MPs passed a resolution on Wednesday preventing Israeli national airline El Al from operating scheduled flights to the Maldives until Majlis’ National Security Committee completes further investigation into the matter.
El Al had applied to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in May 2011 requesting permission to fly to the Maldives starting in December 2011.
The demand to ban Israeli flights was a key issue that united opposition parties and was used to spark protests against Nasheed’s administration in the last weeks of his presidency. Nasheed resigned from office on February 7, but later claimed he had been deposed through a coup d’état.
The opposition also called for the eviction of Indian infrastructure giant GMR, granted a contract by Nasheed’s administration to manage and develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA). Further demands included a call to condemn UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay for her suggestion that flogging be abolished in the Maldives as a punishment for extra-marital sex, and the removal of “idolatrous” SAARC monuments from Addu City
However Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) MP Abdul Azeez Jamal Abu Bakr on Wednesday withdrew the Majlis petition against Pillay.
On April 2, Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed also withdrew a resolution calling on the Majlis to prevent GMR from taking over the management of duty free shops and bonded warehouse from local businesses.
Riyaz also withdrew a resolution calling on the government to remove SAARC monuments from Addu City on the same day. Addu City Council had removed the monuments in January after a public furor.
Ousted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson and MP Hamid Abdul Gafoor said he was “at a total loss” since then-opposition “had picked such a fight with us over these matters.”
“They made these issues out to be a threat to national security, and now these issues have disappeared without a trace. This is just cheap and dirty politics,” Ghafoor said.
December 23 demands
Speaking to MDP supporters at a rally on Wednesday evening, Nasheed observed that the then-opposition’s rallying cries had died once they took power.
“I will always remember, at the last moment of the coup, a police man was shouting out, ‘My father built that airport at Hulhule,’ [complaining] that I had sold that airport to outsiders, that the police were there [protesting] to retake that airport,” he said.
Nasheed said his policies had been for the benefit of the ordinary citizen and “no one can take the airport away, whether it’s GMR or India or another country.”
“I want to tell that policeman and other police officers who brought about the coup, when the current administration eventually decides to allow Israel flights to land at the airport, it is for the benefit of the economy. Even though they polluted your hearts for political gain, you are now seeing all of their poems turning to mere lullabies,” he said.
The PPM, DQP, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Jumhooree Party (JP) and Madhanee Ithihad (Civil Society Coalition) organised a well attended ‘Defend Islam’ rally on December 23 demanding that Nasheed prevent Israeli airlines from operating flights into the Maldives, remove “idolatrous” SAARC monuments and apologise for Pillay’s comments.
The ‘December 23 coalition’ accused Nasjeed of being “non- Islamic”, and said the decision to handover airport to GMR undermined Maldives’ sovereignty.
When Nasheed arrested Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012, the coalition called on the police and military not to obey Nasheed’s orders and pledged allegiance to Nasheed’s VP Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.
On February 7, Nasheed publicly resigned from office after elements of the police and military staged a mutiny, and Waheed was sworn in as president on the same day.
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HIstory is written. Failed President Mr. Nasheed. Sorry. mihureeye haalakee magey, ambi aa gawm dhiyaee ma rovvaafa ey, dheneh madakun nuhunnaanamey.
"Riyaz also withdrew a resolution calling on the government to remove SAARC monuments from Addu City on the same day."
Just one question, why? I know the answer, but this goes to show the dirty campaign played by those who grabbed power illegally. They tarnished the name of Islam in order to carry out their evil activities.
May Allah bring a swift end to the illegal regime.
Ahmed bin Addu bin Suvadheeb on Thu, 26th Apr 2012 10:23 PM
That is not a question for you to ask, much less answer.
That question is for the junta, to be asked by the sheeple who got their panties' in a bunch upon hearing the call of religion and came out to the streets on Dec 23rd 2011.
Don't hold your breath though, if the past is any indicator, no questions will be asked. The sheeple do not question, men from pulpits do. All patriots merely recite.
While I applaud the devestation we have inflicted on the Israeli economy, I find these retractions concerning.
Pilaaly must answer for her crimes, that she committed while she was within our jurisdiction no less.
I call upon the ICC to hand her over to our government immediately so we can make an example out of her to all would be deviants who intend on flouting the laws of our creator.
have to retract because mdp scum love Pilaaly. they will probably burn down our house if we try and bring Pilaaly to justice.
so they were doing responsible patriotic thing by retracting so that we dont have to worry about mdp scum going on high rampage and chopping up ordinary citizens.
December 23 ihthihaadhu was doing everything wrong even a single things. they ware shows the demonstration how to change the government and they ware changed the the government. However, now a days they can not move any ware they want. They are "BAGEE". they will pay a price of that to people of this caounty.
"History is how people will look at events happening now after years". It would be wise for the people who are behind the present day events to think of how their actions will be evaluated by Maldivians in future and how their children and families will be treated for that history. How long can the common man be brainwashed and kept happy with the dole money thrown by the "Clans"? Ultimately "Truth and Justice" will have to prevail.
Such hypocracy. All of a sudden GMR is ok, Pillay is ok. what was all that bullshit these people subjected us to about how we needed to get the airport out of GMR clutches,how we were giving up our independence by having an Indian company manage the airport. Hypocrites all of the damned bunch in govt now. On top of it hiring a PR company lead by a Jew who has said he will always look out for Jewish interests.
Proof that the coup gang stirred up hatred to get what they wanted. All organized and pre arranged.
ELECTION NOW TO SAVE OUR NATION.
Time will tell........
Ban flights from Israel on the same day that the government hire a Jewish PR company to spin their way out of a coup!!!!!!
Ruder and Finn are JEWS!!
Yasir, that's the best you can do for retracting the resolution against Pillay? Lol! Hopefully you are not the official spokesperson for this terror government eh!
Mariyam, you are probably mdp scum. It was necessary to forget about Pilaaly because we are afraid you might come to chop us up in your high rampages. mdp scum are dangerous and have caused enough headache for our police as it is.
@Yasir
Could you explain in a coherent way what you hate about the MDP?
Don't worry you won't need an airport soon when all the tourists stop going to the Maldives.
All the offending statues smashed in addu.so,why do you need a resolution?
@Ahmed
Have you seen the way in which their behavior is? Okay so what happened on 7 feb was not the best way to go about things but in response mdp go around town burning up everything chopping up everyone making babies cry with their stupid marches.
i dont need coherent reason to hate them. they are scum who are misbehaving and I want them arrested before they bring more harm to anyone else.
I think you can do better then that, to explain the hypocracy of this governments actions. And you seem to be learning from your masters.
The places that got burned in the islands, happened on the 8th, after MDP and supporters of President Nasheed were beaten up brutally on the streets of Male' just for protesting. Infront of Aljazeera camera crew, and various recordings of those beatings are on internet for all to see. Yes the burnings were wrong, but worse was beating up unarmed protesters by Police. Get your facts right, or if you have such a desire to hate Nasheed, do continue with your lies to yourself.
@Yasir, my above comments are for you delusional dude.
The antisemitics are not antisemitic afterall! Welcome Ruder & Finn, you are a breath of fresh air to El AI. Fly high El AI.
@Yasir
50000 people, men and women are members of the MDP. Are you sayng that one sixth of our population are scumbags?
Did you know that when you point a finger at someone you have three fingers pointing at you?
@Liusha
our property is more important than mdp scum. their body only belong to them but property belong to all of us. get your priorities first and then come talk to me. actually dont because you are mdp scum. next time i see someone in yellow shirt i will go mad, see what you mdp scum have done to me. ruining the peace and chopping up everyone.
democratically elected governments should be changed by ballots not by batons
SAARC so called monuments have long been removed and so why does parliament need to keep that resolution ? The writer as usual want to create conflict and want to promote MDP agenda.
If tourist stop coming to Maleives, does this mean MDP members will not be affected. If that is the case, then you guys have robbed the country within 3 years enough to sustain for another 10 years right ? I can believe this , no one knows where all the taxpayers mine have been spent and many of those money should have gone to MDP elite members pocket.
GMR is required to be controlled and no one will be able to remove them from the airport since there was a binding contract made between GMR and previous government. Though a large sum of money were given to handful people to get this contact signed, MDP will always say that it was a right thing.
Tell me why Anni abolished the airports company board and form a new board and got the contract signed less than 24 hours of appointing the new board and new chairman. Even new board members would not be able to read one third of the contract since they were appointed and how can some one signed a document without reading the contents.
Guys don't try to make that it was a legitimate deal and it was corrupt and will be considered as a robbery.
Anni and MDP is spending those money today.
@Hussein
I beleiv you made up those numbers. but even if true yes they are all scum.
I don't suppose it matters a jot to El Al if flights to a small insignificant archipelago in the middle of nowhere refuses landing rights.
Maldivians really need a reality check regarding their global standing. 99.9% of people in the world have probably never even heard of you. As for wrecking devastation on the Israeli economy.....surely you dumb neanderthals cannot be serious? Israel and its people are welcome in India.....India is where the tourism potential is and where the economy is booming, not Maldives.
Indians fully support the statement of the UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay in asking for human rights legislation in Maldives.
Somebody need to tell you morons.....300,000 dimwits no less..... that your religious laws are just plain stupid in this day and age.
Well done Navi Pillay.
Nasheed will go down in history as a corrupt dictator..
I agree 100% with mode. As the monuments had been removed there is no purpose for that petition to proceed. With regard the Airport, that corrupt deal had been arranged by the Ganjaa Thakuru and signed by Bandhey after Ibrahim refused to sign the agreement. Since the agreement had been signed we have to accept the fact that the agreement had to be honoured, no matter how hard it is. It is really good that the government had not agreed to pay for that "stupid" development which Ganjaa Thakuru government had agreed to.
@Mode
I am so shocked at what you have written. But thank you for writing this. Because it reminds us over again what this struggle is about.
I know that we Maldivians have an extraordinary capacity for short term memory loss (the more money we get from our corrupt politicians the quicker we forget) but your tirades are something else. Gold medal for selective vision, hearing, and memory retention, Mode
Human rights are a load of crockery, and anyone who advocates for them shall be whipped for impertinence and garrotted for blasphemy. Even foreigners such as Pilley must be subject to the justice of our lord.
Indira New Delhi, you and Pilley are a prime example of why female literacy is an abomination. You think with your emotions, and say whatever gibberish comes to your mind, based on your superficial understanding of foreign cultures and world events. Even when your utterances go against the words of our creator. You have read one Kaafir blog too many.
Incidentally, Neanderthalls are a fairy tale conjured up those worshippers of the cults of neurologism and evolutionism that have the temerity to call themselves scientists.
They are as much a myth as your vaunted economy, whose per capita income pales in comparison to ours. Whereas our true God has blessed us with intellect and innovation - your Oogah Boogah gods have vested you with naught but poverty and stagnation. The morbid stench of New Delhi can attest to these truths.
In truth, the Israelis have suffered a great loss from which I hope they never recover. Alhamdulillaah.
@Dhivehi Hanguraama
Sounds like you are on a trip.
Baggee Gayoum, Waheed and Yasir should be garroted on the spot. We should withdraw from CW. And ban all travelers from CW to enter and vacation in Maldives. Pillay had no business in defying Allah Rasgulla's order of flogging women for extra marital sex.