Diagnoses and Prescription for methods Used by president and his Elites in Re-Invention of the Governing System for 30 Years of a Well Conditioned Systematic Accumulation of Wealth.

The Political survival of our president for nearly 30 years has taken its toll on our economy. It has exhausted the economy so badly public sector development projects that benefit the people have died down. We need to solve the problem of using government resources for personal gain by the elites immediately to avoid been one of those debt ridden country. Research done in many countries has shown that political institutional reforms through structures in a strong  constitutions are the remedy for the situation. If we want to stop the continuous acts of acquiring public funds for personal gain, the only way forward is constitutional reforms. (Grosh 1994, World Bank 1997).

Regimes like Maldives the method of governing the country is collecting as much  finances as possible from external agencies like world Bank, United Nation, in Maldives case using our Muslim connection from Arab Oil Rich countries and their Sultans as well. Then what the government does is give a little bit to the public through small time short run projects for political survival and use the bulk of the finances for either their own business investments or bulking their Swiss bank balances. The conditions used by the group even though are versatile here, I will enclose the most common ways so that the ongoing constitutional reform process can consider in making provisions to eliminate such heinous abuse in future.

1. The Governmental Powers that the president has taken though his long-lasting position in many of the section of the Government, and giving such multiple controls to his close friends/family members has lead to a systematic reward base system. That is only reward the Political insiders and trusted personals, though pieces of land from Male’ or from else where they wants, high government posts and promotions and as such. This encourages the people in the middle management level and below to perform rent seeking behaviour. This means that unless the prospect of reward is not in the horizon they are not committed to doing their job. Any bit of honesty and dedication is discouraged. Sometimes after they become wealthy though the abuse; instead of performing their role in the government their rent seeking behaviour increases to the point they focus on acquiring more. Also people in the other sector get drawn into the web. People fly in flocks towards the rent delivering behaviour of the government. For example, the award of public contracts at inflated prices to insider contractors in Maldives case the evidence of this practise is easy to see in the way resort projects has been working in the presidents regime. Furthermore systematic manipulation of regulatory power to suit the current needs of the rulers and the elites is a common behaviour, sometimes contradicting the constitution or changing it where necessary. Evidence from the Past I will leave for the readers’ imagination.
2. Ignorance of Practises of Corruptive behaviour in the Government System is another of the systematic procedure. The distribution of government jobs by the political controllers from the president to the followers are arranged particularly in combination with government’s tactic and skilful acceptance of autocratic corruption. Instead of negative consequences over such behaviour these people get away with stealing public funds they have control over. I am sure I do not need to mention the many cases of corruption and stealing large amounts of money in the Maldives by such government bosses. Sutto case and Ilyas case, and Custom Bosses case etc. The sad fact is this kind of behaviour in the top fosters incompetence, indiscipline and unpredictability in the government institution at all the levels. These deficiencies from the top in turn undermines public services discourage productive investments and demoralize competent honest public employees. These employees are left with no choice but join the political game. Or others with morals depart from the government and go to the private sector. Furthermore as seen in most of the Maldivian cases such employees demoralised emigrate and move to other countries. The government keep on acquiring more money and resources not on for servicing the public but for these political machines who head the different important jobs of the government to keep going.

3. The presidents or the ruler’s active involvement in the abuse of public funds and the abuse by his gang of political dependant cronies at various levels of the government also lower the rate of the public investments. We have seen a boom of public investments in Maldives in the first decade of the Presidents regime. However we all agree the rate and capacity any money gets invested for education, health, building infra structure such as roads over the years has decreased. Specially Building infra structure such as schools, hospitals, and mosques and also the social services needed to manage drug problem, crime, providence of health care and education services in the atolls have lost its momentum. This declining or underinvestment in human resource and Physical capital on the public and countries behalf in turn restrict the growth of the national economy. While the worlds global economy increase in competency the people and the nation is left behind out dated with debts and a struggling economy.

4. Long term neo patrimonial rule without a change in presidency or the head of the government also threaten private business and properties and wealth. Over the years the rule of law become non-existent as rules and order became a commodity of the head to be exercised on any one time at any given time as needed. How this was practised and get practised is very clear to us Maldivian. How a few top private entrepreneurs are forced to join the governments side is a good example of such cases in Maldives. Especially the current environment is a dangerous volatile ground for the Maldivian. Consequences of Political instability in the country for so many years combined with undisciplined troops and police service, arbitrary officials and political control of the judicial system and decision has conditioned both private and public officials as well as common citizens to be as submissive as slaves. An unfortunate consequence on the economic well being of the people is daring manipulation of every sector of the country. Furthermore long term fixed investments never happen in Maldives and Multinational companies are discouraged, and the conclusion is every service becomes a government investments. Thus companies such as Dhiraagu, TELCO, STO, Bank of Maldives all monopolised by the state becomes political and personal subjects of abuse. The consume by the government in access to the budget extends to everywhere.

To counter attack this poisonous ground where the head and the elites are still accumulating money and power the solution is, a quick major program of institutional change. Again it all rests in speedier constitutional reforms. The constitution has to limit arbitrary and the stingy predatory nature of the government by putting in constitutional requirements for increased accountability, transparency and responsiveness to popular demands. Letting the reforms go on for over two years is a gamble that we could not simply afford. Wide ranging administrative and legal reforms designed to rebuild expertise and human resources are in immediate need.

For structural adjustment programs and institutional reforms it is not uncommon to seek external support. Populist interventions against institutional practises in many of the African countries end up with Military intervention and assassination as in the case of Nigerian president Muruthala Mohamed.  However we do not seek such violent methods although it solves the problem instantly. It is up to the people to do something as our reformers and would be rulers are drooling with saliva over the prospect of owning the national treasure, pre- occupied as their eyes are fixed on ownership of the nations budget due to some of them already have the experience of the pleasure of wealth it brings. Thus the only hope is that constitutional reform will speed up now and democracy will come to generate a sustained pressure for the countries institutional reform. Also the middle class and the poverty stricken islanders step in where the so called opposition failed and show their active vocal support for the people who are controlling them to beak away from the past in order  to free the will be democratic Maldives.