President Mohamed Nasheed has appointed former council member of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Hassan Shujau, as state transport minister, amid a recruitment spree that has netted the ruling party a number of senior opposition members.
Reports that Shujau and DRP MP Ali Waheed were planning to join the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) began circulating last weekend. The party confirmed Shujau had joined, although Waheed has remained silent on his decision, telling media that any political decisions would “be made publicly”.
This week Minivan News was told by a senior official of Z-DRP faction that both Ali Waheed and Shujau were to join MDP for an amount of money which is “so high that they won’t need to work ever again if they accepted.’’
Yesterday a special ceremony was held at the President’s Office to appoint Shujau to his new post, during which President Nasheed said that he was confident that Shujau had the capability to fulfill his responsibility as the state transport minister.
Nasheed also said he was pleased that Shuaju has made his decision to join the government and implement its manifesto after being affiliated with another political party.
Nasheed has also appointed Sheikh Gubaadh Abubakur, a former senior member of the DRP member and one time close ally of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as undersecretary in the President’s Office.
After the government confirmed Shujau’s decision to join MDP, speculation has risen that Waheed would join as well.
Local media reports that a special ceremony is pending to mark the signing of MP Waheed, a move DRP Spokesperson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef has acknowledged would be “a great blow” to the party.
“Ali Waheed is a rising star with widespread support, and it would be a great blow to the party if he were to leave,” Shareef said recently.
Meanwhile several opposition figures have begun criticising Ali Waheed for his supposed decision.
Local media reported that Z-DRP faction MP Ahmed Nihan had condemned Waheed and said that if he signed with MDP, “he is betraying those people who elected him as their MP.”
Leader of DRP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali told Minivan News that he did not believe Waheed would join the ruling party after running for parliament on a DRP ticket.
Furthermore, MDP confirmed that former Human Rights Commissioner of the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Saleem has joined the party.
“When I ran for the membership of HRCM, they issued a three-line whip to vote for me. They backed me when I ran for the membership of MBC’s board as well,” said Saleem, who was voted out of the position by the opposition majority parliament.
“I served the government for 42 years yet they rendered me unneeded. But MDP supported me even then.”
The DRP is currently riven by an internal political split as a faction loyal to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom have sought to oust party leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, who has fallen out of favour with the party’s founder and ‘honorary leader’.
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Saleem, what a sad man you are? You joined MDP because you couldn't get a post or a job? Not because you support the party?
Golha gang is back in power...Birds of a feather make way for each other..
MDP has run out of capable and qualified candidates for the government posts even before they came into power. So they have no choce but to import capable people from other parties.
During Maumoons last few years he was also acting like this Nasheed. I remeber Maumoon gave various government posts to people like Jabir, Mawota and the likes.
Since the game is the same the end will be the same
This is beginning to get really scary now....i am still a young man...am i destined to be ruled over by an MDP government for many years ( if not decades) to come?...A scary thought indeed.
Damn it...we will never give up..This is a difficult time indeed but we will prevail...Or else die fighting...May God help DRP...We will win this crusade against MDP.
Shame, shame, shame....same old BS in a new bottle...so much for Aneh Dhivehiraajje and all that crap 😛
I am glad DRP members have decided to abandon Gayoom and join the ruling party. It is time for all Maldivians to help the government to do a better job. Gayoom is history and his family will never accept that fact.
Saleem joined MDP???? Ahmed Abdullah signed too... but nobody cared.
"Recruiting Spree" - quite a fancy phrase for "buying" and "bribing".
On sale !!!! Hurry !!! Hurry !!!
"One man with courage is a majority." - Thomas Jefferson
TIME FOR THE SAVIOR TO PLAY HIS CARDS. GOD BLESS MALDIVES.
It's indeed a real drama in the making. This is not the first episode. But has been ongoing since the last decade and more. The leading actors maybe different, the dialogue a bit twisted but the end score, same!
Isn't it time to focus on the real issues of this nation, address it in such a way to at least start working towards achieving some goals which will sustain the nation.
Isn't it time that the Government and the Opposition focused outside and not inside the party.
Where is our 2020 plans? Where is the country's long-term development plans? Who is steering this Government. At present it looks like everyone is doing everything. There is no law and order, no systems or we do not even know if we will survive the next couple of years.
When everyone including the Finance Minister speaks about recurring expenses and inflation, I really wonder if he is aware of the consequences in the next five to ten years.
The Government should be sharing with the public the next five to ten years plan. During every public speech, the President talks about the Housing, and reminds the general public of 'the promises' of flat dhonbe'. This is not even funny. Anni, you don't need to fall into the category of Reeko and the other hooligans in MDP. You are beyond them in your upbringing, education and culture.
Move on Anni. Focus on the real issues. Engage with the people the way you did before you were elected president. Don't forget your roots, our Maldivian roots.
It's time we worked together as one nation, one voice.
There are many capable people in this country. Who can help Anni to achieve much more. The old saying of keep your friends close and enemies closer, seems to be working well for MDP, at the moment..
Seems to me now it is not values such as education, clear records, consistent hard work, honesty, good worth ethics, etc... that would get you a job with high pay, status and respect from the people attached to it.
But it is large-scale public suspicion of crime, networks with gangsters, acquired stealing and conning skills and the like that would put you in the limelight to award it.
@Rinzy: can't agree with you more. so in effect, a vote for MDP would now be a vote for all those corrupt people who made up gayoom's regime.. i have just lost a massive amount of faith in anni 🙁
Chasbe has no leadership at all.
Pretty soon DRP will be in shambles.
DRP people suck it! Where was your indignation when PA Yameen bought his seat for cement bags from poor gullible islanders? Every single motion by the govt was opposed by DRP, regardless of merit. Your marauding senseless antics have barely left the govt able to function, much less focus on the issues. Bring some grownups next time, leave the old man behind and this MDP member will consider voting for you- because, unlike you for MDP supporters, it is the cause, not the man which is important- "demoralized" on Thu, 19th May 2011 9:52 AM - expressed his/her disappointment in the President. When did any DRP member even consider criticizing their own party? Pharoah worshipers is what you all are, and you deserve what you get!
Support the govt in issues which are beneficial, reject others with good reason and for Gods sake wait until 2012 at least to think about the presidency.
MDP and sane people, this is very sad indeed. This is probably what it feels like paying for sex. Neither party feels good after the deed. In my opinion, if Thasmeen could focus on the issues, separate himself from the crazies and support the govt at this time of need, then it would have been a win win situation for all. A parliamentary majority was imperative for the President to get anything done.
At least now by 2013 we will know if he has truly failed.
It maybe or can be perhaps MDP did not have the very much preferred, qualified personnel to run a government as some people may think!
But it did have the balls to confront and democratically bring down a very powerful dictatorship which had the preferred and qualified personnel within it (who perhaps did not have the guts to come out of mess they were in; or were embedded too deep in the dirt and for too long!
What ever been said and been done, it is good that they are coming to, and are seeing the light!
Good news!
i was naive enough to assume that by voting for mdp, i was voting for politicians that i could trust (at least compared with the previous government). but now that anni has decided to bring in to his boat people who had fiercely defended corruption, to me it speaks volumes about mdp's ethical princples..
Previous regime was a governemnt of the people, by the people for the President. Even now Z-DRP is mired in the Pharoah-centric governance. This country is not blindly following anybody and had never followed and noen should mistake people's long silence for 25 years as gullible, but rather it was helplessness which was alleviated with guts and valour of Heroes like President Nasheed. Long live Maldives as thriving society and booming economy. It's a shame that after decades of rule yet we are only trying to build a country from scrath for the common man and as an equitable society.
Long live MDP and long live Maldives.
Please i beg you Anni ...make Thasmeen your running mate next election and kick out that quite guy.
@peasant
"In my opinion, if Thasmeen could focus on the issues, separate himself from the crazies and support the govt at this time of need, then it would have been a win win situation for all."
Thasmeen is stuck between a rock and a very hard place! He's got no way out. He keeps repeating the same mantra: this government has failed; people are suffering; prices are rising; the government is costing too much blah blah.
Everytime he opens his mouth to explain any of these, he makes himself the laughing stock of everyone. It was precisely his party and their supporters that blocked the government's attempts at reducing the public expenditure bill. Remember the decentralisation bill?
How about the amendments that his party added to the state Budget without providing a means to pay for them? Has he no shame to talk about state "expenditure"?
C'mon, bring on Zedey and get rid of baggage like Thasmeen. At least we know clearly where Zedey stands. He was defeated quite clearly the last time around, and will face even a bigger humiliation if he stands again. Better the devil you know, as they say.
ABABS-
My problem was bribing them to get on board. Thas with his hubris did not give a damn about justice when he ignored questionable practices at JSC. Guess who is looking for justice now? Especially against Zeday.
Champa, Gasim, Yameen et al can also buy MPs. Whatever the ethical reasons behind the need for a majority at parliament, these things tend to backfire, especially if bribery allegations of "millions" is true and other MDP begin to look for a "transfer". There is also a worrying trend where people tend to become obsequious even within the MDP, can't have that can we?
That is my reasons why an responsible opposition was needed, which Thas couldn't deliver. He doesn't have the balls to directly criticize him, in spite of all the muck thrown his way.
Having said that we may be underestimating Thas, he has been meeting Anni way too much for Z-DRPs comfort, maybe they have a reason to be uneasy.