Comment: Desperately seeking justice

Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed was the Maldives Ambassador to the UN, defacto non-resident Ambassador to the US and one of the Maldives’ most experienced and respected diplomats. He resigned live on Al-Jazeera following February 7’s controversial transfer of power, expressing “certain moral and ethical concerns I had that surrounded the departure of the former President [Nasheed].”

More than eight months since the first democratically elected government in the Maldives was brutally cut short by a mutinous mob on 7 February, the country continues to be divided on intensely partisan grounds.

Emotion, rather than rational discourse, has become the mainstay of political debate, both in and outside of parliament. In the meantime, the country’s economy appears to be in freefall, violence and brutality is on the rise and social norms are declining. A country once hailed as a haven of peace, both by its citizens as well as visitors, is fast becoming a playground for drug peddlers, criminals, pedophiles, bootleggers and knife-wielding gangsters.

This is not the country I grew up in; nor is it the country I wish to bequeath to my children.

I write this, not because I wish to blame one or the other person or party for the plight we find ourselves in; nor because I have any definitive or fanciful solutions to the seemingly ceaseless arguments of right or wrong pervading through our society at this particular junction in our history. There must be, indeed, there has to be, a better way of resolving our differences, of rising above narrow partisanship, of being able to settle our political scores, while respecting the views of those who diverge from us in belief and conviction.

Almost four years ago, when we so eagerly adopted a new Constitution granting us many freedoms hitherto unfamiliar, both at the individual as well as at institutional levels, we rejoiced proudly at our ability to instigate change through discussion and debate, and transform our country from a 30 year authoritarian regime to a multi-party democracy peacefully through the ballot box. The whole world heaped unbounded praise on the good judgment of a small nation that had lit a beacon for peaceful democratic transition other small nations could hopefully emulate; Maldives was in fact regarded as a ‘success story’ by the United Nations and the international community – a ‘poster-country’ for peaceful democratic transition!

There was indeed a sense of poetic justice as the once all-powerful old ‘dictator’ humbly bowed down to the will of the people, and without much fuss handed over the reins of governance to a new democratically elected youthful leader, who in fact had been repeatedly incarcerated by his defeated predecessor for demanding greater political freedoms in the country.

On that joyous day, we all believed in the depths of our hearts and souls that a new era of political pluralism, with concomitant freedoms and longed for justice, had dawned on the shores of our beautiful isles; we were marching in step with civilization and progress.

Regrettably, our elation seems to have been short-lived.

As we decline further into an abyss of political and economic disaster, following the abrupt and unceremonious regime change on 7 February 2012, many in the Maldives seem to be fast losing faith in the anticipated promises of democracy, in our politicians sworn to serve the people, and the independent institutions that were set up to protect the system.

Today, the people of Maldives, especially in Male’, yearn for some normalcy in their lives; to be able to send their children to school; do the shopping; cross the street safely; enjoy a ride around the island; above all, have their loved ones return home in one piece. Yet, unfortunately, normalcy for the people of Maldives appear to be increasingly elusive as the politics of vengeance, mutual distrust, personal enmity and party rivalries take precedence over every other national interest.

This is no better demonstrated than in the current efforts to convict the ousted President on charges of alleged abduction of a judge, whose ‘unorthodox’ rulings in the execution of his judicial duties, to say the least, is common knowledge.

It is not my intention here to vilify the said judge, but suffice it to say that there are many who believe, and seemingly justifiably so, that his continued stay as a judge is an affront to the ‘independence’ of any respectable judiciary. For them, he represents, in many ways, the worst and most manifest example of judicial abuse, in an already weak and compromised judicial system that has consistently been meting out systematic injustice, according to more than one international observer who have analysed and commented on the Maldivian judicial system.

Be that as it may, the arrest of the said judge by the then President was roundly condemned both nationally and internationally as legally untenable, the perceived moral imperatives of the President’s actions by some notwithstanding.

During the ensuing months since that fateful Tuesday, our country has been thrown into a seemingly never ending cycle of turmoil and turbulence. Our society has been brutalised, violence has become commonplace, respect for and confidence in the various state and government institutions and high ranking officials has never been so low. Indeed, even the very legitimacy of the newly sworn in President and his cabinet continues to be questioned by a considerable section of the Maldives polity, despite an internationally recognised Commission of National Inquiry having deemed the transfer of power as being legal and constitutionally mandated.

In the Maldives today where you stand on any conceivable issue of national significance depends almost entirely on with whom you party rather than on any sound judgments reached based on a rational analysis of facts. Truth, when it impedes the political interest, is summarily discarded.

Consequently, a government that had been formed on the claim of ‘national unity’, by stitching together a coalition of disparate political parties, appear to be going through a complete policy paralysis, as competing factions in the government fight for greater leverage on every issue. Many, in fact, are inclined to believe that this has become a one-issue government – that being the denial of candidacy for the ousted President in the 2013 presidential elections. Indeed, it seems that it is only on this one issue that the government is really united.

Little wonder then that the state’s decision to relentlessly pursue criminal charges against the former President, on charges of alleged human rights violations of an ‘innocent’ man, appears to meet with so much skepticism both within and outside the country. Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done.

There are those who passionately argue that the former President must be tried and sentenced to jail for his alleged abduction of the judge. There are others who just as vehemently argue that his actions, even if wrong, were understandable, in the larger interest of establishing an enduring and robust judiciary, claiming the charges to be based more on political expediency rather than a quest for justice. Both claim to be seeking justice for the people of Maldives.

It is my belief that, taking into consideration the events that led to the resignation of the then President, the mayhem that followed and the current emotionally charged atmosphere in the country, not to mention the questionable reputation of our judicial system, the pursuance of criminal charges against the former President is unlikely to serve the best interests of our nation which we so dearly claim to love; indeed it could possibly result in even more injustices being heaped on the people of Maldives.

At a time when we are so desperately in need healing the many wounds pervading through our nation, it is even more imperative that the state should not try to further fan the fires of distrust, disharmony, hatred, instability, and even political insanity. Indeed, it is duty bound to make every effort in harnessing greater harmony, mutual trust and increased cooperation amongst the various factions of the community.

It is quite evident that whatever the eventual outcome of the on-going court proceedings against the former President, the country will be further split on party lines. A conviction and possible disenfranchisement of the defendant will provoke the ire and indignation of his intensely loyal supporters who comprise a considerable mass of the country’s voting population. An acquittal will be an equally devastating blow for the many who have been so vociferously demanding the former President’s incarceration in jail.

Indeed, whatever may be the final decision of the three magistrates entrusted to hear the case, it would be a lose – lose situation for the country as a whole. Instability will continue to reign supreme.

Even more sadly, the moral authority of any President elected in a presidential election that had disenfranchised the chosen candidate of the largest political party will be considerably compromised, both domestically as well as internationally.

No one can doubt the steep uphill battle ahead for any new President, whose first and foremost task on assuming office will be to begin the healing process for a nation that had been torn apart over the last few months. The new President will require much goodwill and trust, moral and material support, both from within the country and international friends.

If our presidential elections do not receive the unequivocal stamp of approval as being free and fair, both nationally as well as internationally, there will always be a cloud of doubt hanging over the legitimacy of the new President. That would be a shame the people of Maldives should not have to bear, nor a burden we should impose on a newly elected President.

I believe our country currently face a very particular and unique situation in its short democratic history, in which the people of the Maldives desperately deserve the opportunity to have their say in determining whether or not the former President’s actions were justified, even if legally suspect. Let the people decide!

It is for all these reasons, in the larger interests of the future of our small yet beloved nation, that I would urge the State to cease the on-going prosecution of the former President on criminal charges. This becomes even more critical when there appear to be near universal agreement on the systematic weakness of our judiciary and its questionable competency to provide justice.

A long time ago, when I was still a young and impressionable student, a professor of mine once advised me that regret is something we should not waste our time on; we can never change what happened yesterday, but we can do something today to help shape our tomorrow, he said. Much has happened in the Maldives during the recent past, many of which perhaps regrettable, yet today unchangeable.

It is time for us to move forward, learning from our past, with confidence in a future shaped by our own actions taken today in the larger interest of our country, as the people of Maldives so desperately seek justice.

Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed was the former Maldives Ambassador to the UN and defacto non-resident Ambassador to the US.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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39 thoughts on “Comment: Desperately seeking justice”

  1. There will NEVER by true justice in the Maldives.

    Maldivians,sadly, are under the illusion that we are the enlightened, the rest are in the dark.

    What you say is true.

    But Justice can never be a reality here. Simply because we are hypocrites.

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  2. A former ambassador with MDP links that can no longer work for the foreign ministry wants to launch a political career and is staking it on Nasheed's re-taking of the presidency, something Mr.Ghafoor seems to take for granted.

    Is it really any wonder why he is so intent on preventing Nasheed from being charged for the serious abuses of power he is accused of, with good reason, while he was president?

    Nothing to see here.

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  3. @tsk tsk You have no interest in improving this godforsaken country! How do you sleep at night?

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  4. I feel sorry for Madame Ilhaam Hussain (illegal First Lady).

    I don't want her to be another Madame Premadasa (widow of ex-President of Sri Lanka, Premadasa).

    Or, another Madame Sonia Gandhi (widow of ex-Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi).

    Or, another Jaqueline Kennedy (widow of ex-President of America, John F.Kennedy.)

    I foresee a VERY sorry sight for Ilhaam.

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  5. Very well written piece by Ambassador Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed. All this so-called govt of National Unity seem to agree is to ensure President Nasheed's name cannot be on the ballot paper. They do not consider what happens after. Are they really going to condemn us to another five years of instability with a government that would undoubtedly has question marks over its legitimacy if Nasheed's name is no on the paper? Does no one really care about the people of Maldives? Looks as if we the people are in dire straits condemned by the greed of the politicians.

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  6. "There was indeed a sense of poetic justice as the once all-powerful old ‘dictator’ humbly bowed down to the will of the people, and without much fuss handed over the reins of governance to a new democratically elected youthful leader, who in fact had been repeatedly incarcerated by his defeated predecessor for demanding greater political freedoms in the country."

    This isn't whats referred to as poetic justice mate

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  7. @tsk tsk, by any chance are you related to Iblis, I am told he is a mischief maker as well.

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  8. If Nasheed has to tried and put behind bars so should Maumoon for a lot more including but not limited to the import of guns to Maldives. How about prosecuting Waheed for actually selling (and not even renting) of Gan Intenernational Airport? In actual fact every leader of every political party must be in jail if we had true justice.

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  9. @tsk tsk

    The reason why President Nasheed will win the next election, my dear tsk tsk is because those of us who support Nasheed For President are the future. YOU and those you support are the past.
    Chis chis kohliyas, fisfiskohliyas magey nethey veveykah baagee akah.

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  10. It is better to focus on the future; there are better things than Digging Abdulla Gaze’s case. Both Nasheed and Gazee were two sides of the same coin had represented the country, one was elected to rule, the second was appointed to keep rule of laws intact. Neither Abdulla nor Nasheed handled their jobs to uphold the very essence of our young democracy.

    It is obvious that the people who are so keen to see Nasheed tired and banished has one agenda that is to put Nasheed out of the political scene. Therefore why not leave behind animosity to Nasheed as well said by the very educated brilliant writer of this article.

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  11. @tsk tsk the show must go on right? We should not by any peaceful means let the Maldivians decide whether Nasheed is fit to rule the country or not through a ballot box. That would be just be too much to ask right? the author is just stupid to even contemplate a peaceful means to the circus that is going on eh?

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  12. Nasheed doesn't have an automatic right to immunity, although I do agree that the sole purpose of this show trial is to take him out of the political arena. That much has been said publicly, by his enemies, on many occasions, during and after his time in office.

    Nasheed can't be "eliminated" physically as that would backfire badly on his opponents. In the same way they "masterminded" the "blood-less" coup, they think they are on to a winning formula by seeming to go through the motions of justice.

    I sympathise with the former ambassador's views. However, as long as the present rag bag of "coalition" partners feel they have the upper hand, they will continue to harass Nasheed at every opportunity.

    In a way, Nasheed is paying for his many mistakes. When he had the upper hand, he made a lot of enemies for himself and they are out to get him now. As the old saying goes, never leave your enemy wounded, only to fight back another day! Nasheed did not heed that advice.

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  13. well done tsk tsk! as always you really do your very best to give a sense of hope to this broken country.
    you must be a very courageous man, with incredible sensibility and constructive vision for the future of the country... and more, for the future generations living in the country.

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  14. It bothers me when I see foreigners (UK) are supporting him for his re-election.

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  15. Ambassador Ghafoor has painted the sad current political and social psyche of the Maldivian nation passionately and personally.It is indeed a good-must read.The country had its first cracks of a permanent divide by the unconventional events of 7 February.Surely, since then,the Maldives dangerously "continues to be divided on intensely partisan grounds". Reflecting on the sad national reality and our plight I am made to remember what President Richard Nixon so aptly said in his 1974 farewell - "always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself".

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  16. Justice? !!

    A good start would putting and end to the practice of keeping same bunch of people Ambassador's for life.

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  17. One of the pitfalls of being an anonymous commentator is that anyone can steal my identity and make comments.

    The above comment made in the name of "tsk tsk" does not reflect my views entirely. Although from a cynical point of view, the point made in the comment is not entirely wrong.

    However one must note that some of the concerns held by the former Ambassador are important. Political polarization does threaten to divide our country into warring camps. However of course, those who support Nasheed are very much a minority. The registered membership of MDP, although oft-cited as nearing 50,000 reflects the results of a membership drive during Mohamed Nasheed's presidency.

    A sincere effort on the part of the Elections Commission to verify actual party membership will, I believe, show that the situation has now changed.

    Also, MDP's real membership, whatever number that turns out to be, does not all stand behind Nasheed. Therefore, those who will defend the former President are actually a minority, albeit a vocal and important minority, that are at risk of being silenced by the pragmatic majority who will shift their alliances with the change in the winds.

    What we have in this country is a war between members of the ruling elite. This war does trickle down at times in certain areas of the country causing divisions among family units and communities.

    What's more important is that the lack of consensus over important questions regarding our future. For example, our foreign relations. Foreign interests and their local agents are very much in the midst of a struggle to see who comes out at the top. There is little disagreement that the country is moving towards a policy of opening up its borders for foreign investment.

    There are powerful interests who also wish to maintain a strong presence in our isles in order to increase influence over the Indian Ocean.

    All of this translates into a quagmire that will of course come to an equilibrium eventually. One need not get too excited. We are a small country and all foreign interests agree that stability in our country is vital to secure their interests in the region.

    Nicely written piece though. It takes a lot of skill to instill a sense of impending doom. The ambassador has written quite a lot in his younger days I see.

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  18. I'm amused by the puerile attempts of a real life former Ambassador going into turns of intellectual hypocrisy and unforgivable naivety trying to whitewash ex President Nasheed's crimes of abuse of power when in power. A must read indeed if ever there was one. 🙂

    Our so experienced & rather unique Ambassador admits that his hero had arrested a sitting judge WITHOUT DUE PROCESS with the universal condemnation of friends and fore both nationally and internationally. He seems out of depth and incapable of figuring out that his hero had committed a crime and so was answerable for his actions. Perhaps he needs to refresh his reading and do his home work on "the rule of law".

    He also in his attempt to whitewash xPresident Nasheed reminds us of the alleged crimes of the judge. This Ambassador forgets that the judge like any other citizen is innocent until convicted in a court of law. Again it's basics. It's all to do with "due process". There is a legal framework within which all citizens have to act as determined by the constitution & statutes of this country. THIS IS NOW A FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY.

    Finally this incomparable Ambassador talks about questionable judgements of the judge. He seems unable to grasp the fact that Maldives has adopted a new constitution and there is a high court and Supreme court to address legal redress in case of petitions to handed out judgements of the lower courts. WAS THERE ANY ATTEMPT TO SEEK REDRESS FROM THE HIGH COURT & THE SUPREME COURT?

    Sadly THIS Ambassador seems incapable of taking lessons from the present "due legal process" at play  in Hulumale Magistrates Court & High Courts with his patron xPresident Nasheed making full use of the legal system at play. The PG is independent and the descission to prosecute the person who ordered to kidnap the judge was taken in the regime of his boss Nasheed.

    Mr Ambassador it pains me, a laymen with grade 10 education to lecture your EXCELLENCY that this Is a new Maldives post 2008 with a New Constitution.  This system does not allow a President to take the law into his hands as was possible under the old Constitution when MAG took on the function of The Appeals process. We need to Wake up to the realities of rule of law and due legal process and civil society in the DEMOCRATIC MALDIVES post 2008. It's telling that writing this article with this plea, your Excellency is ignoring the significance of this fact.

    There Need not be any violence,if your boss respected the Constitution. In fact he wouldn't have faced a situation that he woke up to the fact that he had resigned the Presidency.

    Your boss resigned. When he woke up to the reality of the enormity of his crimes he and his cabal triggered the most vicious cycle of violence this nation has ever seen hoping to cause so much mayhem that the new Govt would be forced to resign and so give him relevance and a new lease of life in the politics of the land. All that's required Mr. ambassador of your boss is to accept the Constitution and follow it and find a legal way of finding a way back to power.

    The undeniable fact is that with a paltry 25% the man was handed the Presidency by the efforts of Sheik Iliyas, Dr Saeed and Mr Gassim. The man as history would attest was unfit for rule and now we are forced to accept was puerile to resign. As for you Mr Ambassador I invite your esteemed excellency along with ex Foreign Minister and the ex Uk rep in Uk take stock of the irreparable damage that the 3 of you have done to the good standing of your nation internationally by your myopic self interest driven actions on the world stage. The economic damage we can only guess.

    Yes! I thought Poor Gaha Saeed's actions was the most incredibly pitiable performance of a Maldivian ever. Reading this article I must say that he has very stiff competition.

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  19. Ghafoor is Mohamed Nasheed’s very own uncle by marriage; married to his youngest aunt and his whole family including Ghafoor’s wife Nasheed’s aunt by blood; their children enjoyed unprecedented amounts of happiness with huge amounts of money at their disposal living in the world’s most expensive financial Capital; the US New York City; under Nasheed and MDP’s three year rule.

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  20. Mustho on Wed, 7th Nov 2012 9:20 PM

    What you seem to forget my friend is that people from the UK gave support for your country to become a democratic society after 30 years of dicatorship. The rest of the world has a valid right to speak on behalf of all people who are oppressed and have their voices unheard when injustice is done.

    Do you honestly believe that the people of the Maldives would have been given the chance to vote back in 2008 if there hadn't been outside influence to hold a free election. Dictators don't fear their own people they crush them. Dictators only fear the rest of the world from stopping them ruling by fear and intimidation.

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  21. agree yameen bro, his bias is clear...and despite many luxuries this mans position had gained to his children, his mean spirited arrogant and egomaniacal son (smart kid but a real a******) only repay our country by repeatedly insulting communities and people from our country he dont like, through social media, and recently sayin he wants nothing to do with us....(because of that child abuse case....as if there is no child abuse anywhere else in the world!!!)

    we should never again waste valuable state resources on ambassadors luxuries and their children specually when those children are given expensive educations on money of citizens that they have no intention of paying back.

    also agree with T...mr.ghafoor mentions the UNCONSTITUTIONAL arrest of that judge very quickly and wants everyone to quickly ignore that fact so to give nasheed a second chance at the presidency without being arrested for crimes of WHAT HE IS GUILTY!

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  22. Mr. Abdul Gafoor,

    There is no point trying to justify anything here in the Maldives right now.

    Justice that you ask for, by the time Gayyoom started and finished his first oath of office, had left this country for good.

    You can imagine what justice one can have, when a coup that was unfold on media and in front of our very eyes from the start to the end, was proven not a coup!

    There is not a speck of doubt that President Nasheed was guilty of any crime arresting or detaining the so called judge Abdudulla Mohamed.

    Abdulla Mohamed is not worthy of being called a judge.
    He is not worthy to be sitting as a judge.
    He is a stinking criminal.

    Everyone know this! But,

    His criminal mind was a marvel to some rulers. Therefore he was hired for their benefit.

    Spinners here loyal to and true to what they received from these rulers would utter anything to prove this Abdulla Mohamed innocent. They would prove day as night or the other way around if needed not to prove him guilty.

    At the moment, we are over taken by greed and evil.

    Theft of every sort is on going.
    Crime and wicked things of all sort are on going!

    Under these circumstances, justice will not have its rightful place anywhere!

    It will take a while, before justice can return to this country.

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  23. The real fact behind the idiotic, insistence by this regime to hold Nasheed from running is not that he will win, it's what will happen if he does?!!

    All you cowards commenting about how Nasheed did or didn't fit your aspirations,will run back to your caves!

    In an ironic way this coup, though no question about it, was a real board shuffled to those cockroaches hidden under Maumoon, and his gang Jubba!!

    Now the tables are set for a dramatic finale, and I mean a smashing victory for Nasheed, because like it or not, he's the cap fit..

    In regard to justice, it's not any difficult to go back to, just verdicts are heard by GOD, and unjust ones by the divel himself, A judge knows that, but very ofte, he still needs a car, a big apartment, a nice trip,, So, he sells out, ignoring the call of just.
    And when the drivel has him in his sleep, he gives him all those aches and pains next morning ..
    There are instances where sleep problems, bad dreams, and nightmares where reported by some judges..

    There is one thing which any corrupt judge fears though,,,,, An angry mob of avengers,

    peace!!!

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  24. In a society, justice is built from home, if your child does Wong, discipline is must. Often though, we feel the hurt of discipline, because it's either painful or hard to watch..

    Today, Maldives is not away from justice, it's justice which will arrive, days after any attempt to arrest Nasheed, or after election,
    the coup organizing committee must keep on stealing as much as they can, as fast as they can and then secure exits! may be too late for that too!,
    People are not sitting awaiting it to happen, they are fed up of the wait, now it's either you punch or you'll be knocked down,,,,,,,,,,,out!!

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  25. As long as former Dictator alive
    We will not have peace n justice in Maldives.

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  26. It is worrying that when someone writes an article about the condition of the country, many of us can only come out with political rhetoric about his previous job or employer. Please note- the point here is that the country needs healing. Even if our first inclination is to attack,can we just think about this message?

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  27. Yameen, dear brother! I must say I have to applaud you for having done your research this well!! That is a ludicrous piece of information!! I am sure Nasheed's family would be ecstatic to suddenly discover a "young aunt"!! Bravo!! my brother!!

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  28. As T puts it the passionate plea of the Ambassador on behalf of his close relative and boss Annie, brings into focus the serving of justice in the Maldives.

     Justice is a subject that is deeply ingrained in the psyche of Maldivians especially the older generations. This is so not by accident but by the fact that rendering justice in Islam is primordial, and are very aware that any judgement would without doubt be judged on JUDGEMENT DAY. 

    It might be said that there are two great concepts which govern all aspects of Islam.  These are Peace and Justice. They are clearly connected since there can be no enduring peace without justice. Maldives cannot heal until the breach of the trust placed on Nasheed as manifested by his blatant abuse of executive power whilst in office is justly addressed. In my opinion this is also the first fundamental step in reforming our justice system. 

    The Qur°än praises those who always act “in the light of truth” and tells us: “Perfected are the words of your Lord in truth and justice”. It tells us also: “Behold, God enjoins justice and good actions and generosity to our fellows….”, and it commands us never to let hatred lead us into deviating from justice: “Be just! That is closest to God consciousness”.

    Is there any wonder then that Maldivians  place such great importance on justice? It's such teachings of the Koran that the great Prophet of Islam, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be on him put into practice and which his companions Umar bin Khattab and companion of companions Umar bin Abdul Azis put into practice and left its indelible mark on Maldivians consciousness. It's these teachings that push Maldivians to demand a fair trial for Annie. 

    Justice is not served by splitting hairs and letting go of the guilty. We know that in certain systems murders, rapists, paedophiles - caught in the act finds legal loopholes that allow them to escape to commit more of the same crimes again. Presently Annie is resorting to just that with his English lawyers who have made their name by perfecting their expertise in providing legal loopholes to enable criminals to go scot free. They call it justice and revel at how blind that justice is. 

    This is good for Maldives because it offers us lessons to learn from and we can see first hand the injustices inherent in the judicial procedures of the Wester legal system, and maybe take measures to avoid their injustices, in our systems in the future. Not only Nasheed is on trial, the Maldivian judiciary and also the British Legal system too. 

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  29. In the last para, Ghafoor mentions 'larger interest of our country', like a passing remark, with his main focus on the up coming Nasheed trial.

    The larger interest of the country is much larger than an individual - be it Nasheed or Maumoon. The larger interest are preserving the interest of the 300,000 people, their 1000 years of history and way of life. The real issues are the corruption, mainly nepotism for which both Nasheed and Maumoon is guilty.

    No, Mr. Ghafoor. The larger interest does not lie in saving Anni or Maumoon's.

    As a diplomatic elder, why not outline some real vision of the country and its issues without defending Anni who happens to be your relative.

    Where is the experinced diplomat in you when people needed it.???

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  30. “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

    ― Paulo Coelho, Alchemist

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  31. Gafoor - From the long ignorant comments, without a radar, no subject, other than hate, it appears you certainly got a winner. Enjoy reading it and so very true.

    Well done Gafoor looking forward for more articles from intellects.

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  32. Luthfee, are you November 3rd Luthfee??? Thanks for agreeing with me. I foresee so much of killings if Ammi is arrested.

    Luthfee, where are you hiding in Sri Lanka!!!!?

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  33. Well written article, expecting more similar reading! I agree with the ambassador that we need to move forward as a nation and would not be able to do so by constantly debating what happens was right or wrong. I hope the hysteria dies down after the next Presidential election and we can start to consolidate democracy and peoples rule in Maldives!

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  34. You know all Maldivean, Dictator Gayoo has send his Cost Gurd Team to jointly work to get his most wanted guy Call Abdulla Luthufee (Xaan)
    Shame on your Def fence minister,and Dr, Wahedd too, as the Nation is sinking of economy. Also around Dr. Waheed many of Abdulla Lutufees relations.
    Now Interpol linked with Sri Lanka Navy.
    All its innocence. Shit, is this to get 2013 vote.? He is the one responsible of
    deaths of 3, November, all killing Prison, and the rest.
    Same on you Gayoom

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