HeyWalla 2013

We are dedicated to support those who are working so hard and so tirelessly to restore the lost Maldives. "Anne'h Dhivehi Raajje" proved futile. We want our Dhivehi Raajje Back.
All good Maldivians send in your articles, opinions and messages to Heywalla 2013 for publication. My email is
matthiasisoke@gmail.com
Thank you.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Open letter to Mr. Andrew A Harrison – Chief Executive Officer, INIA, Maldives.


Heywalla2013, please publish this Open letter to Mr. Andrew A Harrison – Chief Executive Officer, INIA, Maldives. (Ali Saleem)

They gave us an Airport 

He took it away from us for a Few Dollars.













So dear Mr. Andrew A Harrison,

Now what? The court ruled against you.

How are you going to collect your $25.00 + another $2.00 for your ADC? Beginning January 01, 2012? Big blow in the face isn’t it?  Short shortsightedness and greed led you to where you are now. Don’t you think it’s better to be an ostrich than a CEO in INIA?  It's “Packing up time” for you Mr. Harrison and your Garrison in the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

Managing the airport is not going to be easy anymore. With mentally sick people in your management team people such as Moosa Solih, Mohamed Hassan and relic such as Mohamed Solih. We are watching you closely, we will catch up with you every turn of the corner, no more increasing rents to take back home.  

And please no more kickbacks for favors done. Let us take this opportunity to warn you “DON'T YOU KICK ANY MALDIVIAN OUT OF JOB IN THE NAME OF CUTTING COSTS”. However, if you wish to do so, do away with those who crossed you, provided the framework for legal thought that brought you face to face with your fist major disaster. The most prominent relics are mentioned FYI.  

We were so overwhelmed and happy for our people who grieved over decision of this rouge government to lease the airport to GMR, we thought we’d share our joy and happiness over your first big loss the court case with you.  We as a people are indeed very happy, and to be honest even the members of the rouge government (most of them) rejoice with us.

No matter what Mr. Mohan Nasheed and Razee tell you, don’t think of taxing the poor people of Maldives any more than there already are.  The taxes and levies on us are draining us, with rising costs and falling standard of living, we are now paying through our noses to stay alive hoping and praying 2013 will be sooner and not later.

How are you going to tax the poor locals effective 1st of January 2012? We’d like to be the first passengers to be in your airport on the 1st of January 2012 for departure course. Would you tax us? I think you have some sense of what it means to rip off people. I urge you. Don’t do that. Do away with your rip off policies such as your ADC.

Tell you what. I’d like you to please remove that flash banner on your home page, the one with the advertisement about the ADC effective January 01, 2012... I know you don’t have the guts or the authority to collect tax. So please just remove the banner.
Thanks you. Love you man.

All those who cared for and loved
Our country (Maldives so much)

Friday, December 2, 2011

What an Additional US$25.00 means to us and to the GMR.



THE DETAIL is very simple.

Nasheed’s Government concealed information from the pubic for over two years about the impending ADC that GMR was permitted to levy on departing passengers since the contract was signed on 24th July 2010.

I wonder how many of us know that all departing passengers from Maldives are already taxed. Here’s what we pay now.


a.Every Maldivian Passenger pays an Airport Service Charge of US$12.00  and in addition he pays an Insurance Surcharge of US$2.00  a total of US$ 14.00

b.The Airport Service Charge for Foreigners is a bit higher, its US$ 16.00 coupled with the Insurance Surcharge of US$ 2.00 a total of US$ 18.00.

This Tax is collected by the Airlines that sell the outward journey from Male.  The absolute mess-up of the economy and the rise of the US Dollar from 12.85 to 15.42 with the introduction of the “floating exchange rate band” the US Dollar is now available in the Black Market for Rf 17.50. Effectively, the actual Airport Service Charge for the locals translates to Rf. 245.00 per passenger. 


GMR in their quest for more money is planning to levy an additional Airport Service Charge of US$25.00, rebranded as “Airport Development Charge”, this bring the toll for Locals to US$ 39.00 (Rf. 682.50) and for foreigners to a staggering US$ 43.00

What does this mean? The GMR has the airport until 2032. To see into the future and the kind of money this government has allowed the GMR to make from Maldives for only the cosmetic changes that has been implemented thus far, we developed a trend forecast of only the income of $ 43.00 based on actual data published by the Ministry of Tourism actuals from 2005 to 2010.

The Total revenue from Tourist Arrivals/Departures only that GMR will collect during their contract period is forecasted at US$ 805,319,550.00. (Rf. 12,418,027,461.00)

International Passenger traffic forecast published by GMR indicate a total passenger movement increase from 1,000,000 in 2005 to an amazing 2,000,000 in 2010 with a phenomenal growth projected at 2,750,000 in 2015. These figures projected to year 2032 shows a staggering 5,416,666 passengers using the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport only that year.  The total revenue that would be generated from figures forecasted by GMR totals to a figure US$ 881,562,500.00 Rf. (13,593,693,750.00) by the year 2030.

Airport Development Charges and Taxes are not an alien concept in the Aviation industry. However, such taxes are levied to fund ongoing development projects or part cost of facility development costs. The Service Charges are usually levied as a recurring charge, the proceeds of which go for the maintenance of the Airport facilities. The Development charge has clear cut corners.

1.       Airport Development Charge/Tax is levied to secure part or percentage of the cost of an ongoing Airport Development Project to be secured within a specified period for time.

2.       It cannot be taxed for an indefinite period of time, like an Airport Service Charge.

This new ADC the GMR plans to introduce in 2012 is a blatant disregard for Principles of Airport Management and Good Practices.