Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adheeb and Acting Foreign Minister Mariyam Shakeela have said the cabinet advised President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to stay on after the end of the presidential term at midnight on November 11 and despite international pressure to hand over the presidency to People’s Majlis Speaker.
Waheed gave a televised statement last night declaring he will stay in power beyond the conclusion of his presidential term, but will resign on the day of the presidential run off on November 16. His deputy Waheed Deen resigned yesterday morning.
Speaking to the press at noon at the President’s Office, Adheeb said Waheed’s decision to continue with the presidency “is the strongest, most courageous decisions taken in the history of this country.”
Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid has meanwhile sent a letter to Waheed informing him that he was no longer in command of the country and could only extend his term by amending Article 107 of the constitution, which limits a presidential term to five years.
The Majlis with the backing of 39 MPs approved a resolution for the Speaker to assume the presidency in the absence of a president elect on November 11. The government-aligned Progressive Party of the Maldives and Jumhoree Party boycotted the vote
The Supreme Court on Saturday struck down the motion and ruled that Waheed’s administration will continue until a new president is determined.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the Maldives Sir Donald McKinnon has also expressed “dismay” at Waheed’s decision to remain in office “against the letter and spirit of the constitution.”
Shakeela said Waheed had arrived at the President’s Office last night with two statements, one of which stated his resignation. However, the cabinet had advised him to stay on to keep the country from descending into “chaos and a constitutional void.”
“There was a lot of international pressure yesterday and a lot of quick decisions had to be taken. There were a lot of proposals up until the moment the president gave his statement,” Shakeela said.
One of the proposals included the Speaker assuming the presidency on conditions such as the international community guaranteeing the ensure safety of all cabinet members and their families. But Waheed’s final decision was of his own volition, the ministers said.
“The next four days is not the time to let the country descend into a void and chaos. Especially given the Supreme Court’s verdict. Actually, we did not pressure the president. We told him we remain steadfast with him,” Adheeb stated.
Waheed is currently on presidential retreat island Aarah and will come to the President’s Office only if needed, the ministers said. Over the next four days, the government will only carry out day-to-day operational tasks and will not start any new projects.
Adheeb accused the Shahid of committing “mini coups” through the Majlis and said the Speaker had attempted to overtake the presidency with international backing.
Arguing that the Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the constitution, and since the constitution did not envision a situation where a president-elect is not determined at the end of a presidential term, Adheeb claimed the Supreme Court’s rulings take precedence over any Majlis decision.
Adheeb said the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) – which emerged the front-runner in Saturday’s presidential polls with 46.93 percent of the vote – was scared to contest elections after Saturday’s results. Elections that had taken place under Waheed had been free and fair, he said.
The PPM has assured Waheed in writing that they will not delay run off elections on November 16, Adheeb said. Adheeb is one of the four Vice Presidents of the PPM, which gained 29.73 percent of the vote.
Adheeb alleged former President Mohamed Nasheed had left the Maldives on the verge of bankruptcy, and Waheed had returned it to “safe shores”.
“We brought this country this far, to these shores, from a state of bankruptcy. I am not saying we have solved everything. We did not have the time. But we have taken it in the right direction,” he claimed.
Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad told parliament just last week that tourism growth had flat-lined due to “political turmoil”, declining 0.1 percent in 2012 after years of double figure growth, while political instability meant outside banks had stop lending to the Maldives at rates less than 11 percent, forcing the government to draw on dwindling central bank reserves.
At the same time the State Trading Organisation (STO) warned that the Maldives was imminently about to run out of oil unless it was immediately bailed out with US$20 million to pay debtors.
The Maldives Monetary Authority Governor Fazeel Najeeb reported that the Maldives was on the verge of having to print money to pay its recurrent expenditure.
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Under his own volition the vile spineless puppet waheed and co is commiting high constitutional treason, in the name of presumably keeping in a non void state.
In the ccountry is held hostage, electoral process of the republic is stalled, democratic institutions are being derailed.
A larg part of the public is still under a stupid sway of propaganda.
I blame Gasim for this atrocity.
Gasim and his stupidity was responsible for this.
Waheed gets 5 days of hell. Whatever for? There is absolutely zero chance of him ever holding a position in government again. EVER. I believe Waheed did not want this additional 5 days, but he is coerced, yet again, by the handlers,
I would direct all my anger at Gasim and his gas bangers.
There would be no political turmoil to fall in to if the Baghees, the Jungiyacourt, the Yasims and Maumoons weren't only thinking of their own interests. Baghees for sure include Adheeb and Shakeela. Have a look at yourselves. YOU are not the Country. Least of all Shakeela - you who is only in the Maldives because you were chased off from Australia for tax evasion.
There is no cabinet!!!
@ Wolf
Totally correct, what cabinet? How can a non existant cabinet persuade a non existant President to stay on?
Waheed is skating on thin ice hence his movement to the Presidential resort. From there he can probably get to male' airport undetected and if not via Gan to Columbo and onwards to Singapore. Remember he has already been there to visit a so called sick relative. He probably moved a load of possessions and most of his cash there. This time he has apparently has taken more of his possessions to the resort. What does that tell you?
And, remember, Gayoom is still in Singapore.
The other clue is the UNSIGNED court order to delay the run off. The 4 clowns there will probably say "Court order... What court order. I didn't sign a court order"
The next few days will be interesting and it will centre around the actions of the police. Will the SC order the arrest of the Speaker? Or will the chief of police stick his own neck out? You can kiss the constitution goodbye totally at that point.
It may be an idea for all the councils to continue refusing recognition of the President.
I must admit, the 4 Judges in the SC are either very stupid or very brave or have a cast iron escape plan.
The whole world and key actors of the future of the Maldivian Tourist Industry are watching very closely.
So who is representing the country at CHOGM in Colombo? The CHOGM website still has Waheed as the Head of Government. http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/maldives/constitution-politics
Suggest everyone contacts CHOGM and asks just who is the President and asks if Waheed has turned up!
http://thecommonwealth.org/contact-us-0
Safe shores?!
There really is no way to have intelligent conversations with people who refuse to live in reality. They let their greed and delusions influence decisions that will (literally) destroy Maldives from an economic perspective anyway.
PPM and supporters are the equivalent of the U.S. Republicans and Tea Party.
P.S. The world is watching this time but the "international community" won't do anything to help. They're watching because Maldives is turning into a tourist destination that can't operate efficiently. Terminating contracts on demand, oil shortages, currency shortages, human rights violations, human trafficking, safety issues at airports in regards to labor and mechanical regulations being ignored, etc. are not good for business. If this continues (and it will under PPM), the "international community" will find another place to do business. It's about money, not upholding democratic ideals. You can't sell a place that operates like a third world country as a luxury destination. Unreliable products and services are not cute to people who are paying $500+ a night for holidays.
Lies lies and more lies from this Muppet Show. If the cabinet is worried about its own safety why don't they just exit stage left? What are they worried about if they are holding all the weapons they think will protect them? Is it their dirty conscience coming to taunt them? Can they not believe that another less brutal world is possible, despite all that they have down to annihilate that possibility? Have they no interest or place in such a world? Unbelievable.
This is the crux of the matter. The greed and the fear are blinding them and there seems to be no way of opening their eyes to other possibilities.This is the cycle of violence Nasheed tried to close by not locking these guys up once and for all straightaway - and realized too late that this was the only option they left him. It was THEM, not him, not many of those who shared his goals, who weren't ready for democracy.
Surely there must be a way out of this impasse without resorting to brute force. They can't all be thugs - ? Although on current (and past) performance it looks like they are.Well, they may have to learn the hard way, and along with them, the rest of us, at this rate.
As for Waheed and Wannabe Shakeela, who on earth are they to dictate our fate? They have no moral stature whatsoever. All for want of a moment in the limelight and the allure of absolute power. Corrupt to the core. Probably not even aware of it. NOT the bravest, most courageous act ever, as liar Adheeb says. On the contrary, the most cowardy act in our history. He is conning himself Waheed, if he thinks he is doing this to save the nation. Any blood that is shed is on his conscience and on the hands of his masters. They need to stop being so infantile and assume full responsibility for their actions instead of running off to resorts and passing the buck on to the MDP and those Maldivians who have acted with dignity, just asking for what is rightfully theirs: their freedom to elect their leader. They have lost the trust they should have lost a long time ago. Their patience that Nasheed has being trying to contain very successfully up to now, has run out.
MDP isn't the one scared of losing. A true winner knows how to lose with dignity, hard though it may be: that is the point of democracy for goodness sake - the majority rules. And we have to play by those rules if we call ourselves an aspiring democracy. We will probably win the battle, anyway, if we are allowed to participate fairly, but even if we don't we have already won the war.The future, whenever it may be, is ours. For we vote with our hearts, open minds and endless courage, with an eye on the longer term, NOT with fear, greed and short term desires fulfilled via fat envelopes. That, my friends, is where things are changing, painfully, yet irrevocably. If these shoots are trampled upon, others will sprout. Those who try to control that will be the ultimate losers.
@waste of time
European visitors are down 10% and the general growth has flatlined apparently.
It will just take one major incident that gets the consulates to issue 'essential travel only' to totally wreck the Maldives tourist industry for good.
It will take a LONG time for those big ticket spenders to trust the situation enough to risk it.
The budget resorts may tick over during the rainy season but places like Reethi Rah will be deserted and become sandbars once again.
I have seen 'Russian roulette' being depicted in fiction on film but never in real life politics and the lives of thousands.
Gayoom and his cronies could almost be guilty of crimes against humanity.