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The cries of a generation

OPINION by Hope 21 - Wednesday, 4th August 2004

Today I stand with my head hung, no longer do I have the pride to look at my brothers and sisters, for I am shamed by what my elders are doing. Unity and unconditional love seems to have ceased in a time when we all need to be together in the fight for our rights as citizens. We the young and the generations to come are being made to suffer the consequences in a war that is being waged to gain power, money and lust. I just want to ask these hordes one thing, do you in the slightest care about what is going to happen to the generations to come; your children, your own blood?

Allah, only gives true victory to those who care, those who care enough for their peers, and to those who look up to them. Pointing fingers does no good to anyone, the only aftermath would be a community raped of morals and ethics, a community infested with poverty and illiteracy. I beg of you to take a step back, and look around the people that are around you, your people. Don't you see what is happening? The whole Maldivian community has been divided; reformists, anti reformists, MDP, the current government and the people left in the dark, all have their own views on who should be in power and running our beautiful home.

It doesn't matter who is in power, as long as they do their jobs. We need to make plans to make things better, not just change them, for what good is a change if it isn't for the better. We need better education systems, where our children are taught by brighter, younger and experienced teachers. We need people who do not carry "corruption" on their backs, to run government offices. What we need is a governing body that listens to the needs of people and work with the people for a better future. There is little that would give effect to today's generation, by bringing about better changes, but we all need to give up our selfishness and work as a team for generations to come, we need to be people that are remembered for years to come as a generation that helped reconstruct a wrecked society.

Seriously, is it that hard to control the abuse of illicit drugs, or is it just pure ignorance. Why can't we all say in one voice "we want drug awareness taught in schools"? Is it so hard for the education system to reform to pay attention to these issues? Or do you Mr. President, do not give a damn about us? Will MDP attend to these matters if you are in power, or will you just sway these issues so as to control social awareness among your own people? We need honesty among us, we need a leader who's been a victim of corruption, a person who has licked ass to make ends meet, we need a leader who truly believes in judgment day and Allah, we need a leader who's earned his educational qualifications, what we need is a peoples person.

What does a man who has lived all his life in luxury know about the hardship of the people, who would a man who hasn't thought about Allah care for? Do we want an illiterate imbecile, or a literate coward, or do we want a literate, moderate and honest man?

Everyday through the media we are bombarded with images, news headlines, and talk of any 'good' deed the President has done. Unknown to us we have become puppets of the media, where a few of us have come to the realization of the truth. Now those who have broken from this bondage need to inform our fellow brothers and sisters the danger of the 'government controlled media'. We need to pass on what bad we are learning of our current rulers, and converse ways to make amendments.

The Media

The media controls our lives. We buy what they show us on ads, we plan our lives around television programs, we start the day off with the news headlines; that's what we have been programmed to do. Western culture portrays on the materialistic world, we in turn have adopted ourselves to that. Every teenagers believes that owning the latest edition of a motorbike is going let him score with the chicks, owning a mobile phone depict that one is of importance. Now we have all become slaves to these 'necessities', even though we could barely put food on the table. Sure if we could afford we are free to own all these, but are we?

In late 1999, our television audience started shifting to a world of Hindi "melodramas", today we have engulfed ourselves around these shows, resulting hardly anyone paying attention to the local TV channel, and surprise, surprise, since we no longer hear about the Presidents work on TV we have now entered a small dosage of reality. 'The Monday Times', started revealing the "other sides to the story", for a minute we thought this was it, then the government shut it down. It is about time we put some serious thought into these issues and started thinking in ways to get to the people, anyone who owns the media owns the world. Let us gossip about our misfortunes, 'caused by the governments ignorance, then we shall be in a real war. The people need to know, and then only will the people act.

Why not we all sit down and start drafting the ways we want the place to be ruled, and next to it write down what the current view of the government is on the issue, why don't we then pass on our thoughts to the people in the dark, so that everyone knows what's really happening. The point here is not to point the finger at the current rulers, but only to create an awareness among the people so that maybe things would start working in a way that we want, or perhaps a change (for the better), in the whole ruling party.

Education

When I was in year eight to ten, the Islamic Studies, talked about how the four 'Halifas' (caliph's) ruled. One point that I always remember is a situation where one Halifa refused to use the community kitchen to heat up water to have a shower; he regarded this as stealing form the public. Hmmmm, makes me wonder why not we point these to our current leaders, maybe they have forgotten about these rules of ethics! (they are after all human).

Recently I have witnessed incidences where grade 4 and 5 students don't even understand when spoken in English, it just blew my head off. I was horrified of how the education system has resolved to this minute being, compared to when I was in school; then at least students did speak and understand English. Please do not get me wrong, in no way am I saying that we should ditch our mother tongue, all I'm saying is that our kids need to be ensured a secure foundation for heir education, in a world where that is high tech and fast. In a world where everyone speaks English, we need to know our stuff, especially when most educational resources are in English.

To be a Muslim does not only mean that we have to only follow the five pillars, but also it is part of being a Muslim to work and to gain knowledge, only a fool would say this isn't so. It is our duty to understand and study other religions, cultures, and ways of life, in order to avoid traps set by enemies of Islam. We need good libraries and resources built, and I cant stress enough on this; we need a better thought-out education system that is equal in providing to all Maldivians. Please let us in one voice say no to discrimination for Islanders, and Male' residents; after all - we are all islanders.

I think the public has the right to know how they are blind folded by the "CHSE" scheme. Please all past and present students let the people know how they have been teaching you there. Recently I met one the longest serving teachers there, and what I heard and witnessed baffled me. Some of the teachers couldn't even speak a proper sentence in English, and these were the so called teachers brought to teach.

It is sad to hear that some of our brothers and sisters, who have had the chance to get a decent education from abroad, are sorting and have sorted means of living abroad and finding jobs, they have been resolved to do so only by the government for they do not allow them to pursue there chosen carriers. One incident that I have found, sad yet funny, is when a student completing his MA in Fisheries was put into labour ministry, and a case where a Mathematics Honors holder was put in charge of human resources.

(By the way, I am trying to be as unbiased, and diplomatic as possible, but it's just getting really hard, needless to say pointing fingers).

In my recent encounters, I have heard that in the education system when the budget is passed, a rate per head (or per student) is fixed, and the funny thing is this rate is 200% higher to students in Male' than that are for students in islands. (Funny, are 'islanders' not considered human any more?).

I could probably go on for ages about this unfairness, but there is more I want to say, so I'll move on.

The System

In an age where we are all driven by "speed', we could all agree that our governing structure and system needs to be reformed. We need laws that would punish wrong doers of all kinds, whether it be public or the enforcers, we need a media system that would unearth the truth in all scenarios.

We've all heard about the rave that there would be disruption of peace among the people if a party system is established, I say if people are informed and educated enough they would go with the decision. Surely, as things are now people would, but all what the people want is a peaceful life that is self sufficient. When was the last time, if ever, that the government took a poll on what people needed. Accept for the recent mind games and con tricks nothing has been done. Why can't the government put all the convicts back into the prison, as long as they are treated humane, people wouldn't be as outraged.

The public needs to be united as one, let us not be divided before even the slightest change has been brought. Currently, that is how Mr. Presidents playing the game. He knows he'll stay in power to do as he pleases, while we all sit back and whine. The only thing that stands between the peoples rights and the current regime is the lack of unity among us. A great leader is not one who asks for it, but one whom the people see as fit and elect. Without unity there could only be divisions. Please don't fall to the con games and tricks of the mind, think what's right for you, starts a revolution today (a peaceful one), make our children proud.

To MDP, I want to say, if you are doing all what you are doing for the interest for the people, please don't try to amend our laws and governing structure to that of the western, for there is no better law then the Islamic Law, for it is Allah who created us and it is to him we shall all return.