Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Alhan Fahmy is claiming he was ‘threatened’ when he tried to attend a welcome reception at the presidential jetty for former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on his return from Egypt.
Fahmy recently joined the MDP following his suspension Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), the party of which Gayoom is Honorary Leader.
”DRP MPs and people of the leadership came and warned me that if I stayed here I ‘might hurt myself’,” Fahmy said, ”but the jetty does not belong to DRP so I stayed there.”
Gayoom had attended a gathering marking the Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday, where he was presented with the Order of Merit, First Class in Arts and Sciences by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for his contribution to spreading Islamic education.
Fahmy said he had wished to personally congratulate Gayoom for his achievement.
”I was forced and threatened, and asked to leave,” he said, ”so I left.”
He said the DRP’s actions “proved they do not reach the criteria of a democratic political party.”
However DRP’s Vice President Umar Naseer claimed Fahmy went to the reception with the clear intention of disrupting the event, “and not to congratulate Maumoon.”
”The event was organised by DRP and only DRP members were invited,” Naseer said, adding that DRP supporters had shouted at Fahmy and he had left of his own volition.
MDP MP Ahmed Easa said it was “very nice” of Fahmy to congratulate Maumoon.
”It showed that he respects him,” Easa said. ”Sending him away was a very weak act by DRP.”
He said even though Fahmy had moved from the DRP to MDP, there was no reason he should not retain personal friendships with the party’s senior members.
”We also used to have coffee at the same table with DRP MPs after debating issues in parliament,” Easa said.
At his welcoming reception, Gayoom said “it gives me pleasure to know that the international community recognises my work in spreading Islam and education in the Maldives,” adding that his award was “an honour to the whole country.”
Wonder how a cruel dictator like Mubarak has a qualification to award anyone, especially another former dictator any type of merit for contribution to Islam. There is nothing about Islam in Egypt. It is the same as how Maldives was when it was ruled by Gayyoom. The scholars that talk against the government are put to prison. Even now majority of the opposition activists are in prison and many more are banned from standing for local elections.
a medal from a dictator to a former dictator, for the outstanding work he did as president of maldives for 30 years, for religious persecution, for meddling with maldivian identity, for brainwashing on phoney nationalism and anti semitic world views, for repressing the maldivians, for the endless torture and for speeding up social inequality..this is not headline he shoud be ashamed to be taking a medal from a man whose trying to break the record of the man who he is giving a medal to, both belong in the hague with milosevic and omar al bashir and laurent kabila
@muazMZ so your are spreading misinformation, who is in prison? activists? and majority of them? and banning for standing for local elections? you have seriously hurt your credibility this time, it people like you who deserved this prestigious medal from a very charismatic leader
THIS SHOWS HOW DEMOCRATIC A PARTY COULD BE.DRP THUGS SHOULD KNOW THAT OUR FORMER PRESIDENT IS NOT THEIR OWN PROPERTY AND EACH AND EVERY MALDIVIAN HAVE THE RIGHT TO CELEBRATE AND CONGRATULATE MR GAYYOOM FOR HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AS A RULER OF OUR COUNTRY
Alhan went there definitely to grab media attention and make headlines, he got that. He or any one who has any idea about Maldives politics recently will be aware, who Alhan is and why he should not be there, other than create problems.
No, Alhan told me he wanted to create chaos there, he wanted to distrupt the DRP welcoming Maumoon, you cant deny this Alhan. You have gone so low, you are licking your master's feet now Alhan. Im very sorry, I know you are my buddy, but I never expected that you will go this low.
Only a dictator like Mubarak will recognize the work of another dictator. This guy has no shame whatsoever. We have decided to leave him alone, but he has yet to learn to keep quiet.
Mubarak and Maumoon are criminals of the same wavelength. And the DRP acts like an organized crime family; the time has come for our government to make a stand against these dictators and criminals.
Alhan seems to be a bigger hypocrite than I though he was.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8549214.stm
Both dictators, Maumoon and Mubarak ruled by a regime of horrific terrorism and extraordinary brutality, as seen by stories like this - the arrogance and cruelty of their followers are testament to these words.
For our country to move forward, it is necessary to punish such criminals.
A gift from a dictator to another dictator (both were very close friends / may be Ga_?). No wonder, Mubarak missed Gay yoom and called him over there to have a game together and to cover it, after the game, gave him a big hug and a gift. he he he
..Hippey..
Sorry, I can't agree with what most of the above comments. Today, Muslim world is facing a great challenge, specially in moderating the extremism. I would salute Maumoon for his excellent leadership maintained to moderate the extremists. It is absurd that some of the above respondents have their personal reasons or lack of understanding the whole picture when they express their ideology and it is very unjust to accuse, even in the religion of Islam, anyone of a such false accusation or corruption specially its not proven in a court or with valid evidence.
And speaking about the Egyptian president, did anyone of you knew why Americans supports Egyptian government, provide financial assistance and military support, although they are a dictatorial government? It is an evident fact that Democracy could not give a solution to the middle east and to the national security of the USA. Another epitome is Maldives. All I can see is that the social condition is getting deteriorated. We need to alter how we delineate democracy and the model as it lacks important traits to address an important challenge of the current climate.