British Red Cross promotes People Power in Maldives :: Maldives News :: Dhivehi Observer

Special Review

British Red Cross promotes People Power in Maldives

Mariyam Mohamed, 27 December 2006

In a rare media appearance, Jill Clements, the Head of the British Red Cross Mission to the Maldives, on 27 November 2006 told the Maldives media that community participation is key to peaceful transition of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to Thaa atoll Vilufushi. One of the worst hit islands during the tsunami of December 2004, many of the Vilufushi IDPs now live in cramped temporary shelters in neighbouring host island Buruni.

On Monday, the British Red Cross Society (BRCS) also officially opened and received 8 bids to build homes on Vilufushi. Of the eight bids to build 250 three-bedroom homes on the island, the highest proposal was a US$11.7 million development project forwarded by Singaporean Lian Beng in association with Maldives' Amin Construction company. Amin Construction has recently been accused of unfair favoritism for government construction projects, due to alleged links with Dictator Maumoon.

The lowest bid was US$9.2 million from Ashley Alexis Builders Corporation, a construction firm from Philippines. Jill told the media at a pre-bid-opening press conference in Male' that the BRCS will select a contractor in a month's time after the evaluation of the bids and that construction of homes will start in early 2007. By 2008, all the people of Vilufushi are expected to happily finally return home.

Jill explained why it took so long, almost 2 years, for Vilufushi's housing project to become a reality. She said that there were delays in reclaiming the island by the Maldives and Dutch governments. The Maldives government can be counted on to drag its feet when it comes to national reform and national development, but the Dutch government…? After the reclamation, the island is now 3 times more in size, and also environmentally more safe because ground level has been raised by 1 meter. Consequently the government also declared Vilufushi a 'Safe Island' and has also injected more than Rf200 million to reclaiming the island. This staggering sum was under much media controversy several months back.

Jill also briefed the media on a unique approach adapted by the British Red Cross with regard to identifying who are most vulnerable and who will get the 250 homes to be built by the BRCS in Vilufushi. She said that the process will be participatory and transparent.

BRCS has acquired the help of a New Delhi based institute called Praxis, an institute credited with "promoting participatory practices".

Previous attempts to rebuild another island, Kolhufushi in Meemu Atoll, was halted because of disagreements between government, residents and NGOs over where houses should be situated. However, with the lessons learnt from Kolhufushi, BRCS turned to people power, and with the assistance of a 16-member committee elected by Vilufushi community, BRCS is presently cross checking information collected, making necessary amendments upon the advise of the committee and the Vilufushi community at large. A free hotline, 800 332 0852, has now been established so that Vilufushi residents not living in temporary shelters in Buruni but living in Male', Hulhumale and Vilingili, can be facilitated to contact the focal station in Buruni.

However, already the Vilufushi community has expressed concern over the land plots which the government has standardized at 2000 square feet, with houses at 86 sq. metres, although the Dictator knows that for over 20 years, the Island Office has not given new plots to new families.

"Nobody under the age of 50 owns a home of his own in Vilufushi. It has been too decades since the government gave any land plots to new families," a disgruntled Vilufushi resident, who wanted to be identified only as Maniku, told DO.

"There are many cases where many extended families live under one roof. But under the government's 'a house for a house' policy, it is absurd if the government expects families of 20 to 40 members living in 3-room apartments."

To pacify the discontented Vilufushi residents, Maumoon recently resorted to one of his usual cheap dirty tricks: on the night of November 9th, 2006, he sent Atoll Chief Ahmed Shareef Adam on a "tour of the atoll". Shareef came to Buruni and met the Vilufushi community at the school where, according to one islander, "he made all kinds of promises."

"It was a suspicious trip. I think what he wanted to do was keep us happy so that we will not go to Male' to join the November 10 demonstration. Anyway, he told us that the government is aware of the issue of extended families. He said that the government has promised to build us the extra homes, in addition to the 250 homes the British Red Cross will construct, with government funding or foreign assistance," the Vilufushi man who would identify himself as Easa told DO.

"Anyway, a promise is a promise. We were there and witnessed Shareef's promise. The government now cannot back down. It will have to build us the extra homes. Otherwise, where would we go? Sleep in the power house or the school?"

The BRCS arrived in Maldives in 2005 when the government asked for help following the tsunami as there was no Maldives Red Crescent Society to help the most vulnerable people during such Kaarisaas. Attempts at forming a Maldives Red Crescent Society has been hampered by so-called internal bickering among the now defunct Working Group, lending credibility to suspicions that the government may be trying to delay the process. However, former Working Group member Ahmed Naseer in an interview with Minivan Radio recently equally accused the Red Cross movement's Federation's representative Jerry Talbot for trying to upset the process. However, Talbot has maintained that Maldives is a unique country demanding unique solutions and that in some countries it has taken two to three years to form a National Society.

"However unique Maldives is, Maumoon cannot afford to ignore international best practices. If there is a Maldives Red Crescent Society, it will still be required to uphold its fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality -- whatever the Dictator's whimsies are," an independent political analyst said in comments to DO.

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