Friday, January 25, 2008

President presents Gallantry Gold Award to Jaisham

Mohamed Jaisham Ibrahim, the brave Boy Scout who helped thwart an attempt to assassinate the President during his visit to North Thiladhunmathi Atoll Hoarafushi earlier this month, has been presented with the Gallantry Gold Award. Jaisham received the prestigious from President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom , who is also the Chief Scout of the Maldives.

Speaking at the ceremony held yesterday night at Ghiyaasuddin School to present the Gallantry Gold Award to Jaisham, President Gayoom said that the Scouting Movement and the people of the Maldives were proud of Jaisham. He noted that Jaisham’s bravery proved the effectiveness of the skills training that he had received through Scouting. He also said that Jaisham had earned himself the reputation as a model Boy Scout in the Maldives and the world over. He also said that Jaisham’s action had earned global high praise for the Maldives.

President Gayoom strongly condemned the cowardly attempt to assassinate the Head of State and Government of the Maldives, and thereby throw the whole country into chaos. He went on to highlight that the international community would not tolerate such acts of terrorism, including attempts to kill and maim individuals and inflict damage to homes and property.

Urging all the people to attach a higher importance to maintaining peace and harmony in the country, President Gayoom expressed his deep concern over the recent incidents of unlawful acts that endangered people’s lives and compromised national security. “This is a growing concern for the whole nation”, President elaborated. He also noted that the irresponsibility of some political groups had also contributed to the rise in criminal activity in the country, and added that such actions would not be tolerated. Calling for a more mature approach to political opposition in the country, President Gayoom emphasized that incitement to violence and unlawful activity could not be branded as “political reform initiatives” and “exercising the fundamental right to political expression”.

In his speech, President highlighted that the objectives of the democratic reform agenda was to further empower the people, increase their prosperity and improve their welfare. He stressed that maintaining national peace and harmony was the yardstick for measuring success in implementing the democratic reform agenda. “The Maldives must remain a peaceful and harmonious place to live in, where everyone can carry on with their normal lives without any fear or apprehension”, he concluded.

President of the Scout Council, Dr. Mahmood Shauqee gave the welcoming remarks.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mohamed Jaisham Ibrahim thanked President Gayoom who is also the Chief Scout of Maldives for the high priority that the Government attaches to promoting Scouting in the country.

At the ceremony, Member of the Scout Council, Ibrahim Zameer gave a brief presentation on the Gallantry Gold Award of the Scouting Movement. The vote-of-thanks was delivered by the Chief Commissioner of the Maldives Scout Association, Ahmed Ali Maniku.

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