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

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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
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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...
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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
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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

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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
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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
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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

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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
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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.