President Dr Mohamed Waheed has announced plans to form a coalition between his Gaumee Ithihaad Party (GIP) and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP), ahead of presidential elections scheduled for later this year.
Writing on his personal Twitter account Thursday (March 28), President Waheed welcomed the support of the AP, while expressing hope other undisclosed parties would be making similar announcements at a later date.
Together we are stronger.#Adhaalathu thank you for taking the first step. Let us hope others will join us shortly.
— Mohamed Waheed (@DrWaheedH) March 28, 2013
The AP tweeted the same day that its council have approved the coalition with the current president ahead of the September this year.
We hope to form a large, strong coalition with @drwaheedh and other parties to provide stability and prosperity for the Maldives — Adhaalath Party (@Adhaalathoffice) March 29, 2013
By yesterday (March 29), the AP tweeted that it aimed to “form a large, strong coalition” including other parties in the country to try and provide stability and prosperity in the Maldives following the presidential race.
Our council has decided with a majority of 97 percent to form a coalition with @drwaheedh for the presidential election
— Adhaalath Party (@Adhaalathoffice) March 28, 2013
The AP, one of five parties in the country meeting a recently approved regulation requiring any registered political body to have 10,000 registered members, is part of the coalition government of President Waheed following the controversial transfer of power that brought him into office in February 2012.
Both Adhalaath and GIP do not presently have any elected members in parliament.
The religious conservative party was previously a coalition partner in the government of former President Mohamed Nasheed, later leaving the government citing concerns at what it alleged were the irreligious practices of the administration.
This led the AP in December 2011 to join then fellow opposition parties – now members of Waheed’s unity government – and a number of NGOs to gather in Male’ with thousands of people to “defend Islam”.
During the same day, Nasheed’s MDP held their own rally held at the Artificial Beach area in Male’ claiming his government would continue to practice a “tolerant form” of Islam, reminding listeners that Islam in the Maldives has traditionally been tolerant.
“We can’t achieve development by going backwards to the Stone Age or being ignorant,” Nasheed said at the time.
Shortly after coming to power in February 2012, flanked by members of the new government’s coalition, President Waheed gave a speech calling on supporters to “Be courageous; today you are all mujaheddin”.
GIP Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza, President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad and President of the Adhaalath Party Sheikh Imran Abdulla were not responding to calls regarding the coalition announcement today.
Diverging opinions
Despite the agreement to cooperate between the two parties, Waheed and the AP differ in their reaction to the recent controversial sentencing of a 15 year old rape victim to 100 lashes for fornication with another man.
President Waheed’s stated on his official Twitter account at the time: “I am saddened by the sentence of flogging handed to a minor. Govt will push for review of this position.”
The Foreign Ministry subsequently expressed “deep concern by the prosecution and the Juvenile Court’s sentence to flog a 15 year-old girl on the charges of pre-marital sex.”
“Though the flogging will be deferred until the girl turns 18, the government believes she is the victim of sexual abuse and should be treated as such by the state and the society and therefore, her rights should be fully protected. The Government is of the view that the case merits appeal. The girl is under state care and the government will facilitate and supervise her appeal of the case, via the girl’s lawyer, to ensure that justice is done and her rights are protected,” the Ministry stated.
The President’s Office also recently announced it was looking at the possibility of bringing about reform to potentially bring an end to the use of punishments like flogging in the country’s justice system.
However the Adhaalath Party has publicly endorsed the sentence, stating that the girl “deserves the punishment”, as outlined under Islamic Sharia.
The party, members of which largely dominate the Maldives’ Ministry of Islamic Affairs, stated that the sentence of flogging had not been passed against the minor for being sexually abused by her stepfather, but rather for the consensual sex to which she had confessed to having to authorities.
“The purpose of penalties like these in Islamic Sharia is to maintain order in society and to save it from sinful acts. It is not at all an act of violence. We must turn a deaf ear to the international organisations which are calling to abolish these penalties, labeling them degrading and inhumane acts or torture,” read a statement from the party.
“If such sinful activities are to become this common, the society will break down and we may become deserving of divine wrath,” the Adhaalath Party stated.
Coalition potential
Of the parties yet to announce candidates to stand during the upcoming presidential elections, Dr Hassan Saeed, Leader of the government-aligned Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and People’s Alliance MP Ahmed Nazim were not responding to calls regarding President Waheed’s announcement today.
Earlier this month, the government-aligned Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) ruled out a coalition with the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) ahead of elections, despite being open to collaboration with other parties.
Both the PPM and DRP serve within President Waheed’s national unity government.
The DRP has also previously ruled out a collaboration with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
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They deserve each other. Anything to silence the masses and assme total control!
We must boycott the Maldives and ban people from the uk, I was reaped when I was 18 by Arabs should I be whipped, deport any one who thinks this is ok , my great aunt was the first woman to go to prison for the vote, we must have democracy and equality for all woman ...
Adalath joining Dr. Waheed and adding amputaion to the penal code are clearly lined events.
The controllers of the Majlis (PPM and MDP) have but this bombshell to create a future wedge between Adalath and Dr. Waheed anticipating a coalition. Use of Islam for dirty politics by PPM in alliance with MDP is shameful.
Notice MDP has warmly congratulated Yameen. Also Yameen in his campaign seems to have appeased with MDP by distancing himself from the alleged coup.
He says PPM only protested against arrest of Gazi Abdulla... some how implying he had no part in the coup and it was Umar who is the culprit.
Anyway, what we now see is MDP and Y-PPM scheming jointly to get rid of Waheed.
Congratulations adhaalath and gip! Truly you have proven both of the parties can bring stability to the nation.
1,723,501 have signed. Let's get to 2,000,000
It's hard to believe, but a 15-year-old rape survivor has been sentenced to be whipped 100 times in public! Let's put an end to this lunacy by hitting the Maldives government where it hurts: the tourism industry.
The girl's stepfather is accused of raping her for years and murdering the baby she bore. Now the court says she must be flogged for “sex outside marriage” with a man who has not even been named! President Waheed of the Maldives is already feeling global pressure on this, and we can force him to save this girl and change the law to spare other victims this cruel fate. This is how we can end the War on Women – by standing up every time an outrage like this happens.
Tourism is the big earner for the Maldives elite, including government ministers. Let's build a million-strong petition to President Waheed this week, then threaten the islands' reputation through hard-hitting ads in travel magazines and online until he steps in to save her and abolish this outrageous law. Sign now and share this with everyone!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/maldives_global/?fpjIkeb&pv=60
I agree Waheed has done some dubious activities in the past. He has actually progressed far. I congratulate him.
But now, he is sleeping with a prostitute, a cannibal and a blood sucking Dracula, all together in one. A relationship out of which he cannot pull out.
Even if all the accusations (of coup, of religion, etc) made against him are true, he doesn't deserve this kind of curse on his back. May God help you Waheed, minimize the effects of this plague.
See how vile this spin is getting in?
How can somebody say this is journalism?
Dr. WAheed was one of 50 who signed the original MDP. But now is the worst of the worst. He is secualar modern minded educated person. But just as he is not from MDP then he becomes worst of the worst.
But this trickery will also work because 99% of our population are just brainless monkeys... to put it mildly.. They will follow the MDP line whatever they say.
Dr.Waheed is the Martin Luther King of Maldives who has voiced in international arena on behalf of Maldives and brought peace and stability to Maldives.
Adaalath will not let go Maldives to dogs, Maldives is bigger then Nasheed and his gang.
@human being on Sun, 31st Mar 2013 10:23 AM
A lot of Maldivians are 'brainless Monkeys'. These brainless monkeys are running the state. They should be. After all it is a democracy, and majority wins.
The 1% you say are intelligent and 'knows everything there is to know about all' is a minority and should follow what majority wants.
Literally, it doesn't matter whether the country is going backwards or not, as long as MAJORITY wants so.