MALDIVES REFORMS MAKING SLOW PROGRESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002124 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DRL/IL FOR LAUREN HOLT STATE FOR SCA/INS MCC FOR S GROFF, D NASSIRY AND E BURKE GENEVA PASS USTR E.O 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON PHUM SOCI EAID PREL MV SUBJECT: MALDIVES REFORMS MAKING SLOW PROGRESS COLOMBO 00002124 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to South and Southwest Asia Ambassador Douglas A. Hartwick and Special Assistant Manpreet Anand traveled to Maldives on December 5-6, 2006, to meet with President Gayoom and other government officials to discuss US-Maldives bilateral economic ties. Ambassador Hartwick's discussions of trade and investment issues will be reported septel. In the course of discussions, officials from the Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM) highlighted proposed political reforms and potential constitutional revisions. While many ministers seem genuinely committed to strengthening democracy, the government has failed to deliver on most reform commitments to date. End Summary. Ambassador Hartwick Meets with GORM Officials -------------- -- ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Hartwick met with President Gayoom and with GORM Ministers of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Finance and Treasury, Economic Development and Trade, Atolls Development, Foreign Affairs, and with the Attorney General. Ambassador Hartwick primarily focused on the USTR's interest in strengthening bilateral economic links and trade opportunities between the U.S. and the Maldives (septel). All government interlocutors took the opportunity to describe Maldives' progress in its reform agenda in light of the March 2006 publication of a "Reform Roadmap." (Embassy note: Opposition activists have accused officials of making cosmetic corrections to impress the international community while little materially changes for citizens who still have limited civil liberties. The GORM has employed the British public relations firm Hill and Knowlton since late 2003 and has come under intense criticism from the opposition for using national funds for the endeavor. End note.) In meetings with Ambassador Hartwick, GORM officials highlighted positive changes but did not address key human rights shortcomings such as restricted freedoms of assembly and press. Reformist Ministers Reiterate Commitments to Change... -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) GORM officials opined that given the need for a major overhaul of the Constitution in a short amount of time, it is natural that the changes will meet resistance and discomfort among the citizens. The Attorney General, (AG) Hassan Saeed, complained that the GORM is in a difficult position as it is expected to institute a democratic framework, compliant with modern international standards, within only two years while most countries had generations to develop political institutions. The AG added that the younger, western-educated reformists in the GORM must contend with the older, less-educated cadre of officials who are still entrenched in the traditional, one-party system. Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed echoed similar views in a separate meeting. He added, however, that the opposition should accept the government's reforms instead of blindly challenging them. According to Shaheed, there are less than 15 opposition representatives out of 50 Majlis (parliament) members. (Embassy Note: Political parties were not legally recognized at the time parliamentary elections were held, limiting the opposition's ability to contest openly. End note.) Shaheed said he supported continued dialogue with the opposition party, but believed they were reluctant to engage because they did not want to be perceived as lending legitimacy to the current government. ... But the Pace of Reforms Drags -------------- ¶4. (U) Saeed told Ambassador Hartwick that he is pro-actively pushing forward the GORM's March 2006 Reform Roadmap. He said that the biggest obstacle to implementing the reforms is the lengthy period of time for the Majlis to discuss and pass legislation in an efficient manner. The Majlis has no time regulation that restricts discussion. ¶5. (U) According to the AG, the GORM is faced with the challenge of COLOMBO 00002124 002 OF 003 training a new government and civilian workforce to support the draft laws and programs. The AG's office sent twenty students abroad in 2006 to be trained as judges; another twenty will be sent in early 2007. These students are attending Saeed's alma mater, the International Islamic University in Malaysia, where they study both Western and Islamic legal systems. The students also serve brief internships in Australia and Singapore. The training is considerably shorter than international judicial education standards, but given the Maldives' lack of a specialized workforce, it is critical that the GORM develop its judicial infrastructure quickly, Saeed said. In addition, the AG assessed that lawyers, clerks, prosecutors, and other legal professionals need to be recruited and trained. Ambassador Hartwick suggested that the GORM invite foreign legal experts to conduct seminars and workshops in the Maldives. ¶6. (U) Government interlocutors said that the reform roadmap incorporates recommendations from a variety of independent, multi-national organizations, including the UN, WTO, and ADB. Further, the GORM is adopting the University of Pennsylvania's Law School draft of a Penal Code which will serve as a model of modern law comprised of both democratic and Shari'a law. According to the AG, the new policy legislation pending approval at the Majlis includes the establishment of a human rights task force, the elimination of more arbitrary detentions, greater freedom of speech, English translation of government documents, and a more transparent investigation process. ¶7. (SBU) Embassy Note: American law professor Paul Robinson drafted the new penal code with funding from the UN. GORM officials have praised the new code to Emboffs and the international community for over 18 months, but it has not been implemented. Although the AG criticized arbitrary detentions to Ambassador Hartwick, Maldivian police arrested over 150 opposition activists in November for planning to attend a demonstration. US Ambassador Blake, resident in Colombo and accredited to the Maldives, sent a letter outlining these and other human rights concerns to Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed late November 2006. End note. Political Dissent Still Penalized -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Ministers told Ambassador Hartwick that the GORM is attempting to revise the constitution in accordance with the "Reform Roadmap," trying to institutionalize political pluralism and strengthen human rights protection, media freedom and judicial reform. Nevertheless, the GORM has continued to prosecute opposition leaders on a variety of charges, leading Ambassador Hartwick to mention to President Gayoom and several ministers that there is an appearance that political dissent is penalized in Maldives. GORM officials responded that the media offers an inaccurate picture. Atolls Minister's Plan: Unifying 1,190 islands -------------- -- ¶9. (SBU) The Minister of Atolls Development, Mohamed Waheed Deen, told Ambassador Hartwick that in order to institute better governance policies and provide basic financial, educational, social, health and governmental services to a population spread out over hundreds of islands, the GORM plans to consolidate the population around 14 'safe' or 'focus' islands. Though this regionalization policy was introduced ten years ago, there has been little development to date. The UNDP is conducting a study on regional planning in Maldives and will present the report to the GORM in March 2007. The GORM intends to relocate people from islands with less than 300 people to one of the safe islands. Each of these respective islands will serve as an urbanized hub for its surrounding islands and provide social and economic services. The inhabitants of each atoll will have the right to elect members of their respective councils. The GORM hopes that this devolution of power will create more economic opportunities for people and ease COLOMBO 00002124 003 OF 003 the population congestion in Male', which is home to a third of all Maldivians and has one of the highest population densities in the world. The GORM has yet to announce these safe island plans to the public. Rise in Islamic Extremism -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Maldives, which many interlocutors have historically hailed as a liberal and moderate Islamic country, is now facing a rise in Islamic fundamentalism. Most Ministers told Ambassador Hartwick that this trend is visibly evident in Male', with a number of new mosques built and a majority of women donning veils. Government officials cited several potential reasons for the turn to more orthodox Islam, including poverty, inertia, perceived immorality of visitors, and Maldivian students' increased exposure to more extremist Islamic nations by attending madrassas in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The liberals in the government identified this phenomenon as a major obstacle to a democratic transition, and posited fears that it directly counteracts their pursuit of a modern, democratic society. ¶11. (SBU) Comment: Many of Ambassador Hartwick's meetings were with young, technocratic ministers who make up the "The New Maldives" group, the face Maldives usually presents to the international community. These government leaders are articulate, knowledgeable and western-educated, and many seem genuinely committed to reform. However, as GORM's actions repeatedly fail to match the rhetoric, it is unclear how much sway these ministers actually hold. They are clearly facing challenges in changing a government and society long familiar with autocracy. The officials anticipated many of Ambassador Hartwick's questions, perhaps in light of Ambassador Blake's letter to the Foreign Minister. As the New Maldives group vies for changes with hard-liners in the cabinet, it remains to be seen whether promised reforms will actually be implemented. Meanwhile, the potential draw of fundamentalism as an alternative to democratization remains a threat. We should continue to bolster Maldives in its reform process in order to assist this pro-western Islamic nation achieve an optimal outcome. ¶12. (U) This cable was cleared by Ambassador Hartwick.