Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has claimed that international calls for early elections are driven by a “special motive” that poses a direct threat to the Maldives’ sovereignty and religious heritage.
Gayoom, currently the leader of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), alleged that during his 30 year reign, international parties had always been attempting to influence the Maldives because of its 100 percent Muslim status.
The comments were made during a PPM rally on the island of Guraidhoo, Thaa atoll, where people had gathered to celebrate a weekend parliamentary by-election victory for the party.
Reporting from the island, Minivan News’ Hawwa Lubna witnessed hundreds of people in the audience for Gayoom’s address, which was made ahead of a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) today.
The ministerial action group is expected to discuss the controversial transfer of power that brought President Waheed into office on February 7 amongst a number of issues during today’s meeting.
CMAG was last month accused by members of President Waheed’s government of showing “bias” towards certain political parties in calling for general elections as early as possible to resolve questions over the administrations legitimacy.
The Commonwealth has since been supported by both the EU and US in calling for programs to be put in place to facilitate early elections before 2013.
The calls follow allegations by former President Mohamed Nasheed that he was removed from office in a “coup d’etat” on February 7 after sections of the military and police mutinied.
On the back of international pressure for fresh polling, Gayoom has claimed that the PPM – as part of the national unity government bought to power under President Waheed – has been given a public mandate following the weekend’s by elections.
Speaking at Monday night’s rally held to celebrate party candidate Ahmed Shareef’s win in the Thimarafushi parliamentary by-election, Gayoom contended that the “by-elections are the early elections”.
“The results prove PPM has the support of people,” the former president said.
Gayoom therefore argued that there was no room for early elections in the country, adding that the next constitutionally mandated election should be held in 2013.
“We must not not talk about holding an election which the constitution does not allow. However, several foreign parties are calling for this [early elections]. They are talking about it with a special motive,” Gayoom claimed.
“We must protect our sovereignty. We must protect our independence. We must not let anyone [foreigners] to intervene in our internal affairs.”
Gayoom also alleged that “different foreign parties are influencing Maldives because we are a 100 percent Muslim nation” and added that he “knows clearly why the international community is attempting by different means to restore Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s rule.”
“A very reliable person had told me former [President Nasheed’s] government had said that within a year of them coming to power, a church, a Christian church will be built in Maldives. But [Nasheed] could not do it,” Gayoom claimed.
Nasheed’s opponents have repeatedly accused his government of cooperating with “Christian missionaries” and “Jewish parties” to “wipe out Islam” from the Maldives.
Independence
Meanwhile, Gayoom further alleged that even during his 30 year rule, several foreign parties had “offered money” in return for implementing their proposals in Maldives, although he did not articulate on those proposals.
“But I put the nation’s interest first. I put the nation’s independence first. No matter how much money was offered, how many things they proposed to do in return, we did not want to give even the smallest part of our land. We did not want to handover any part of our independence to foreigners.” Gayoom contended.
The comments by Gayoom, who served in office for thirty years before being voted out in the country’s first democratic general election in 2008, mirrored earlier claims by the government that presidential elections were not needed this year – despite international calls to the contrary.
The government said that it believed victory for its coalition partners in the weekend’s two parliamentary by-elections was a clear indication of its “mandate” amongst the Maldivian people to remain in power until 2013.
Government spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza additionally called on international bodies like CMAG to take the results of the polls into consideration this week when reflecting on the need for fresh national polls.
From a government perspective, Abbas claimed that the two parliamentary and two island council by-elections should be seen as a “vote of confidence” by the public in the national unity government made up of several national parties.
Commonwealth membership
Following CMAG’s calls last month for early elections to be held in the Maldives at the earliest date possible, the government said it was concerned over the “language” used by the commonwealth in its statement.
The President’s Office said that although it was not for the time being looking to leave the Commonwealth, it added that such a move could be considered if CMAG continued to use similar language in the future.
“If this language continues, we will look to consider our position [in the Commonwealth],” government spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza told Minivan News at the time.
The government later denied it had made such claims, alleging to local media that the report in Minivan News had been “politically motived”.
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'The controversial transfer of power that bought President Waheed into office' - a Freudian slip? 🙂
Gayyoom didn't protect the religion of this country. It was during his reign we saw deterioration of faith and spread of Drugs.
Minivan is surely the most bias online new website in the maldives. they always try to write just part of the story and ya the worse part.
why cant you report a single story as it is.
stop this dirty game. we are nation and we deal with our problems no matter what they are
the dictator maumoon wants to come to power again and the power crazy old guard intends to buy time by making such remarks as to not hold the election. He was the man who harboured christian missionaries in his palace during his iron-fist rule.
armed forces joining the rioters in their uniform and weapons in broad daylight, coup leaders mostly political leaders carrying out operation at the police headquarters, do you call this controversial power transfer or willful power transfer? talk something cedble my dear 'Slipped'
Maumoon's party will be like the congress party of India. it will be there to stay weather we loath it or hate it.
“We must not not talk about holding an election which the constitution does not allow. However, several foreign parties are calling for this [early elections]. They are talking about it with a special motive,” Gayoom claimed.
Meaning the Constitution allows a coup? And there is no special motive behind Maumoon's role in the coup given that his people and kids are in the cabinet and ruling the Country now? Haha, this guy is senile and yet there are more crazy people out there listening to him!And please, this guy is using the religion card when he and his people are doing all the unislamic things anyone can possibly do!And robbing people of their right to freedom and democracy and beating and killing people is all islamic? Obviously there's a unique sort of Constitution and Islam that these people are following that we the common people have no idea about!
If understand correctly, all of this perpetual upheaval we face in this country for the last two months and counting, was perpatrated solely in the name of protecting this absolute 100% Muslim nation state, solely the result of protecting the interests of our nation??? I wonder who's interest you really have at heart, after your 30 year rule Mr. Gayyoom? How can one man alone, ruling over our nation for so long really have our nation's interest at heart? Stop this nonsense Jewish/Christian agenda. Our beloved Maldives are not about to be invaded by crusaders any time soon. You live in the past Mr. Gayyoom. Let us design our own future. Please leave and let us forge our own destiny...
Guys,
There's only one way to handle Gayyoom. You have to beat him at his own game. He has successfully the people of this country for over 30 years and still continues to do so.
Most people here can see him for who he really is, but unfortunately, there is a sizable percentage of the Maldivian populace who are still being fooled by this dictator. He uses a number of tactics to generate this facade of a gentle old guy who loves to protect the country from evil anti-Islamic forces and so on.
You have to make people realise that this is only a facade. You can only do that by beating him at his own game! This can be done, but it will take time and it won't happen by rioting on the streets alone.
Maumoon is trying his dying legacy to keep live; this moron was on the wrong side of history. He did his best to make Maldives a kind of Musilm nation, but terribly failed to realize that a religion without high moral ground based on modern education with sustainable social economic policy, that you can’t have a faith based good society, he tried to contain mullarism without providing alternative better social system and as result mullarism has raised its head. In the absence of social justice and viable economy the new generation either gone to drugs, crimes, and religious extremism. Now this guy is trying to play messiah of Maldives when in reality he was Lucifer of Maldives. He thinks with his feeble few years left he will bring back his glory time talking religious rubbish. He can hallucinate that now. With today’s information technology and unrestricted flow of information about religions and cultures, there will be people who will distance themselves from religious dogma. Now Maldives left divided with people of small minority of modern thinking and a vast majority with backward thinking who live in a much closed environment who does not have very good socially cultured background and living like some wild animals. Today he thinks he can hold them with his sweet talks the way he kept them tight by oppressing them during his reign. Yes he can, if he comes to power and again put a seal on freedom of expression, but can he do that trying to show the world that he is the man of democracy.
Maumoon Abdul Qayoom is not a scholar of my calibre. His formative years were not spent in the most prestigious seminaries of Qom, but in the decrepit institutions of Egypt. He was educated in Al-Azhar during the rule of that great abomination, Gamal Abdul Nasser, who had made this university a tool of his socialist-nationalist agenda.
His understanding of Islamic theology is extremely mediocre and borders on heresy. One only needs to pay attention to his unveiled wife and daughters, who he has encouraged to work outside the home, as evidence of his blasphemy.
However, he is eminently preferrable to the deviant Nasheed, who is in the pockets of the zionists. Maumoon and his chosen successors are to be our leaders.
Do not make the same mistake our shia brothers made when they refused to swear allegiance to the detestable Muawiyahh as their Caliph. Though detestable, he was, in fact, chosen to be the rightful leader of the ummah. So it is with Maumoon Abdul Qayoom, may Allah (swt) give us better leaders one day. But for now:
“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (AI-Baqarah, 2:216)
After thirty years in power, Gayoom beat Nasheed in the first round of the Presidential election by a wide margin 40% to 25%. Nasheed managed to beat Gayoo with a lot of help from Hassan Saeed and Gasim.
even now the 80 year old Gayoom is still winning. What is his magic formula?
Look Who 's There! The Goony Baboon!
The evil dictator is back. He should be in jail.
Anti semitic, christianophobic xenophobe is out calling rannamari again? Wake up, rannamari did not and does not exist!
“Politics is the art of postponing decisions until they are no longer relevant.” Henri Queuille quotes
He is a mad old bastard and he should be in jail for his abuse of power and crimes against us, the Maldivian people.
Yes we just don't know what we are talking about. We're being paranoid. It is just impossible to hack the accounts of people who have talked about secularism/ freedom of religion and "churches", people who are among Anni's confidantes/ associates/friends/ business accomplices/ sometimes partners in crime.
Here is what I do. I ignore this neo-con website, it's blathering fools who comment with the D!cks full-on, and I proceed to wipe out those that need to be, in order to ensure that the Majority of God-fearing folk in this country get what they deserve- a country of their own rightfully. Nazi death camps come to mind when I think of those that need to be silenced or wiped out to ensure the way & livelihood of a people who do not wish to be British and western, as the first thing obligated to them when they get up every morning. Rather I wish my little speckles on the ocean to be just as Maumoon (H.E) envisages/ envisaged.
We know exactly what needs to be done about those that had turned their backs on their creed, their society, their core values, their ethos. Their language, their attire, their rhetoric, their body-language all speaks as to who they are. Now they happened to marked with the colour yellow. This makes targeting ever so easier. ..mehheh
Gayoom for president.He is our only hope. We want to go to paradise with him.We must listen to him.
Everyone voted to put this fella out of the government back in 2008. Nows hes back in the government, albiet indirectly. Fact is, Maumoon is back in the car, even if he is not driving it, he is the one giving the instructions.
How does that reflect upon the legitimacy of the current government?
This is not the real Michael Fahmy commenting here!
MDP won the lection with the help of coalition. MDP forgot all about this winning and dumped coalition.
MDP still had the chance to lead the nation. But it was Nasheed who himself advocated the democracy but broke even the basic principles of democracy. He was under imense pressure from coalition and yet his unwilling to co-operate and stuburness brought him down. His verson of coup will never succeed as ther was no coup.
Dr Didi MDP leader already admitted publically the real problem within their party is Nasheed which is very true. MDP needs reform and isolate the sick man Nasheed who is suffering from
Antisocial personality disorder.
Antisocial personality disorder is a mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting, or violating the rights of others. This behavior is often criminal.
Symptoms
A person with antisocial personality disorder may:
•
Be able to act witty and charming
•
Be good at flattery and manipulating other people’s emotions
•
Break the law repeatedly
•
Disregard the safety of self and others
•
Have problems with substance abuse
•
Lie, steal, and fight often
•
Not show guilt or remorse
•
Often be angry or arrogant
@ police guy
M Gayoom's PPM party being equated with India's Congress Party?? You must have lost your marbles to even wildly make such a comparison..dho!
as if he only this guy knows how to be a muslim and protect it?
"Golhaa Boa"" heh heh
Gayoom is so obviously giving the game away with this statement, trying to sweep early elections under the carpet. Do 2 (close) by elections an early election make?)What sort of political calculation might that be? Doesn't Saudi Arabia count as a foreign power? Or Libya? Or anyone else he dealt with? Besides, in this age of globalisation don't we deal with everyone?Can we afford to live in our own little Mau cocoon? Isn't this delusional?
Is he or isn't he out of the closet as the man who wasn't behind the coup (that wasn't? Does he have any moral authority whatsoever, with all the evidence we have before us of his pitiful record of rule?
Is he the defender of the faith or the destroyer of it? When you destroy the fabric of a society (as he did) you take away the faith there is (we saw it and we are living it). When people witness so much inhumanity they lose faith in humanity itself. This is what Gayoom and his cohorts have done to what was a profoundly spiritual society - and barely 3 years into its healing, he is back. It is a sick, ignorant society that welcomes him.. and he intends to keep it that way - for what? For a few more years of life in power.
But dictators believe they are eternal and omnipotent - that is their lot. Could follow with @Radhun style bullet points on this subject - but will resist.
How shameless can one get? Is old age an excuse?
Enough tiring questions - (EARLY) ELECTIONS NOW!
Another conspiracy theory by bagee Mamoun.
ބައްލަވާ މައުމޫނޫ. 2000 ވަނަ އަހަރު އަގްސާ އިންތިފާޟާގެ ނަމުގައި ފަލަސްތީންގައި ކުރިއަށް ދިޔަ އިންތިފާޟާއަށް ތާއީދުކުރުމުގެ ގޮތުން ދިވެހި ކިޔަވާކުދިންނާއި މަދަނީ ޖަމިއްޔާތަށް ގުޅިގެން އަދި ޓީވީއެމް އިން އެކަން ވަރަށް ބޮޑަށް އިސްތިހާރުކޮށްގެން ބާއްވަން އޫޅުނު ހިނގާލުމަށް ވީ ކިހިނެތްތޯއެވެ. ހިނގާލުން ބާއްވަން އެއްދުވަހަށް ވެފައި އޮއްވާ މަނިކުފާނުގެ ސަރުކާރުން ކުއްލިއަކަށް އެނހިގާލުން ބޭއްވުމަކީ މަނާކަމެއްކަމަށް އަންގައި އެކަން ހުއްޓުވީ ފަލަސްތީނަށް ހާދަ ހެޔޮއެދޭތީއޭދޯ. ފަލަސްތީނުގެ މުޖާހިދުން އިޒްރެއިލާ ދެކޮޅަށް ދޭ ޖާނުން ފިދާވުމުގެ ހަމަލާތަކަށް އެއްފަހަރު ތާއީދުކޮށް ވާހަކަ ދެއްކުމަށްފަހު ދެވަނަ ފަހަރަށް އެވާހަކަ ބަދަލުކޮށް އެއީ ކޮށްގެން ވާވަރުކަމެއް ނޫންކަމަށް ބުނީ މަނިކުފާނުގެ ސަރުކާރަށް ބޭރުގެ ކިހާވަރެއްގެ ނުފޫޒެއް ފޯރައިގެންތޯއެވެ. އިޒްރެއިލްގެ ޕާސްޕޯޓްގައި ރާއްޖެއަންނަށް މީހުންނަށް އެހުއްދަށް ދޭން ފެށީވެސް މަނިކުފާނުއެވެ. ރާއްޖެއިން އިޒްރެއިލަގެ ދައުލަތަށް އިއުތިރާފް ނުވާނަމަ އިޒްރެއިލްގެ ޕާސްޕޯޓްގައި އަންނަށް މީހުންނަށް ރާއްޖެއަށް އެތެރެވެވިގެން ނުވާނެއެވެ. މިކަންކަމަށް ވިސްނާލީމާ އެބަ އެންގޭ މަނިކުފާނަކީ ފަލަސްތީނާއި ދޭތެރޭގައި ކިހާ އިހުލާސްތެރި ބޭފުޅެއްކަން.
Any intelligent citizen knows who' s the 'Master of Puppets' pulling strings from behind the political curtain, engay! Wrack yore brains well before you vote at the next elections, engay!
"Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom"
You meant "former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom", right ?!