The following is a transcript of the video:
IPU TV: So very warm welcome to IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union) TV exclusively, I mean, IPU TV is going to launch from today and this is the first time on 136 assembly from Bangladesh. We are going to launch this IPU TV.
So we have a very special guest in here like Moosa Maniku, Deputy Speaker of the Maldive Parliament.
So sir, I want to like, to ask you sir about the environmental issue like what we are actually facing in globally in the environmental issue and how Maldive and IPU is connected to work with this issue.
Moosa Maniku: According to this environment issue this is, I mean, for not only Maldives. All over the world, concern about this environmental issue. As a small country like island nation, we are facing a lot of difficulties but right now in our government and people of Maldives very much concerned and they are working very hard to, so try to face this problem.
Now, In that case, we have now, I mean, in a good position that what we are working like you know the erosion and also the other environmental issues. As you know that we are not having lot of factories and all to mean harm this environment. So right now I think we can go ahead with the, these issues. Then we will be getting a lot of aids and a lot of attention from over, all over the world.
IPU TV: We will have a session on the environmental issues in this IPU assembly. So from your side like Maldive, how will you raise the issues like what should be done for the global environmental situation concerned about current environmental things about the global warming or something else?
Moosa Maniku: Look, it’s depend on the government policies and the parliament of course we are here, we have a lot of, I mean we are in democracy in the Maldives and now we are not only raising the concern of the parliamentarians. We will raise our concern about the Maldivian totally the whole Maldivian and the government we have some issues, some agendas and therefore we have some documents and we will raise our voice when the time comes.
Mainly we support all over the world who are supporting the small countries and big countries and like who want to solve this environment problem. We will be with them. We don’t have a different agenda other than the world is concerned.
IPU TV: So you are aligned with the world concerns?
Moosa Maniku: Very much, very much. Of course we have been doing this for a very long time and our country is always we have issues and we are always with the environment forums and of course our environment ministers and the environment committees in the parliaments and the government any other like NGOs all we are working together with the international community to solve this problem to help what we can do, we are ready to do it. And we are in tourism and we have, if there is any bad affect, this will be very bad for our country. So we are very much concerned and we will be with the world.
IPU TV: Yeah, thank you very much. I have another thing, like this is the first time Bangladesh is going to arranging this IPU 136 assembly. So how do you appreciate this? How do you feel actually?
Moosa Maniku: Look, I have been attending last… This is my 13th year in the Parliament.
IPU TV: Oh, I see.
Moosa Maniku: So, I have been many… attending with the IPU. I have seen very good, up to now the arrangements, everything. Is very good. I know that, I mean Bangladesh is, very good arrangement you have. We will see just today, just beginning, we can’t say nothing.
IPU TV: You still have time too…
Moosa Maniku: No, no, no, up to now I can give you my opinion this will be very successful meeting through Bangladesh the people and Bangladesh Parliament. We thank you very much on behalf of Maldivian Parliament and government of Maldives and people of Maldives.
I hope we have a good arrangements and we are in the SAARC region of course, Maldives is one of the SAARC country. And Bangladesh and Maldives we have a very, we have very close friendship, in that case we always with support in Bangladesh and Bangladesh all with its supporting Maldives.
I think whatever Bangladesh is doing we will have a very good name and very nice, I mean people will look as a SAARC region is held this kind of big international event this will be very success.
I hope you have lot of challenges and I really don’t want to say I can see all the sirens and all these things. You have a lot of challenges, within these challenges we can have this very successful event here in this meeting.
IPU TV: Yeah, thank you very much and this was very great. So my last question is like you know currently Bangladesh, they are facing lots of challenges but besides this we are also progressing very much as well. So how do you see with the democracy and progress in Bangladesh.
Moosa Maniku: Look, democracy, just people are leaning with different ways. Now of course, democracy is human rights and democracy is like every country and our parliamentarian we have lot of challenges in I mean moving the democracy. Some people, some countries their democracy is force the small countries like Maldives and other small countries like big countries their democracy is and in practicing like the way what we want but our democracy we have been new constitution and we have start doing new constitution in 19… Sorry, 2008. 2007, new things. But the rules of the party system multiparty democracy, I am one of the person who worked for very hard to bring the democracy in the Maldives. But right… the problem of democracy now I can face this, the leader of the parties they cannot leave the parties and they have always to be in the party. They feel like democracy is their baby. That’s one of the problem like the leaders, I mean, no any some countries I mean like Maldives I can say.
The Maldives’ multi-party system we have 2 major parties. None of the major parties previous leaders, how do you say that the leaders, they cannot leave the leadership, this is one thing. They said that we are in democracy like I can say very openly, I work with President Nasheed, ex-President Nasheed.
He is the one of the founder of democracy in the Maldives with us but up to now he don’t want to give a chance to any any other person to be as a leader like me. So but right at this time I have to leave the party and go away. This is not the democracy what we are bringing and if a Maldives is a small country like some other countries, they are forcing us to do something like I can say very openly some of commonwealth, big countries I don’t want to name these countries but they are forcing us to do this, but in democracy we have to practice some difficult… er different ways.
Different ways I mean, like we are a 100% muslim country, we cannot give all kind of rights like other countries what multi-religion they are practicing. We are not going to give that. According to our constitution […]
IPU TV: …practice […]
Moosa Maniku: Not on. Democracy means like human rights and the freedom of expression, all these things we have. But there should be a limit.
We are… Maldives is a 100% muslim country. So we are very pleased to inform… I mean, tell all over the world, please accept our, I mean the democracy the way that we are practicing. We have all the democracies. Now we have a freedom of expression and all kinds of democracies like what we call but I mean don’t force us to practice against the religion of muslim, we a 100% muslim country. Through that we are going very smoothly and nicely.
And I want to say the leaders of countries please allow your party the second or third person to be a leader some days think about this will come always. But right now in the Maldives like ex-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom still he is now very old and he is a very respected president. But still, he is fighting with his family to come and fighting with his own brother like in the Maldives.
His own brother is current president, he is er, the people, I mean he is a people president now. He is very popular in the Maldives, President Yameen Abdul Gayoom. But former President Nasheed and former President Gayoom still they are fighting. This is actually not, they don’t want to go for the people a vote, they want to somehow the destroy the system of the government and system of the democracy. This is how the problem we have, but it’s not a big problem. We can solve, because we have a very good amount of support from our people to the current government. So the current government is developing the country, President Yameen is doing very well. Of course I think in 2018, we have another election. Hope that our leaders will wait for these days to be a president.
IPU TV: So we hope like your government and the big countries will come to you and help you to make the good practice of government.
Moosa Maniku: Look, our democracy we bring not our own. We have support from all over the world, international communities in 2005. We have started this in 2004. I have some of my delegates like Honourable Moosa Nizar who are with me here. He is also one of the member with us work to bring this new constitution, we are in the constitution assemblies. We work in the parliament and all.
So we know, I mean we have got international support to bring this, I mean the constitution with the democracy. So all over the world, the democracy how we practice they know very well.
The book what we have, we made with their supports. So we can’t go away from that, even though somebody want to have any support against the religion of muslim. We cannot practice the other way.
I mean, we are in democracy. Of course we are in democracy and our youths are very much aware this democratic movements in the Maldives.
He he, at the end no one will understand what he was talking. Is it in spanish or what?
“Mainly we support all over the world who are supporting the small”…. lol