@ERA_Maldives has received and published the EIA addendum report at 10PM on a government holiday, on the night of Eid-Al-Adha.
The purpose of this report is to carry out land reclamation within the historically protected Eidhigali Kilhi and Koattey (Addu Nature Park) Protected Area, which was established with the help of many partnerships with countries and international organisations, and has brought in millions through environment-related grants and assistance to the Maldives.
Now, the entire machinery of the executive is hellbent on burying the environment — first with the entirely top-down, unilateral, and unjustifiable downsizing and rezoning of the protected area boundaries without consulting the public or stakeholders, to now trying to give the project some legitimacy with this bullshit report.
@Hassaan_Mhmd will you have the courage to reject this criminally negligent, and irresponsible “Environmental” Impact Assessment? Or will you hand the remote over to @aleeshareef and take the easy way out?
We will make sure this follows the professional career of everyone who is facilitating this destruction. Have you any shame?
@EUCouncil@EU_Maldives@AusHCMV@UKinMaldives@dfat@NickDLow@AusAmbClimate this is what @MMuizzu and his administration are doing with your funding. They beg for climate finance on the international arena and then turn to do this at home for short-term political gain, all while there is sustained resistance locally against such acts of ecocide.
Resign now, @aleeshareef !
What actually happened:
Due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, the rise in prices of goods, and internal economic pressures, the UK decided to temporarily suspend tariffs on a list of food products, including tuna.
The UK government itself stated:
“The government is suspending tariffs on a selection of agricultural and food products to support households with rising prices as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.”
This means tuna imported from all countries will face zero tariffs during this period. It is not a special bilateral agreement signed between the Maldives and the UK.
Yes, the Maldives stands to benefit from this move, especially private exporters like Gasim & Horizon Fisheries until MIFCO is able to export to the UK market. We should absolutely discuss how to make the best use of this opportunity.
But somehow this tariff suspension is now being presented as if it was achieved through the hard work of the government. Ministers, state ministers, and political figures publicly congratulating each other over this is honestly embarrassing.
Unless Maldives somehow played a role in causing the Middle East crisis and global price increases, this was ultimately a unilateral policy decision taken by the UK for its own domestic economic reasons.
It’s highly likely some ministers and state ministers are confusing this temporary tariff suspension with the GSP+/trade access efforts Maldives has been pursuing since the previous MDP government.
There is nothing wrong with highlighting the benefits Maldives may receive from this move. But presenting it as a negotiated bilateral achievement between the two countries only adds to the embarrassment and confusion.
Right to Information is in principle, supposed to be FREE as imposing a fee means that there will be a barrier to accessing information.
Thus a barrier to the RIGHT.
A fee for photocopies is allowed locally even and has been imposed on practitioners.
2/n
BREAKING:
This is South Lebanon right now.
Israel is raining bombs on civilian homes in the middle of the night, as Lebanese families sleep.
Terrorism.
“We remind the two-billion-strong Ummah that this Arab Muslim people, who have been resisting for over 70 years, are facing genocide, starvation, and displacement before your eyes. What will you say to your Lord?”
—Abu Obaida
It appears Google is going full evil. We cannot update our browser extension.... because it has too many privacy features. @googledevs@ChromiumDev wtf?
This was a response to an appeal of an earlier rejection.
Imagine if Iran bombed Washington, killed scientists, politicians and military commanders, what would you call it? Terrorists.
Israel bombed Tehran, killed scientists, politicians and military commanders. Why do you call it a "pre-emptive strike"!
Don't let the media lie to you
Genuinely curious what the average PNC member thinks of their Majlis super majority giving themselves a leave for the whole of Ramadan for “worship”
As if the rest of us don’t deserve time for worship
As if they don’t already work SIGNIFICANTLY less days than the rest of us