Let’s Recycle!

Long ago, a friend used to tell me about the effort she puts into recycling, by washing every bottle, carton and containers and taking it all to a recycle center. According to her, she even make compost from the fruits and vegetables peels and  used it on her garden plants. She boasted that it helped her give more flowers and the plants looked more healthy since  she began the new habit.

Back then, I thought I would never be able to do that, ever! At that time it sounded really impossible to change the normal behaviour of throwing things. It was easier to make excuses and say it cannot be done as there are no separate bins for recycling.

However, my perception changed after my last vacation in February, this year. I met people who needs what we throw for their survival. I saw that there are creative people who could change it to usable items and there is a market for it. I began to realise that I should be more responsible about the way I live.

Now it’s not a problem for me to wash every bottle, carton and container and take it to the closest recycle centre five kilometres away. Still, there are no separate bins in this neighbourhood for recycling items. So the only option left is to carry it to Tesco Ampang Recycle Centre, which is the closest.

Few months back, on my first visit there, I noticed that those who are receiving the items have some physical disability. From the two young man, one limps and the other one has a bad hand. The old Chinese woman obviously has a spinal problem. But she always seems very enthusiastic in directing people and weighing the loads people bring in. On several occasions I’ve seen her ‘paying’ a small amount of money to those who bring in loads of stuff and people smiling and denying the reward.  Due to language barrier, I could not really understand what was going on until recently.  It seems there is a policy of ‘buying’ materials, if it exceeds a certain weight,  to encourage more people into the habit of recycling. The other thing I realised was that, we are not only contributing for a greener world, but we are helping the disabled people here, with job opportunities and helping to raise funds for projects that would benefit them.

Besides encouraging people to recycle, the Selangor government introduced the “No plastic bag campaign” earlier this year. Since then, most hypermarkets and grocery stores stopped providing plastic bags on Saturdays. Customers are encourage to take “green bags” if not, an additional twenty cent is charge for the bag, on every Saturday.  One may say twenty cent is not much to pay and they would rather pay the extra money and still get the plastic bag. Others would see it an opportunity to change our behaviour and be more conscious of our actions and its impact on our environment.

I decided I would carry my own “green bags” not only on Saturday’s but every day, when I shop. I have some of those reusable bags from the Maldives, yes, the yellow ones that says “Maldives, the sunny side of Life.” On two occasions I was ask, if I’m from the Maldives and is it truly going to sink one day. My answer was “I hope not!”

It’s ironic that our nation is one of the countries that are more vulnerable to global warming and we advocate for a greener world in many international forums, yet we failed to practice, and facilitate the people the very simple means to begin and to make a difference. It’s good to try to be a carbon neutral country, but would it help if we throw things that would harm our seas and the beaches? Shouldn’t we be starting at the very simple, basic level and move forward to harder tasks?

Over the years we had many more seasonal campaigns about environmental issues, but is there a changed in our attitude that shows any consistent progress? People still use iron rods to catch octopus and reef fish and breaks the coral formation in our reefs. We still throw plastic packets, bags and whatever else to the ocean, when we travelled by Dhoni. Most people in the islands still cut all their trees and build their houses just like in the capital island Male’, without leaving any space for greenery or better ventilation or even natural light to filter in their homes.

To do something it’s the people’s attitude that needs to change first. We would change our attitude when we are educated, conscious and understand the importance of doing something. If we really know that what we cannot use  is useful to someone else and by giving away such things instead of throwing, we  are actually helping someone else to earn an income, to help a cause, I guess no one would hesitate to be a part of it.

The New Religious Unity Regulations

It is indeed a paradox that one of the most secular political parties in the Maldives, MDP, which is now in the Government, is going to the extent of supporting very extreme positions of Adalath Party for political survival.

The new Religious Unity Regulations, which has been getting a lot of attention especially amongst some very concerned citizens of the Maldives, who also happens to be Muslims, is like a joke to many. Trying to preserve religious unity through a law or a regulation???

The President or the Adalath Party should not be under the illusion that religious unity could be maintained through force; we, the Maldivians, have been Muslims for centuries and religion was never a question of contention in the good old days. There were no laws or regulations relating to the preservation of Islam or religious unity. Those were the days when the deep rooted customs and values prevailed. Those were the days we allow our people to learn, to explore and to decide for themselves. We were then tolerant, supportive and not judgemental of others unlike now. We were strong in our beliefs. No one had to dictate and control what we read, what we watch and what we listen to.

However, now I am of the belief that, at this modern age and time, people, especially those who claimed to be experts in Islam and those who claimed to be wise politicians, are more ignorant of the realities and current circumstances. To simplify the matter, I am more inclined to believe that the cause for such a regulation by the Adaalath party is because they strongly believe that the Maldivians should practice the Islam that they are propagating. May be that these few people believe that they are the defenders and protectors of Islam while all the others are obliged, under a regulation, to be submissive to their version of Islam.

Religious unity cannot be achieved through the enforcement of a law or a regulation. It is a faith and it is within oneself. It is a way of life and is practiced in your daily life like respecting people and their opinion. Faith or a belief cannot be forced onto someone. And it is about time that we let the politicians know it is so.

Wish if it is different! :(

I was browsing to catch up on the news when one of my old friends started to chat with me. I told him I am back home and enjoying every bit of it despite the heat, the mosquitoes that suck my blood and the non-stop scratching I have to deal with. He cautioned me to watch out when I walk around Male’ because the traffic and people could be dangerous. He also reminded me it is an emotional place for me. Ha! It really is an emotional place not in the sense that he has reminded me though. I feel it is a stressful place for me now.

My interaction with some people in the last three days has made me realized how stressful everyone is around here. No one seems happy and content with the situation they are in. Despair, frustration and hopelessness loom around them. A range of problems such as, relationship problems, health problems, distressing issues about parents divorce after decades, the loans to repay, the children they leave with foreign maids to go for work, the monthly expenses on basic needs are issues that I heard in just three days. There are issues related to taking care of ailing parents and providing the care they need.

Senior citizens feel the loneliness most as their children are adults with responsibilities. They are too busy with their work and families, to take their old parents out for a breath of fresh air, let alone have the time for a  conversation. The feeling of being a burden to their children is breaking their heart. Their prime age was spent just the way their children are doing now. Working hard to make life better for their family. Their  main focus was on earning a good income and hoping to have a good comfortable life. There was no leisure activities they engage upon when they were young. As a result there is no hobbies, or interests that would occupy them and stimulate their mind and make them happy individuals when they are old and alone. Even though they are not fit and strong anymore, still they want to work to kill the boredom, to take care of grand children and do the household chores as it is the only way they know to spend time.

It is worrying to see people do not engage themselves in activities that would relax them. They simply do not have any time for tmeselves, to reward themselves after working very hard. Issues dealing with mental health and physical fitness are push back as though it is the least important factor in life. Watching cable TV, DVD’s or going for a round in a motor bike, zigzagging like crazy trying to beat and overtake a car or another motor bike is enough it seems. If in a traffic light, it is time to check on the pedestrians and stare as hard as one can possibly do. It does not matter if the girlfriend or the wife is sitting just behind. They may do so not to be rude but to see if it is someone whom they know as it is a small town. It is sad and depressing to see it and to hear it all.

Text Messages and Women’s Day??!!

I just realised its Women’s Day when I started to receive various text messages circulating around. Since the mobile phones started to rule our lives, in every such occasion one would get a lot of forwarded text messages which is very artificial in its nature. This is one among many messages I received today. “A woman has strengths that amaze men. She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens. She holds happiness, love and opinions. She smiles when she feels like screaming. She sings when she feels like crying, cries when she’s happy and laughs when she’s afraid. Her love is unconditional. Happy women’s day!”

Nothing is wrong in sending a text message as long as it is really genuine, if it is the heartfelt words originating from the sender to the recipient. But I feel the above message is phoney encouraging me and may be many others to be fake in some ways. I wonder what else we Maldivian women do to celebrate Women’s Day, besides forwarding text messages to one another.

Women’s day or not I feel we should be taking time off for ourselves to think and reflect on our lives. We should be listening to the inner voice that we have suppressed so cleverly and continue to ignore. We should be focusing on ways that would empower us. We should be proud of our achievements and be ready to change ourselves for a better tomorrow. Unless we are able to do so, we would be living our life in a woven web of lies, deceiving ourselves to please others. We should not let others corrupt our mind, dictate our life and be forced into things that we don’t want to be a part of.

The amount of brainwashing going on now days is something that has to be stopped urgently. The idea that girls need not to be educated or work is ridiculous. The increasing  number of teenagers falling into the trap of ‘forced’ or ‘arranged’ marriages to ‘pious’ old men in our society is absolutely disgusting. How can it be the only way to save young girls and women from ‘sinning’ or finding suitable, good husbands for them? Girls and women are not brainless baby producing human machines. They are no one’s slaves or prisoners. They have a right to be educated, to gain knowledge, to earn an income and to decide things for themselves. By denying those rights and forcing a life style they despise is not about protecting women it is controlling their life.

It is sad to see some women in our society who are educated literally, yet ‘uneducated’ about the challenges they face in bringing up their children in this century. It is frustrating to see those women who are modern and smart with their superficial looks, but so fragile inside; and to stand up for their rights and defend themselves from unfair advantages.  It is shocking to see those women who are university graduates, smoking around their young children, feeding them ready-made junk food, noodles and chocolates, seven days a week because they eat that ‘more easily.’ It is astonishing to see that one would dump a guy with great personality just because she feels the others would say the guy is too short, too fair, too dark, too thin or less educated for her. It is maddening to see women who are inflicting so much pain on themselves by doing drugs and having random sex with whatever ‘monster’ who cross their path.

It is pleasing to know that there are some strong-willed women who are intelligent and brave regardless of their educational or family backgrounds. They raise their children by being good role models. They encourage and support their children’s creativity, educate them and in-stil good values and disciplines so they would grow up to be responsible, humane, tolerant adults. If we want to have a better society we should be following the footsteps of such women.

Unfortunately, today everything is changing. Now formal and informal learning for girls is discouraged and stopped in some families. It is alarming to see the increasing number of young parents in their teens and twenties with more than one child, unable to manage the challenges they face physically and mentally. The result is obvious for all to see, malnutrition and neglected children who are confused and lost.  More such families live in dire poverty so it is not surprising to see how easy it is for others to manipulate their thoughts.

All this reminds me of the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns” from the author Khalid Hosseini, where he describes the place of Afghan women in their society over a period of fourty years and how it changed over the years. I am trouble about the fact that few Maldivian teenage girls are in the same situation as the characters in the novel. Those few may become thousands in no time and then we would be doomed to another situation than the current problem of drug addicts and gang fights.