Burugaa Burugaa Burugaa...

Burgaa or veil seems to be a big topic in Maldives, especially the so called Boduburugaa or hijaab as commonly known.


In my nearly a year of stay in this blogger, I did come across various different articles regarding burugaa. Of cause most of them, criticize the buruga, showing the 'bad side' of burugaa, the bad life of those who wear it or those who asks to wear it and so on...which i need not explain anymore as its out there.

There is something special about this. Why is that everyone is so worried about burugaa or people who wear it? Answer could be simple. It hinders women to enjoy their basic right. Its an extreme way. Its not fit to our country. And many more such answers.

However, my view on this is a bit different. Before you go on to criticize my points, I think it'd be a good idea to read the whole article right. In the end, democracy we talk about, and in it the best part is the tolerance and respect to others views.

First there is no act in Maldivian constitution saying wearing veil is a must. Also there is no single statement saying wearing veil is not allowed.

Second, there are people who wears various different styles of clothes in Maldives. And everyone seems to be OK with it as they wear what they wanted to wear. If so, whats wrong in wearing the burugaa or bodu burugaa, as long as they wont to wear it? I don't think the democracy every Maldivian is so much in love is all about not wearing a burugaa. Indeed, it should be about wearing what they wonted to wear right? If then, let the people who wont's to wear it do it. You or others wont lose anything. Surely your wives hairs wont be lost just because your friends wife is wearing a burugaa, if that is your excuse!!!

Finally we say human rights, It violates the human right of the ladies. Well, take this example. I been a Muslim, (you call it extremist, Wahhabi, fundamentalist, and many more...which is not what I am worried) I am not allowed look at another lady unless it be my relatives or wife. Now if I say I need to go out on road so none should be out there without covering yourself. What will you say? Obviously you'd label me as a person who is not respecting others right. If so, where is my right to live in my society with my beliefs? That surely is my human right.

So I think we need to learn to live in a society. If you think burugaa violates your rights, fine, that your believes, but that is not an excuse to try to let down another part of society who also have the same basic rights to live the way they wanted.



Photos:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/02_1/veilREX0802_228x357.jpg
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/419d5l4HxVL._PC_.jpg

Missing British backpacker Jamie Neale found after 12 days in Australian bush

(an interesting article I came across and thought to share.)

In a remarkable tale of survival against all the odds, a teenage British backpacker has walked out of dense bushland in Australia after surviving for 12 days in freezing weather.

Jamie Neale, from Muswell Hill in north London, had no tent, no rations and no survival equipment, but survived on seeds and grass and slept under logs as he wandered lost through the Blue Mountains in New South Wales after going for a hike.

By the time he appeared this morning, rescue workers had nearly given up on the 19-year-old and his father Richard Cass had told his wife: "Give up, he's dead."

Mr Cass was at Sydney airport about to get on a plane back to London when police called to tell him his son was alive.

"He's come back from the dead," Mr Cass said. "I'd held my own closure ceremony in the park. I carved his name, lit a little candle. But I always said he was tough."

Speaking outside the hospital in the tourist town of Katoomba, where his son was being treated for exposure and dehydration, Mr Cass said that his son had seen rescue helicopters but been unable to attract their attention.

"He would go up on a cliff and see where to go but as soon as he went back down he didn't know where he was.

"He was talking to me about whether there was a god. He was losing faith, every time he saw a helicopter and he waved and shouted and nothing happened. He thought he was going to die."

Mr Neale had not been seen since July 3, when he left a youth hostel in Katoomba planning to walk to the Ruined Castle rock formation, regarded as an easy day's walk. He had a bottle of water and two bread rolls, but had left his mobile phone in the hostel - "the only teenager in the world", said Mr Cass, to go on a hike without his mobile phone.

He had brought a silver emergency heat blanket to Australia but accidentally left it behind at his uncle's house in Perth before he flew to Sydney.

He was last spotted on top of Ruined Castle, where he told a married couple he intended to keep walking to Mount Solitary, an isolated plateau in the Jamison Valley, a beautiful but rugged area near Katoomba. As he descended into the bush, he wandered off the trail and became disoriented, he told his rescuers.

"There's only one track in and one track out," said Sgt Ian Colless. "Once you lose the track it can be very dangerous. You can't just blaze your own trail in this area."

(this is an article taken from times online:July 15, 2009 under the headine)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6712284.ece

The Wheel is turning backwards… We need to fix soon. (5)

"It is the duty of the President to propose and it is the privilege of the Congress to dispose."

Franklin D. Roosevelt. Thirty-second President of the USA.

The moment I saw this quote from a website, I thought this is what we see in Maldives.
In a party system there will be two sides; those who support the government and those who oppose the government. As the members of Parliament are also humans, they do not have any exemption form this reality. Lets not talk about the independent members. Every member is independent as a person, but none of them are free of the idea of supporting or opposing the government.

The big question will be should we support or oppose the government? The answer is will depend on the party that you belong to right?
If I am an MDP member or supporter, I will support the government.
If I am not a member or supporter of the MDP, I will oppose the government.

That is what we at least see in Maldives and in our Parliament. However, I do not think that is how it should be. The decision of right or wrong of what is been proposed in Majlis should not be merely dependent on what the party or party member feels or believes. If we look at the present situation, almost everything proposed by the government is nothing more than a hypocritical plan filled with selfishness, in the eyes of opposition members. Same is true towards opposition members from the members supporting the government.

When we keep on talking about change, I wonder when this will change. We need a Majlis where members do fact based debates with responsible decisions rather than a Yes Sir to the party. It is time that the members understand that saying NO to everything is not what is meant by supporting and saying YES to everything is not what is opposing. So far the Majlis is not going well. The Wheel is turning backwards… We need to fix soon.



http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?from=1&ntema=Government&tematica=530&page=3
http://www.mediamatic.net/page/38599/nl

“walking prison”

After reading this article on Economist, I felt it is worth to share. 

Democracy is about a ruling of the country "by the people, to the people, of the people". That is what we often describes. Now the question will be what could be banned in a democracy? Simple! Anything that could harm himself or anyone else. Now the point is, does this famous Burugaa really harms anyone? It is not just about Buruga, anything that people uses that is linked to their faith should be respected in any civilized country. This could include the cross used by the Christians as well. 

At least this is what I felt, and what you feel may be different. 

SPECIFICITY RULE.

The reality of the illusion is that all lines are parallel. Specificity rule? The problem is not with the line!!! Its with your eyes.hehe:)

While doing a module on International Economics, I came across the term Specificity rule which I think could give us a hint to better understand the situation of our problems as well.

This is an economics term, yet, as long as it gives the message that I want to give, and you understand it, I am happy. Specificity rule states that any economics problem needs to be dealt by not looking at the mere problem, but by looking at the source of the problem.
"The principle that the optimal policy for correcting a distortion is one that deals most directly, or specifically, with that distortion."(1)


So, lets apply specificity rule on some of the issues in our society that disturbs and worries us.

1. Majlis. Please, for heaven sake don't ask me if we have problems in our Majlis. But why does it happen? Is it because of MDP or DRP? Is it because the members are not good? Is it because they are stupid? Is it because they are so selfish? It can be any of those!!! However, the reality is, we did not use our vote wisely to elect a credible MP.

2. Drugs. Drugs nearly have destroyed a whole generation. Why are we still having the same problem even now? Before we said the last regime members were dealers. Now are we going to say that the present regime also started on drug business? Are we going to open more and more rehabilitation centers and watch another generation destroyed? Is it because of those "parteys"? Is it because of dealers. Maybe! However, the root cause for the whole drug issue in Maldives is that we are unable to stop it entering the country.

3. Crimes. Crimes are so common now. It is now more like a sport as we see the news of one crime or the other at every news hour. Who is to blame? Their parents? The government? The courts? The police? No, not really. The reason behind the repeated crimes is that they are not dealt properly. A honeymoon in jail will not do the magic. We need to strong and solid justice system which is also implemented. The real fact is that we do not punish the criminals. (Punishing and harming are two very different things.)

Now, with this three areas, I hope we will get a chance to better think of our problems we face and what really is wrong. One problem is that we just tend to believe whatever another person says. Specificity rule? you are not thinking on your own:).



1 . http://www.asiaecon.org/index.php/glossary/get_definition/Specificity%20rule
Illusion: www.optical-illusions.info