President Mohamed Nasheed launched on Friday a strategic action plan, setting out a framework for delivering the Maldivian Democratic Party-led (MDP) government's five main pledges.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Democracy Fair, held to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the first multi-party democratic election, the president said the ruling MDP compiled its manifesto after years of listening to the people.
“The book we’re launching here today is the national development framework or the document that will clearly specify how the government will fulfil its pledges to the people,” he said.
“The framework has the details of how the government will fulfil its promises to the people. In other words, we are proposing a system to carry out things according to this document or framework that will fulfil our promises.”
He added the action plan laid out a clear vision and timetable to deliver on the government’s pledges, which includes accessibility to affordable and quality healthcare, affordable housing, lowering the cost of living, tackling drug abuse and trafficking and establishing a nationwide transport network.
The president said all state institutions had an important responsibility to consolidate a democratic system of governance and deliver it to future generations.
"Concrete results-based"
A press release today by the UNDP, a partner in formulating the plan, stated that a series of consultations were carried with diverse sectors to review “development trends, emerging issues, goals, policies and strategic interventions”.
“It is anticipated that this document...will facilitate equitable implementation of the manifesto and guide the local and national policy makers and the development community to support nation-building and strengthening the country’s nascent democracy,” it said.
It added that the UNDP worked closely with the government and other UN agencies to formulate “a concrete results-based action plan within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals and human rights with clear targets, mandates, and the means of implementation.
“The evolving work on costing and monitoring and evaluation will ensure that the Manifesto pledges are successfully executed to significantly improve the quality of life of all Maldivians thereby sustaining the very foundation of the democracy in the country,” it concluded.
In the foreword of the action plan document, Nasheed wrote that the five main pledges would lead to greater progress and prosperity for all Maldivians.
“In our quest for a more prosperous Maldives, we remain unyieldingly committed to the principles of liberal democracy. We also believe that the full potential of our people may only be realised by relinquishing to our citizens greater control over their own destinies.
"It is these two basic principles that animate our desire to have a small government that places greater emphasis on the marketplace and a more decentralised system of governance,” it said.
“Our policies are business-friendly and we have launched an ambitious public-private partnership programme that we are confident would be the engine of economic growth and development in the country.
"The government would, nevertheless, have an ever-greater role than before in guaranteeing and ensuring that the basic of public goods and social protection measures are provided to all Maldivians unequivocally. Similarly, our decentralisation policy has created seven provinces that would give citizen’s greater control in the governance of their individual communities and would also yield greater economies of scale.”
Democracy fair
In his speech, Abdullah Shaheed, speaker of parliament, said the biggest responsibility on our shoulders today was tending to the “tree of democracy” planted by the people to ensure that it did not wilt and die in its infancy.
The president's office stall
In a democratic system, he said, parliament’s role was advocating on behalf of the public, passing legislation and holding the government accountable.
“Today’s People’s Majlis does not just make laws. Today’s People’s Majlis does not give the opportunity to just one party, one way of thinking or to those who think alike,” he said. “One of the most special characteristics of today’s People’s Majlis is that there is the opportunity for difference of opinion.”
Chief Justice Abdullah Saeed said democracy was the means to achieve the development people yearned for.
The three branches of government did not have to obey each other but the constitution, he said.
Following the opening the ceremony, Nasheed along with the speaker and Chief Justice toured the stalls of the fair, which included government offices, corporations, three political parties as well as media.
Shauaib Ali, chairman of the organising committee, said the fair was a resounding success.
“The number of people that visited was three times more than we thought,” he said, adding over 21,500 visited the two-day fair.
Shuaib said the fair featured 102 stalls and its organisation was devolved to the various sectors. “For example, the judiciary divided their stalls for the various courts.”
The experience showed that a convention hall “four times” the size of Dharubaaruge was needed in the capital for such fairs and exhibitions, he said.
“We are very satisfied with the way it went,” he said. “Lots of people asked us to extend it for one more day.”
Related:
Posts
3 comments:
Our Mullah must seek more scholarships in places like Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). The Anni administration must double up the efforts to get more Maldivians educated overseas than depending on Indians to fill the vacuum.
but we have already been sold to the indians....
READ THIS REPORT:
link - http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/louis-cruises-india-becomes-first-cruise-company-to-lease-island-in-maldives-8847
It's all very well saying the government must seek more scholarships for our students.
The fact is that 80% of our students are failing there GCE O'Levels! And, they still want white collar jobs, scholarships etc.
Parents have a large role to play in this too. They need to take education more seriously than now rather than relying on the government to spoon feed their children. Even the poorest child, given enough attention has the potential to achieve great results.
Post a Comment