News in Brief Monday, August 31 Facebook

The Maldives already has a law protecting tenants. It has barely been used. The Residential Tenancy Act came into force in November 2021. It caps security deposits at two months’ rent, requires deposits back within 15 days, blocks mid-lease rent hikes, and sets an MVR50,000 fine for landlords who evict for “own use” and then re-let. Enforcement was handed to island and city councils, which must decide complaints within seven days. Malé City Council was never consulted while the law was drafted. No budget, staff or administrative structure came with it. Saif Fathih was a councillor at the time, and says the concerns his council raised with the housing ministry went nowhere. The MDP passed that law. After 4 April it holds 46 of 52 city council seats. Fathih argues it no longer has anywhere to put the blame. https://maldivesindependent.com/by-saif-fathih/the-mdp-wrote-the-tenancy-act-it-now-runs-the-councils-meant-to-enforce-it-8283 Column By Saif Fathih Saif Fathih is a columnist at...

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News in Brief Sunday, August 30 Facebook

Abdul Azeez Jamal Abubakur headed the Information Commissioner’s Office for five years without holding a public hearing until the very end of his term. By the time he left in 2019, not one state institution had achieved full compliance with the RTI Act’s mandatory proactive disclosure requirements. Transparency Maldives urged parliament to reject his nomination and reopen applications. Parliament approved him anyway, 47-11. Aimon Latheef – who has filed more than 700 RTI requests and works at the Information Commissioner’s Office – argues this is the wrong appointment at the worst possible moment for the right to information in the Maldives. Read the op-ed: https://maldivesindependent.com/opinion/why-muizzus-information-commissioner-pick-should-alarm-everyone-3fd1 All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Maldives Independent. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]. Facebook

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News in Brief Friday and Saturday, August 28 and 29 Facebook