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From the past into future

by Ismail Akram

From schools for a few to universal primary education, from a subsistence economy to a tertiary economy, from medical care for the privileged to health for all, from barren islands to a premier tourist destination, from muddy roads to paved streets, from sailing boats to seaplanes, the Maldives has come a long way during the past quarter of a century. However, it still has a long way to reach its Vision 2020.

Many Maldivians who are in the midst of all this do not realize the rapid transformation around them. Many of them learn it quite dramatically, often from a first time visitor to the country, who, when asked his first impression of Male, replies with an expression such as: "It looks like Singapore". At first this would sound far fetched. But if one stood at the 'Fisherman's park' on the northern harbour and looked at the high rise along the Marine Drive, one would agree that the visitor had a point. Male does appear quite modern and developed when looked at from the view point of a visitor.

For insiders though, there is hardly any time to reflect on beauty. They are too engrossed in the teething problems of changing over from rural life to modern city life - that too within a single generation. They are faced with problems that their fathers never faced-electricity bills, telephone bills, water bills and house rent. To pay all these, they needed good jobs. At the same time, exposure to the modern world has taught them the convenience of modern housing, adding to the growing list of needs that Maldivian yuppies are yearning for.

In the midst of all these concerns, unless one really looks for them, one would not observe the changes that are taking place. It may therefore be useful to sit back and reflect on the developments of the closing decades of the 20th century and see what difference it had made in the lives of ordinary people living in the islands. To facilitate the thought process, let us imagine two children born at different times but in the same island and try to build an image of the likely turns their lives would take.

First let us imagine the life of Aminath, a hypothetical girl child born in the northern island of Vaikaradoo in 1961. Aminath would have been one of about 9 to 10 children born to the family. Her mother would have been chronically ill from the closely spaced child births. She would not have had any antenatal care and would deliver at home with only an untrained midwife in attendance.

If baby Aminath survived this ordeal, she would be facing a childhood frequently interrupted by bouts of illness. She would not get any vaccines to protect her, and in the absence of any medical assistance, she would face a 1 in 4 chance of not reaching her first birthday. Even if she did reach it she would be small for her age, a deficit that would continue into adulthood, limiting her final height to well below 5 feet.

Aminath would never attend a proper school. She would only learn a bit of Arabic and Dhivehi alphabets in the local Eduruge. This would leave her barely literate or functionally illiterate. Her late childhood would be a busy period, helping her mother to look after the younger children and helping with the housework. The kitchen where he would spend a great part of her life would only have a wood burning stove. It would not have a grinder or even a kitchen sink. Throughout her childhood Aminath would never see a washing machine, a motorcycle or even an electric bulb.

Like her mother before her, Aminath also would marry at the age of 15 years, giving birth to her first child at age 16 - also without any antenatal or perinatal care. In fact, her first encounter with a modern doctor would be five years later in 1982, when the first regional hospital of the country opened in a neighbouring island.

When the first school opened in her island in 1981, it would be already too late for Aminath, who was 20 by then and a mother of two. She would by then be resigned to being a housewife all her life, only hoping that her children would have better lives than she had.

Now imagine the life of Ahmed, a boy born in the same island in the year 2000. His mother would have had regular antenatal checkups and would deliver at the Regional Hospital. Ahmed would complete his full routine of vaccination and have more than 97 per cent chance of reaching his first birthday. He would have expert medical care within an hour's travel in a mechanised dhoni.

At age 6, Ahmed would join the local school, and after graduating from there, he could proceed to the Northern Secondary School in a neighbouring island for further studies. After schooling, he would have the chance either to go for his higher studies or to return to his home island to serve the community.

Ahmed's childhood surroundings would be quite different from that of Aminath. He would be living in a built house with modern toilets. For him electricity is an everyday amenity. Motorcycles would be a common sight for him, as are mechanised boats. He would even fly in airplanes on a couple of occasions while visiting Male.

Did this stark difference between the two lives occur simply by the passage of time? Or, was it due to general progress in the world as a whole as often claimed? This is unlikely. Let us not forget that even in 1961, the outside world already had most of the amenities that Maldivians were enjoying only in the 1980s. In fact, 1961 was the same year that saw Soviet Cosmonaut Uri Gagarin in space. There was a reason why the country was undeveloped in the '60s - lack of resources. The Maldives has only two resources - its natural beauty and its people. Both were undeveloped in 1978.

Natural beauty of the islands had no market value as it was not developed into a saleable tourism product. This would require careful planning and overcoming many barriers. In 1978 there were only a handful of resorts.

In the absence of any regulations, they benefited only their owners. Due to lack of an airport that could handle wide-bodied aircraft, there was a severe limitation on expanding bed capacity. This was therefore the top priority of the government at that time. It was the opening of Male International Airport in 1981, that opened the way for large-scale tourism. Since then the tourism sector has been growing steadily in phases, without disturbing the cultural heritage of the country. Soon tourism will expand to all atolls in the country, creating conditions for balanced development.

The other resource - people - had also to be developed. In 1978 there were only three government schools - all in Male and catering to a privileged few. Today there are schools in all islands, with secondary education in all atolls.

While the Maldives had few resources, it had many constraints, the biggest of which was its geographical dispersion. Soon this seemingly insurmountable obstacle will disappear. Under the policy of population consolidation, an entirely new island is coming up near the capital. This island would be large enough to house a large part of the population and businesses. This would be the launching pad that would propel the country into higher levels of development.

As the Maldives develops, it is also finding areas for improvement. As recent events unfolded, there is an urgent need for the law enforcement agencies to adopt a more holistic approach responsive to the rapid changes of these times and the aspirations of the emerging educated young Maldivian population. This must be a daunting challenge for the President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who is certain to win a sixth term of office.

There are many other areas for improvement and reform too, but with good governance, Maldives should be well on target to reach its Vision 2020 goals.

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