:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

Letter to the Editor

Island offices prohibiting individuals carrying out any relief work say policeman

Dear Editor,

Please do something. Some islands offices are prohibiting individuals carrying out any relief activities without permission/notice (or whatever) from island offices/atoll offices. This is to restrict any candidate other than government candidates benefiting from the situation. So they are more interested in limiting that than helping people.

The right policy should be to allow NGOs/ public to do whatever it takes to help. The above kind of policy is delaying assistance from nearby islands willing to help people who are suffering severely. As you know it takes ages to get help from male’.

For strange reason government is not showing and talking about full damage to some islands. Eg. Kulhudufushi. People are really angry. Please contact them and find they are treating this disaster as a national secret (is national security at stake or Gayyoom's billion dollar tourism business machine). Even in the interview to BBC it seems he tried to play it down. However it was a great opportunity to talk about real damages and plead for assistance.

Nobody is talking about future, relocation, building houses, financial assistance - till they find jobs.... or get back to normal....its a massive task but nobody is talking. ...about the business community especially tourism related small to medium businesses have already begun to suffer. You have already published one article regarding this. Please publish more on these issues. People are really desperate.

One last thing, the aid money given - some portion maybe used for relief and rebuilding efforts but another bigger portion maybe used for inappropriate purposes. Quality of houses that maybe be built in future maybe low because of these kind of diseases inherent in us. Should highlight these things early on to minimize such dealings by taking past examples. Such as schools/office building wrecked only after 10 years to the building.

Policeman

Male', Maldives - 28/12/2002