Four senior members of the Jumhooree Party (JP) have quit the party following the party council’s decision yesterday to endorse the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yameen.
Former JP President Dr Ibrahim Didi, Spokesperson Moosa Rameez, Campaign Manager Dr Ahmed Shamheed and Male’ City Councillor Ahmed Hameed ‘Fly’, as well as former Islamic Minister Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari signed for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) today.
Speaking to the press at the MDP office this afternoon, former President Mohamed Nasheed said the support of the new members would boost the party’s campaign ahead of Saturday’s run-off election against the PPM candidate.
“We wanted to work together with the Jumhooree Party only for their support. We know there are people of other ideologies in the party. So it would have been very difficult to implement our manifesto and our policies with people of that ideology. In my view, what has happened now has been for the best,” the MDP presidential candidate said.
Dr Didi – former MDP president – said he returned to the party to ensure consolidation of democracy in the Maldives.
“The Maldives is divided into ideologies, that is the reformist ideology and the 30-year autocratic family rule ideology,” he said, adding that JP leaders had also worked for reform.
“We have to go forward, go forward swiftly, we cannot take a U-turn,” he said.
Didi stressed that he did not have “any disagreement with or animosity” towards JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim.
“To tell the truth, 80 percent of Honourable Gasim’s heart is still with the MDP. This is a very clear reality. Even if he had to make a decision under duress, he is a person who worked in the front ranks since 1984 to bring reform to the Maldives,” he said.
Asked to elaborate on his claim that Gasim decided to back Yameen under duress, Didi said he could reveal details without the business tycoon’s consent.
Didi also claimed that he joined the MDP to ensure “Gasim’s safety and security.”
Didi noted that Gasim had said at a JP rally that most of the party’s members shared MDP’s reformist ideology, adding that he was “certain” that MDP would win the election on Saturday.
Gasim had previously said that 60 percent of his supporters would not vote for Yameen even if he endorsed the PPM candidate.
Nasheed also expressed confidence that the MDP would garner the 6,000 votes needed from Gasim’s 48,131 votes to win the election.
Asked if fears of a return to autocracy were well founded, Didi said there were “signs” of the PPM seeking absolute control over the judiciary and undermining democracy with a family dynasty.
JP formed to change the 30-year government, say departees
Meanwhile, Dr Shamheed, former Transport Minister, said he became interested in politics during his school years as he had to pay a school fee while people of Male’ did not.
Shamheed said he decided to stick with the decision to support MDP in 2008 to establish democracy in the country.
“Gasim Ibrahim said three or four times in our council yesterday that it would be most comfortable for him, that he wanted to, and his heart desired going with President Nasheed,” he said, adding that he was “forced” to make the decision to back PPM.
Former JP city councillor Hameed said the JP was formed for the purpose of changing the 30-year government and called on young politicians in the party to join MDP to secure their political careers.
The JP council decision was subject to external influence, he alleged, which has “destroyed our efforts for reform.”
Echoing the sentiments of his colleagues, Moosa Rameez recalled that he was “a jail mate” of Gasim after the pair were arrested and incarcerated for over three months following a crackdown on an unprecedented pro-democracy demonstration on August 13, 2004.
He added that he made the decision to join the MDP “for Gasim’s sake.”
Dr Bari meanwhile said he had renewed hope for Islamic affairs under an MDP government based on the party’s manifesto, educated young religious scholars in the party, “and especially assurances from President Nasheed in his recent speeches.”
“Even though I wasn’t in the MDP before, I was in the MDP government for three years. President Nasheed is not a new person to me. What he has said about me is the truth. I would like to note at this opportunity that he has sincerely accepted my advice in the cabinet,” he said.
As a founder member of the Adhaalath Party, Bari said he had to leave because of the actions of its new leadership.
Islam could not be advanced without social and economic development, Bari said, adding that he decided to work with the MDP because of the party’s manifesto.
On Nasheed’s remarks that he was the only minister with “veto power,” Bari referred to cabinet decisions not to approve a tourism slogan and decline an offer to build a casino based on his advice.
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Oh gosh! The followers of peasants of the VII century want a slice of power, AGAIN!
Maldives needs to move on and join the world of the XXI century. In the present century we have found out things like the age of the Earth, the age of the Universe... and many more things that those peasants of the VII century could not even dream.
I suggest reading:
Daniel Dennett (1942–): Philosopher, author of Breaking the Spell.
Lawrence Krauss (1954-): Cosmologist, author of A Universe from Nothing.
Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky (1792–1856): Russian mathematician. Known for his works on hyperbolic geometry.
Richard Dawkins (born 1941): British biologist, author of The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil's Chaplain, The Ancestor's Tale, The Blind Watchmaker, The Extended Phenotype, River Out of Eden, and The Selfish Gene. Founder of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, a non–profit charitable organization that promotes critical thinking, science-based education, and evidence–based understanding of the world.[12] Richard Dawkins has produced several documentaries, including Root of all Evil? and Enemies of Reason.
We wish to see more of the likes of Dr Bari in rallies. Let's have Dr Bari and other scholars deliver speeches to the people of Maldives so that in order to protect our faith for the future, the people will have no choice but to vote for MDP.
Voting for PPM is undeniably un-Islamic as that party represents hereditary family rule which is Haram in Islam.
Q: Can MDP win.
A: Yes, most likely to win.
Q2: Can MDP rule after winning.
A2: No they cannot.
Q3 Why
A3: They will just have a mandate. But no support of Police, Army, Courts, Civil service, intitutions
Q4: So why are they contesting if they cannot run the country
A4: They only think they can.
Welcome Dr Bari. You're an exemplary Islamic scholar, one of the few in the Maldives who is worthy of that title. I hope you will educate the Maldivians by teaching the peaceful and perfect ways of Allah's religion, Islam.
Traitors and the Munafiq have joined the forces of Shaitan and his family to destroy the Islamic democracy that we want to bring to the Maldives for such a long time. Every Muslim must defend the country from that evil. On November 16th the choice is very clear. Keep the Maldives an Islamic democracy or fall back to the rule of one man and one family and tyranny.
I'm not surprised at Gasim's filthy mouth. He has no fear or shame in lying in front of us. He says that the JP council voted because of the PPM manifesto! What a bloody liar! He wants the "golden" 30 years back now that the people have clearly rejected him as President. That's the only way he can loot the country for the next 30 years.
How can Gasim swear by "Maaiy Allah and Rasoola"? Does the idiot even know what that means? Who is going to believe the words of a man who sells the largest amounts of pork and alcohol in the country? Gasim is a traitor, a man obsessed with himself and do not deserve even a second look. He will learn his lesson on November 16th.
@ekoloa
fully agree with your comment...
Everyone forgets about the democratic 'Principle of Consultation' - especially Adaallath and PPM.
If the Maldives want to embrace democracy, they need to separate religion from politics just as democracy requires an independent and strictly separated judiciary, parliament and executive.
... Just excuse me a moment, I am just wrapping up a nice bacon sandwich for Gasim.
Anyone know how long the delivery takes from Europe?
Politics, business & religion are three different things, you can not combine these things together. I can not believe that some people fail to understand!
Guest on Thu, 14th Nov 2013 10:28 PM
"If the Maldives want to embrace democracy, they need to separate religion from politics..."
Not entirely. Maldives needs an Islamic democracy. You cannot separate religion from anything in this country. Religion (even superficially) is part of every day life just like Europe in the Middle Ages.
To illustrate the superficial part, take a good look at Gasim. Where does his money come from? Selling alcohol and pork and otherwise offering not-so Halal services of course. What does he do in front of Maldivians on stage? Stats swearing in the name of Allah and His Prophet and so on. Does the word Munafiq come to mind at all?
Dear Ahmed Bin Addu Bin Suvadheeb, the Maldives need to prosper in the XXI Century and not in the Middle Ages. We need to learn from the Middle Ages were millions of people lost their lives unnecessarily in the name of God. Allah shows us respect, tolerance and love for each other in great abundance. In the Middle Ages islamic scholars were highly respected and present in all major universities around the known world (Cordoba, Cadiz, Constantinopel) working, studying and preaching hand in hand with Jewish and Christian scholars. Politics and lust for power destroyed this golden age of tolerance which should and can be rebuilt in the Maldives, because Maldivians have the right heart and minds.
Guest on Fri, 15th Nov 2013 7:49 AM
"In the Middle Ages islamic scholars were highly respected and present in all major universities around the known world (Cordoba, Cadiz, Constantinopel) working, studying and preaching hand in hand with Jewish and Christian scholars."
That's true. But we have to realise the reasons why there was an Islamic Golden Age. My research and reading of history suggests that the Caliphs who presided over at the time were rather tolerant of exploration, science and knowledge and would be termed "moderate" in today's language. However, they were always under threat from the conservatives who took the view that the philosophers were heretics.
The reason why the Islamic Golden Age came to an end lies in that schism. The orthodox conservatives won the day and the enlightened Caliphs were either murdered, died or went into exile. The Muslim world never recovered from that and we can see the remnants of that legacy all over the Middle East today.
I wish my country would embrace the visions of the Caliphs who presided over the Golden Age. I think it will take several more generations before we get there.
Gasim is the most hypocritical man I ever saw. He says Nasheed is a friend and what friendship we saw in him saying the worst things he can utter. He is truly an evil person.