Exotic resorts or prison islands for tourists? :: Maldives News :: Dhivehi Observer

Editorial

Exotic resorts or prison islands for tourists?

By A. S. I. Moosa (Sappe'), 4 January 2006

Gayyoom's concept of building tourist resorts in uninhabited islands as self contained units has a darker dimension to it than what is perceived. As a tourist in one of these resorts, you are virtually an economic prisoner at the mercy of Gayyoom's cronies.

According to urban and rural development experts, Maldives as a whole could have benefited far more, had there been a mixed concept rather than this so called unique exclusive resort islands that we now have.

Let's take an island like Gan in Laamu Atoll as an example. There is vast land area with more than 5 interconnected islands. The ring shaped Atoll is massive with hundreds of beautiful lagoons. If resorts were developed in these islands, the local population could benefit immensely.

Gayyoom has certainly failed to provide basic services to the majority of the inhabited islands in the Maldives. Services such as, electricity, sewerage and water supply systems are non existent in most islands, except for a very basic level of electricity mostly provided by a local group or through self financed community projects. Gayyoom on the other hand, for the past 27 years, concentrated only to develop services in the capital island Male' and has been showing it off to foreigners who are largely unaware of the state of the other 200 or so inhabited islands.

There are hardly any city hotels except the few in the capital Male' which are occupied mainly by business travelers and not tourists. All but one of the 187 Maldivian resorts, are developed on uninhabited islands. Basic infrastructures have been developed from scratch, such as electricity, sewerage systems, water supply and waste management systems, to cater for a few hundred guests and resident staff.

If resorts were built on local inhabited islands, that lack adequate public services, development of resorts can encompass the development and provision of these critical services to the island population as well. In doing so, the population will be able to enjoy such services at low prices and the investor will also have the possibility to diversify his business. Furthermore it certainly would be a much more energy conserving model as larger resorts have excessive wastages energy and the unit cost of service is extremely high. In addition to that, another important advantage is that there will be no need to build hundreds of rooms for staff accommodation, as they can commute from their homes to work. This will also help create local work forces with the increase of job opportunities in the sector as well as in related support industries. At the moment, most of the resort staff are cut-off from their families for more than 11 months a year. This leads to breakdown of marriages and family ties, causing immense social problems for thousands of Maldivians.

Another great benefit of developing resorts on inhabited islands is that it will lead to the emergence of small community based industries to support these resorts, which will create self sufficient local economies. For example, to meet the demands of the resorts the local economy will have to develop agricultural and farming industries as well as industries to supply other goods and services required by these resorts. Locals can sell their produce and services creating a healthy and stable local economy and keep the money rolling within the community which will certainly improve the quality of their lives.

Such humane concepts are not hard to comprehend nor are they dreams that cannot be realized. Such concepts have greater potential to help improve the quality of life of thousands of Maldivians with immense long term benefits but sadly such concepts contradicts Gayyoom's vision, whose aim is to remain in power by creating disintergrated societies that are dependent on his handouts and favours.

Of course, there are advantages and great potential of developing exclusive resorts in remote islands but what is the purpose of developing huge resorts in remote islands when a mix concept can produce great many benefits for the local population.

Just imagine what the quality of life for example in Laamu, Fuahmulaku and Addu Atoll would be today, had there been a few resorts built in these locations a decade or so ago. Surely, the job prospects and local economies would be more stable and strong. Even the tourists visiting these resorts will have a greater insight and understanding of our way of life. As it is now, most tourists visiting Maldives hardly see what Maldives is really like or what we do as a people, how we live and the richness of our history, culture and traditions.

Gayyoom's concept of developing unique exotic resorts in uninhabited islands is a selfish concept that is designed to keep our communities poor whilst the rich gets, that is why even today, despite being home to some of the most expensive and exotic resorts in the world, more than 40% of our population earns less than a dollar a day.

All most all the resort owners want the tourists to give them every penny of their holiday money. Tourists visiting these resorts have to pay ten times more for local souvenirs because they are either not allowed to go to nearby islands or are discouraged to do so. In fact, these resort owners and businessmen have even resorted to buying artifacts and souvenirs in bulk from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, rather than from locals which has more or less killed those small local industries which once made a relatively good income. Once Gayyoom came to power, he killed off that industry within a few years.

Diving and water sports and other recreation facilities are also owned and managed by them so all that money also goes directly to the owners of the resort rather than the community, which could potentially benefit from providing such services to tourists who holiday in their Atolls. In some resorts, which are very close to local inhabited islands, there are ‘underground' businesses developed by locals so that they can also earn something from the tourists. Room boys and waiters speak to small groups of tourists and organize to get them picked up by local boats from the sea whilst they go snorkeling or swimming. They then go with the locals to a few islands nearby and do some shopping and enjoy a bit of local food as well as interaction with the local community. Many tourists love to do this but if they get caught by the resort management then they get questioned and warned that it is not only illegal but it also compromises their own safety. Some resort management go to the extent of making up filthy rape and murder stories to discourage tourists from visiting nearby islands and taking on services of these local groups. They are even prepared to tarnish the image of the peaceful Maldivian people in order to earn few extra pennies. This is despite the fact there has never been a reported case of murder or rape or even abduction of a visiting tourist in Maldives for the past 3 decades of tourism but sadly most visitors will not be aware of these facts.

So, in effect tourists visiting Maldives and staying in these remote islands are not just tourists but they are economic prisoners who are forced to spend their holidays under the strict rules of Gayyoom and pay their every penny to his cronies so he can increase his personal wealth and might. This in turn allows him to control the population and buy off the majority of parliamentarians and powerful public figures to sustain his murderous regime in Maldives.