Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said he believes allegations made in a personal memoir by former Human Rights Minister Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed of a plot to assassinate him are “realistic”.
In an exclusive interview with Minivan News, Nasheed said he hoped the allegations would prompt a thorough criminal investigation either from parliament or other institutions.
“I see Dhiyana Saeed’s allegations as realistic. I hope that the parliament and other institutions would conduct a thorough criminal investigation. Even the CNI [Commission of National Inquiry] report as well highlights the need for such an investigation,” he said.
The memoir, which the former SAARC Secretary General shared with Minivan News, levelled serious allegations against then opposition figures, who Saeed claimed had plotted Nasheed’s fall and conspired to assassinate him.
On the allegations of threats to his life, Nasheed said he had received information from government intelligence sources of plots to assassinate him.
“I did get information from the Ministry of Defence that the intelligence got reports of planned assassination attempts. I had knowledge of this before,” he revealed.
In her memoir, Dhiyana claimed that the notion of “taking out” the former president came up during a conversation she had with a friend and a “long-standing political affiliate” whom she referred as “X”.
Asked whether he knew the identity of X, Nasheed refused to speculate.
“I don’t personally know that person. It would not be very good for me to name the person before a proper investigation. But I too have got information,” he said.
Nasheed added that resigning from the presidency had not put an end to death threats.
“Yes, I do [get threats of assassination], quite a lot actually,” he said.
Dhiyana alleged in her memoir that the controversial transfer of presidential power on February 7 was the result of a premeditated and well-orchestrated plan and questioned the findings of the Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI).
Nasheed reiterated his belief that the accusations were accurate, in line with concerns he himself had previously raised over the findings of the CNI’s report.
“After the coup, I was seeing very dirty dealings within the government. According to information I get, even now, affairs of government are being carried out in an irregular mafia style. I don’t see things happening according to government procedures,” he claimed.
Bugging
Nasheed also dismissed allegations by current Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim that the former President had pressured his representative on the CNI, Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed, to influence the outcome of the inquiry.
“I did not even once call Ahmed Saeed. Not even once I called. I don’t really know how the procedure had gone from the government side,” he claimed.
Dhiyana Saeed also alleged that Defence Minister Nazim had admitted to “bugging” the office of the CNI panel in which witness testimonies were recorded.
However, Nazim dismissed the allegations in local media yesterday.
Nasheed claimed that he too had been told of the alleged surveillance measures by the government during the time the CNI was conducting its inquiry.
Nasheed was however reluctant to comment accusations Saeed had made regarding for Defense Minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu’s alleged role in the controversial transfer of power on February 7. He insisted that it was not proper to accuse someone without a thorough investigation.
The former President however reiterated his allegation that his former deputy, current President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, had been plotting his downfall for some time before February 7.
Asked why he had not taken any action taken to investigate allegations against the then-Vice President, Nasheed accused the country’s judiciary of being flawed and politicised, preventing his government from conducting an investigation.
“I was getting information that [President] Waheed was plotting something like this. Due to the way the courts were functioning, the government were unable to conduct necessary criminal investigations,” he explained.
On Dhiyana’s suggestion that only an international criminal investigation that was “independent, impartial and comprehensive” could uncover the truth, Nasheed said he doubted a positive outcome from international intervention.
“I now have a very dim view towards international community. I don’t think there is a UN resolve or an imagination in doing something good and proactive to help a country move forward. I don’t think such a vision is anymore the vision of the UN,” Nasheed claimed.
Revolution
The former President has recently called for an Egyptian-style “popular uprising” to topple the “coup regime”.
“Our party now sees no other change other than a revolutionary change. We could not fire the imagination of the international community to bring an institutional change, a structural change. Their lethargy and their all time need to maintain the status-quo means we cannot bring reform to this country. So the way we see it, the best thing for the country is a revolutionary change,” he said.
Presidents Office Media Secretary Masood Imad said that he “did not wish to comment on what Nasheed had to say,” when contacted yesterday.
While Dhiyana in her memoir concurred with the formerly ruling Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP’s) insistence that Nasheed’s resignation was made “under duress” to avoid bloodshed in the capital, she stopped short of characterising the transfer of power as a “coup d’etat.”
“I weighed all this together and I could not ignore the logical conclusion – that key players had engineered and orchestrated the events, that President Nasheed had not resigned voluntarily as he asserted and that Waheed was possibly complicit. I believe further, that had President Nasheed not resigned ‘voluntarily’ that day he would have been killed in a way that would not be apparent as a killing – perhaps ‘accidentally’ in a cross-fire in the MNDF or at the hands of the enraged public in the manner of Amin Didi, the first President of the Republic,” Dhiyana concluded in her memoir.
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So this is the launching of MDP Revolution.
Let me guess. People would come to the street in droves and restore the former presidency.
For God sake, Nasheed stop crying and loving Mariya Didi!! Grow up!! You made strategic mistakes and your own betrayed you before others took control! You still seems to be in a sleep!! Wake up!!
People would come out and vote to overwhelm the old guard and their illegitimate designs of suppression and nepotism. They would vote for a new era free of judicial predation of percieved irreligious or dissident Maldivians.
People care about food in their mouth first, and democracy is an after thought, most of the time. The ideals of democracy work in a largely middle-class society. Maldesh does not have that.
The current regime can only last as long as they are able to feed the population. That's why they have to push a massively underfunded budget through Majlis. The short term aim is to stay in power.
Nasheed is also quite right about the "international community". There is no such community out there. Everyone has different interests as exemplified by the attitude of India, China, United States and others. Simply put, there isn't enough in Maldesh for them to fight over it.
Nasheed you resigned from the post knowing what a grave yard you have created in the country.
You know if you stay in power you will never have any chance to win any election in Maldives due to your bad economic policies.
You know that you could control your expenses and you had no means to match the income with your expenses.
You know very well that you have sold all possible assets for peanuts and then there is nothing else for you to sell .
this is why you resigned and then you have chance to blame others and then thinking that these monkey araajje people will vote for you.
You know that you have taken money from STO and even you have taken money from central bank reserves ?
You know that there were no country who will give any loan to this country due to the debt that you had brought to.
A country like Maldives you managed to bring the debt from 390 million to 990 million in just 3 years .
You are a good activist to cheat the people and bring the people on road. But you have no leadership quality at all and you are a person who could even manage your own company.
When a person who can not manage his own business, how can we expect the same guy to run a country ?
Managing a company and running a country are two different propositions. Good business leaders do not always make good political leaders and vice versa.
How much more depressing can all this get.
Seriously, this Nasheed character is a shame. I don't know why there are people following him like deranged lunatics.
Whose better?
Mody seems to love making up stories about ol' Anni.
I doubt he knows the punishment for slanderers and backbiters in islamic law.
Then again, he's probably getting presents from Santa Claws in Rangali Island or something.
Nasheed made an impact to the lives of ordinary Maldivians. I think people realize the importance of pension for the elderly, single parents assistance, medical, housing and inter-island transport and their impact on a better life. This I think will get him the votes for re- election.
I strongly support investigating these allegations! Everyone must take responsibility and must be made accountable for their actions!
Nasheed you resigned and left because you were unable to handle a small crisis, you got afraid and got emotional. You never had any leadership quality ever to be a leader, it was by luck you got the post, but couldn't handle the pressure of President post, so don't cry, your presidency is history now. You cannot win anymore
Nasheedo: "there are people following him". Exactly. Shows he has done something right in his 3 years as president. Ppl like you would have a hard time accepting that fact
Omar.
Any things against Nasheed, you will not believe and you only want to hear and see things in favor of him.
Nasheed is no saint or angel and he is one of most corrupted person in this country .
He is man who have no capacity to run this nation and he got the post by luck.
Many people are following him because he created lot of political posts and gave those post to people who have no formal education. These people have never earned such a money in their life and lost the post overnight.
So it is undoubted that these people and their family members will follow him, especially when Nasheed is giving so much hope for these people of coming back.
Anni, get serious if you want to win the next election. stop acting the child who wants the toy. its the future of all of us.