of this act is very subjective at least for now..We cannot think many other types of violence okay sort of and think that one type will not arrive.There is a a growing general acceptance that common people are disadvantaged and tourism and wealth is seen by those who own as a rightful inheritance of a few sacred.Some of us now an then feel, it is okay to hurt tourism, although not to the level of killing tourists… if this time if it was not; some other time it might be even just for the reason that tourism is not benefiting to the people fairly.

     

  2. Simon

    October 4, 2007 at 1:37 pm

    Shihab,What sort of a thinking hat are you wearing? When the next bomb goes off killing innocent lives you’d still be blaming the state of the economy?Wake up, mate! This has nothing to do with any of that. This is religious extremism and it needs to be dealt with and if anything completely eradicated.

     

  3. Anonymous

    October 4, 2007 at 11:40 am

    Sorry, but what a load of bull. The terror attack is a signal of religious extremism. Do not put a blind eye on that very fact. It is not about ownership of economy or of anything of that sort. Anyone who isn’t ignorant would know that the recent attack is as a result of being too lenient with extremism and playing around with religion for political purposes and gains.

     
 
%d bloggers like this: