Minutes of meeting with Communications Authority of Maldives

On Sunday Naseem went to Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM) to complain about the high internet charges of Dhiraagu and the poor service the ISP offers to businesses in Maldives. Naseem met with two gentlemen from CAM, whose names have been withheld following their request. Naseem put a tape recorder on the table, sat back in the executive chair in the meeting room and inhaled a deep breath.

CAM: Now how can we help you?

Naseem: Are you the regulatory authority for communications in the Maldives?

CAM: In fact, we are.

Naseem: Could you enlighten me on what types of regulatory work you have done in the past few decades er... years?

CAM: We give licenses to mobile phone companies. We determine the type of frequencies that should be issued to broadcasting companies. We issue licenses to Internet Service Providers. It is also our mandate to ensure microwave ovens do not emit frequencies that disrupt the communications of the whole country.

Naseem: It looks like you have been very busy over the past decades. To cut a long story short, I am here to complain about one particular company in the Maldives, an ISP. I am deeply distraught over their high internet charges and poor service.

CAM: We have an uneasy feeling you are talking about Dhiraagu. Complaints about Dhiraagu is not something new to us. Look at that filing cabinet over there. There are volumes of complaints filed there about Dhiraagu.

Naseem: So what has your esteemed authority done about those complaints?

CAM: We have done practically nothing but ignore those complaints. Even though we are the regulatory authority Dhiraagu is more powerful than us. All our decisions to reform Dhiraagu were overridden by high government officials In the previous government.

Naseem: Are you talking about officials like Fathulla Jameel who received a huge commission aka bribe out of Cable & Wireless' deals with the government of Maldives?

CAM: We wouldn't be so foolish to mention names. Especially when defamation cases amounting to millions of rufiya can be filed in Maldivian courts these days.

Naseem: How do I know if you also didn't receive a cut of the commission to buy your silence concerning Dhiraagu.

CAM: You will never know. That's how it works.

Naseem: Now that the government has changed and with a presidential commission being formed to probe the corruption of the past government, don't you think you have more space to regulate Dhiraagu?

CAM: Are you so foolish to believe that any government, whether democratic or dictatorial, will cut its own revenue stream? Do you know how much Dhiraagu contributes to the government revenue?

Naseem: I prefer not to know. All I know is ordinary Maldivians are suffering. We are paying high prices for Dhiraagu services. Isn't this a rather unfair way of taxation?

CAM: This is how the system works.

Naseem: What is this rumour about a deal with Cable & Wireless?

CAM: It is confidential. We are not allowed to talk about it.

Naseem: So there is a deal. Are you planning to sell all shares to Cable & Wireless?

CAM: Not us. As you know we are the regulatory authority. We will continue to regulate regardless of who owns the shares. But don't you think it will be a wise move to sell shares to C&W to raise some income for the government? As you know we are experiencing a rather bad economic recession. Besides, the MDP government has pledged privatisation of state-owned enterprises.

Naseem: Don't say it is an MDP government. It is an MDP-Adhaalath Coalition. I am not sure what Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari and his associates think of selling our telecom company to a British company. Is it Haram or Halal? These questions need to be sorted out among the coalition partners before a decision can be made.

CAM: It is not in our mandate to make the decisions. We regulate.

Naseem: I think this is a rather futile conversation. I have this feeling that all decisions have already been made. Who profits from these deals? Who gets a commission? Is it the Special Enjoy? The Cabinet Secretary? The President? Who are the people in President's Office making these decisions?

CAM: We can't answer those questions. We have wives and children to take care of. We need our jobs. Besides our mandate is to regulate.

Naseem: I can see that you enjoy your jobs. Why don't you decrease the temperature in the room to a few more degrees so this room will be colder and even more comfortable?

CAM: If you think this job is easy then you are mistaken. It is not easy to ignore the complaints of citizens like you and play the dirty politics. We also have consciences. What we lack is enough money to support our families.

Naseem: If you receive so much pressure not to regulate Dhiraagu, then why aren't you taking any action about ROL? As you know, ROL also charges high prices and their services are much worse than Dhiraagu.

CAM: You are very naive, aren't you? If we regulate ROL and force ROL to provide better services, all customers will move to ROL. How can Dhiraagu exist in such a scenario? Who will provide revenue for the government? What about the fat commissions?

Naseem: So you gave license to ROL to give the impression that there is free market competition while the whole stage has been set for Dhiraagu?

CAM: More or less that is the story.

Naseem: I think this is a story I will share with newspapers.

CAM: You are more foolish than we thought. Which newspaper in Maldives will run a story against Dhiraagu? Haven't you seen how many programmes they sponsor on TVM and how many full-colour ads they have on the newspapers. No newspaper, radio station, TV channel or news website will ever say anything against Dhiraagu.

Naseem: But Dhiraagu is partly owned by the government. The government should be accountable to the people. The people should start asking questions about how Dhiraagu is run, how Dhiraagu spends money on advertising and how Dhiraagu does unethical business.

CAM: But people don't have a voice. We issue the radio frequency to only the oligarchs in this country. Newspapers will never say anything against Dhiraagu. The people's representatives in the Majlis are too busy taking home their monthly salary. Major political parties will not comment on Dhiraagu.

Naseem: So what is the fate of us?

CAM: Slavery. As before. Now it is almost 1.30 pm. To reduce the government expenditure, we are not permitted to work after office hours. Now if you will excuse us.....