LETTER TO HILATH: In the Absence of Maldivians...

Dear friend,

I have a very limited knowledge on how Maldivian businesses are run. But based on some of my personal shopping experiences in Male', I came to wonder how much Maldivian businesses lose by keeping Bangladeshis in charge of businesses.

Around five years ago I went to a shoe shop and whenever I asked for a different size of a shoe, the Bangladeshi shop assistants promptly said 'nethee' (not there). But while looking a little bit more around the shop by myself, I saw that the size I was asking was right there, but these Bangladeshis were saying it's not there. They were just hanging around the shop giving off a vibe that they really weren't in a working mood. As I took the shoes to the counter and told the Maldivian girl that while the shoes I was asking for was really there and her shop assistants were saying the opposite, she just silently stared at me and asked the Bangladeshi to pack the shoes in a bag for me. I was wondering how much profit can a shop make if goods were sold with such careless attitudes.

Similar incidents happened at several different shops over the years, and the one thing that stood out among them all was the prompt 'nethee' or 'neiy' reply without even checking any further, especially during the times when they are on their phones instead of attending to customers.

Even if there is a Maldivian at the counter the cashier asks the price and all other details from the Bangladeshi working in the shop. On one such instance, I went to a shop where the Maldivian cashier had to ask the Bangladeshi even the price of the goods there. And the Bangladeshi replied with two prices for the same kind of item and another time changed the price of the same item when asked twice. It looked like even if a Maldivian cashier was present in the shop, it was none of their business to be really in charge or take a little interest in knowing or determining the prices themselves. Eventually the Bangladeshis actually get to rule the shop by putting any price they want. How much of a profit goes to the real Maldivian owner becomes a question only for those who ponder over such things.

Very recently I went to a very small shop that sold plants. The shop had the 'closed' sign so I lingered outside to check out the plants through the glass door. In less than a minute, a Bangladeshi appeared from the door next to the shop, maybe after seeing me loitering outside the shop on the shop's camera somehow or probably just by coincidence, I happened to be there as he was coming to open. He gestured that he was coming after locking his door and soon came and opened the shop. As I went in and looked through the plants, he went and comfortably sat behind the counter. I pointed at a plant near the counter and enquired how tall it would usually grow and he shifted uneasily in his seat and tried to form a response finally replying 'dhen ... dhiguvaneenu' (it ... will grow tall). Now, how did that answer my question and how was I supposed to buy any plant from there if I cannot have any information I needed? He obviously didn't think of putting me in touch with anybody else who could give me information on the plant. I didn't consider googling about the plant right then and there, as I felt my consumer rights wasn't being met at all.

The thought occurred to me that even if goods in a shop are sold or not, the assistant Bangladeshis and Maldivian cashiers probably still would get paid. Or according to some stories I heard, Bangladeshis don't get paid at all or get hardly paid. So it is no wonder so many shops appear and disappear so quickly in Male' because businesses must be going broke for reasons the invisible Maldivian owners and visible robotic Maldivian cashiers probably don't even care to know about.

To elaborate on the Bangladeshi experience further, I will share an incident about a guesthouse in Hulhumale'. A friend's request to check out if any guesthouse had an apartment that could be rented for a few days, required physically visiting several guesthouses after having done an unfruitful internet search. While most places had the usual Bangladeshi or Indian at the front desk, we came upon a guesthouse where a Bangladeshi happily confirmed that they had apartments. So we followed the guy up the stairs onto the second floor where he showed us 3 separate locked rooms on the same floor and gestured to the slightly rounded empty corridor-space as 'apartment'. The 'apartment' turned out to be the corridor where there couldn't be any furniture and total strangers going up and down the stairs could freely poke their heads and see whoever was in that corridor. We politely rejected the 'apartment' and went down the stairs wondering how many tourists might have to encounter that same experience.

However, in a completely different and recent experience of shopping at another shoe shop, it was amazing to see how lively and forthcoming the Bangladeshi shop assistants were. I just had to point at a shoe and they would rush around bringing all the colours that were available for it and even voluntarily showed different new types of shoes. What brought such a turnaround from the scene of five years ago, I wondered. Was it the sorry state after Covid, driving businesses to desperation?

It seems while some shops like this shoe shop seemed to struggle and a guesthouse got desperate enough to sell a corridor as an apartment, the shop that sold plants seemed immune to the effects of Covid on businesses. However, what they all have in common is the fact that all these businesses' futures depend on the inevitable services of Bangladeshis. The pervading absence of Maldivians, even in supervisory jobs, causes a dominant presence of Bangladeshi workers who ultimately have the real power to make or break Maldivian businesses.

Sincerely yours,
XX