Communications and Advocacy Manager at local anti-corruption NGO Transparency Maldives, Aiman Rasheed has said that the state must serve justice for the citizens who were wronged and abused during the previous administration.
Speaking on RaajjeTV’s “Fala Suruhee” program on Monday night, Aiman said that the past years saw the government’s incapacity to uphold the basis of the Maldives constitution, courts failing to serve justice for the people, and the failure of heads of independent institutions in fulfilling the responsibilities tasked to them under the constitution.
Further, he said that institutions had also bowed down to particular parties in their work and that they had been unfair to the people in carrying out their responsibilities.
“The list of unfairly treated individuals is long. So is the list of those who were neglected and abused. Some examples include inmates who were denied proper medical care and succumbed to their illnesses. These facts cannot be weighed with money. The citizens have tolerated a lot of abuse and we have even lost some lives. The state needs to serve justice”Aiman Rasheed
Shedding light on the progress that has been observed in independent institutions since the new administration took over, Aiman said that the people are disheartened to see those who have practiced the culture of corruption, still employed at some of these institutions.
Also, Aiman said that the Whistleblower Protection Bill, submitted to the People’s Majlis by MP for north-Galolhu constituency, Eva Abdulla is one that will guarantee safety for a lot of people.
The bill, to be tabled at the Parliament, seeks to safeguard whistleblowers and was first read out in the 11th session of the ongoing Parliament.
The main objective of the bill is to give whistleblowers the assurance that their information is protected, and to encourage them to share any corrupt information or anything that is being done illegally, without hesitation, said Aiman.
Speaking on the importance of creating a culture of transparency and accountability by protecting whistleblowers, he also said that once the bill is passed and implemented, whistleblowers will have the full protection from exposing financial losses to a particular organization or even those who report issues on general health.
