"No alcohol or pork in local islands": Minister Thoriq

Tourism Minister Ibrahim Thoriq stated today that the sale of alcohol and pork in inhabited islands is strictly prohibited and is not a policy of the current government. 

Minister Thoriq made these comments during a media briefing in response to a journalist's question. This occurred while the issue was intensifying following remarks by former President Mohamed Nasheed, who stated that it is unfair for the government to prohibit hotels on inhabited islands from selling the "goods and services provided to tourists" that are available in resorts. Many people are criticizing Nasheed because his indirect reference to "services and goods sold" at resorts, during a ceremony held last Friday night to launch Maafushi’s tourism brand, "Heart of Maldives", is being interpreted as a call to allow the sale of alcohol and pork.

By using the phrase "goods and services," Nasheed touched on a sensitive legal and cultural boundary that separates local island tourism from the traditional resort model. The public backlash highlights the strong community consensus in the Maldives regarding the preservation of "dry tourism" on inhabited islands. Minister Thoriq's intervention served to clarify the current administration's stance, ensuring that the government does not share Nasheed's view on "equalizing" these specific types of services between resorts and local residential areas.

Nasheed stated that the inability to sell these items in large hotels on inhabited islands is an issue of inequality, saying, "we must consider bringing about that equality" to ensure fairness between local establishments and resorts.

In response to these suggestions, Minister Thoriq clarified that the government has no intention of allowing these items in local communities, emphasizing that the strength of local tourism lies in its "dry tourism" concept. 

He further acknowledged the ongoing issues regarding safaris bringing alcohol to inhabited islands and assured that the government is working on a solution to address these violations. 

The Minister reaffirmed that at a policy level, the government remains committed to ensuring that alcohol and pork are never permitted for sale within inhabited residential areas.

"In local tourism on inhabited islands, there must be a 'dry tourism' concept; there should be no pork or alcohol. That is exactly what we want to do at a policy level as a government. Furthermore, the government will not allow for the sale of alcohol and pork on inhabited islands in that manner," the Minister said.

While Nasheed has once again brought to surface the discussion regarding the sale of alcohol and pork in hotels located on inhabited islands, it is noted that during his three-year presidency, the decision to allow this was made and the regulations were even amended accordingly. 

However, following intense pressure from massive protests and demonstrations organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, religious scholars, a large number of citizens, and various political entities, that decision was eventually overturned during Nasheed's administration.

At that time, the government went as far as amending the 1995 regulations governing the import and possession of alcohol and pork products to allow for such sales. However, the decision was eventually overturned due to immense pressure from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, religious scholars, political opposition, and widespread public protests.

The initial plan, proposed between 2009 and 2010, aimed to allow alcohol sales within bars operating inside registered hotels on inhabited islands, provided the hotels met Ministry of Tourism standards and had a minimum capacity of 100 beds. 

Although the government had set a commencement date of March 1, 2010, for the issuance of these licenses, the move sparked the formation of a massive coalition known as the "Madanee Ithihad," consisting of approximately 100 non-governmental organizations dedicated to opposing the regulation.

During the recent "Heart of Maldives" brand launch in Maafushi, Nasheed acknowledged his tendency to speak on controversial topics, stating that while he may not always say the "right" things, he often speaks on "difficult" issues. 

He argued that the conversation regarding the sale of these products must be reconsidered because of the shifting tourism landscape; specifically, out of the two million tourists who visit the Maldives annually, 200,000 now visit Maafushi alone, highlighting the significant growth of local island tourism.