Author: Ahmed Naish

Government seeking US$200 million credit line from Sri Lanka

The Maldivian government hopes to finalise an agreement with Sri Lanka to establish a credit line worth US$200 million, President Mohamed Nasheed told press today prior to departing for Sri Lanka to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

As preliminary discussions for the credit line has been ongoing for some time, the President said that he hoped an agreement would be signed in the near future between the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and the Sri Lankan Central Bank.

“Our aim is not really to use that money for anything,” he explained. “Our aim is to set up a mechanism for Sri Lankan currency to be available for purchase in the Maldives and for Maldivian currency to be available for purchase in Sri Lanka. To set up that mechanism, first of all a framework agreement has to be established. God willing, these discussions will reach a conclusion during this trip.”

He added that the government’s objective was to enable Maldivians to purchase Sri Lankan rupees with Maldivian rufiyaa for imports as well as making Maldivian rufiyaa available to Sri Lankans who wish to buy Maldivian goods.

The mechanism would improve the country’s balance of payments, broaden business opportunities and alleviate the high demand for US dollars in the country, he said.

While Sri Lankans would spend more on Maldivian products as a result of the agreement, local demand for US dollars would “decline significantly” when Maldivians are able to spend “their own currency in Sri Lanka”.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Addu Atoll to become ‘city island’

Addu Atoll is to be considered a single administrative island to be developed as a city, following the outcome of the public referendum on Saturday, President Mohamed Nasheed announced yesterday.

Speaking to press at the President’s Office, Nasheed said that after official discussions with the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), the parties agreed to jointly propose amendments to the Decentralisation Act, based on the results of the referendum, and list administrative constituencies by October 17.

“When the islands are announced, there will be a major change to the largest atoll in the south, Addu Atoll” he said. “In my view, the results of the referendum showed very clearly that citizens of the atoll want to develop as a city. So we will designate Addu Atoll as one city island. Addu Atoll is an island with the districts Hithadhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Maradhoo, Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo.”

Instead of an atoll office, he continued, the southernmost atoll will have a municipality run by an elected municipal council.

With over 30,000 inhabitants, Addu Atoll is the second largest population centre in the country. However, as much as 60 percent of some islands currently reside in the capital Male’.

President Nasheed denied that the results and the low turnout was a failure of the government, as small islands rejected the government proposal for administrative consolidation with larger islands.

“In a democracy, if an election is seen as useless, there’s nothing I have to say about that,” he said.

Moreover, Nasheed argued that establishing a nationwide transport network was the government’s policy on population consolidation, as outlined in the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) manifesto, as opposed to “taking a population and settling them in another island.”

While the referendum revealed that small islands did not want to “lose their identity”, Nasheed said that a secret ballot was needed to determine the views of the electorate as he routinely received petitions from islanders requesting relocation.

According to official results, of 26,676 people who participated in the referendum, 8,402 voted in favour of the proposal while 16,695 voted against it.

However, of the six islands in Addu Atoll where voting took place, citizens of Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo and Hulhudhoo endorsed the proposal, while islanders of Feydhoo and Meedhoo rejected it.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Gaamaadhoo bones identified as belonging to missing inmate, says President

Human bones discovered in the site of the former Gaamaadhoo prison on September 19, 2009 matches the age and estimated period of death of Abdulla Anees, Vaavu Keyodhoo Bashigasdhosuge, an inmate officially declared missing in the 1980s, President Mohamed Nasheed revealed this morning.

Speaking at a ceremony to unveil the first volume of elderly historian Ahmed Shafeeq’s short stories at Nasandhuraa Palace Hotel, Nasheed said he was intimately familiar with Gaamadhoo prison and had wondered if the bones could belong to Anees (“Aihbalhey”) when he first heard of the discovery.

“The investigation team said the cemetery at Himmafushi was dug up and its soil was taken to the Gaamaadhoo area and these bones must have been brought from there,” he said, dismissing speculation that the bones could have been transferred from Himmafushi, the inhabited side of the island.

“I was watching with my own eyes when sand was brought from Himmafushi. I would know that it was not from that soil.”

President Nasheed spent three years in Gaamaadhoo prison for dissident journalism in opposition to the rule of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

In September 2009, the President’s Office asked police to investigate the discovery and samples of the 14 bone fragments were sent to Thailand for DNA analysis.

Nasheed revealed today that forensic examination has identified the age of the deceased, while a former prison guard, Mohamed Naeem, of Gaaf Dhaal Hoadhendhoo Muraka, has told the police investigation that Anees died in Gaamaadhoo prison.

Police have now gathered enough evidence to send the case for prosecution, he said, pledging the cases of 111 people reported as missing by Shafeeq would be investigated.

Keyodhoo Councillor Gasim Ahmed told Minivan News today that a 90-year-old man was the only remaining relative of Anees in Keyodhoo.

“I knew Anees very well,” he said. “He was playing with us when he broke his hand and that’s how he was called ‘Aihbalhey’.”

Gasim said that Anees’ father was still alive but had moved to another island.

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said today that the investigation was still underway and details would be disclosed at a later stage.

Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News at the time that the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party had voiced concern over the disappearance of inmates.

“There were allegations that some were killed in jail and buried,” said Zuhair. “There were also allegations that some people were dropped in pits where they made lime for construction.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Small islands reject administrative consolidation

Small island populations overwhelmingly rejected the government’s proposal for administrative consolidation and the creation of city councils at Saturday’s referendum amid a 30 percent turnout across the country.

Of 88,882 eligible voters, less than 27,000 participated in the referendum.

Provisional results show that 86 islands voted against the proposal for grouping smaller islands to form large population centres, while only 19, mostly larger islands, voted in favour.

Voting took place in 105 islands listed by the government for administrative consolidation and the creation of city councils ahead of the enactment of the landmark Decentralisation Act and upcoming council elections.

Following the evident lack of voter enthusiasm, the government has been severely criticised for inadequate efforts to raise awareness and inform voters of the benefits of the proposed administrative changes.

After a bitter year-long struggle between the government and opposition parties in parliament over the draft legislation for local governance, the Act was passed in a partisan vote in April after MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) walked out in protest.

The dispute centred round the government’s stated policy of grouping two or more atolls to form seven provinces, which the opposition argued was unconstitutional and could marginalise less populous atolls with disproportionate representation.

While the opposition insisted that the existing division of 20 administrative atolls and the capital Male’ must be maintained, the government argued that consolidation was necessary to achieve economies of scale or cost advantages in the long run.

Saturday’s referendum was necessitated by article 136 of the Decentralisation Act, which states that islands could be grouped to form constituencies if the respective populations make an appeal to the president.

Following discussions between the two main parties before listing administrative constituencies for the council elections as stipulated by the Act, the parties agreed that a public referendum would have to decide the disputed issue of consolidation.

After the plan for combining islands was announced, opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali criticised it as “senseless”, warning of “dire consequences for the people” should the proposed administrative changes fail.

The parliamentary majority leader also argued that “it would be highly irresponsible to spend taxpayer money” on the referendums in islands with traditional opposition to consolidation.

“Anyone who understands the politics of the different islands would understand that some of the groupings are just non-starters,” he said.

Meanwhile in his weekly radio address on Friday, President Mohamed Nasheed reiterated that developing a large number of small island units was not economically viable.

“Based on my education and experience, I see that a small unit could be developed to a particular extent, a particular limit,” he explained. “When that limit is reached for the small unit, there is very little that can be done.”

Referring to the islands Inguraidhoo, Kinolhas and Fainu in Raa atoll, separated by four nautical miles, Nasheed argued that the administrative consolidation would create a population centre of over 2,500 people.

“When the government as well as aid agencies and well wishers look to help, it is likely that more attention will be given to an island where 2,500 people live than an island with a very small number of people,” he said.

A larger budget could therefore be earmarked for the new constituency, he added, allowing for large scale operations to provide utility services, such as one powerhouse for three islands.

Of the 105 islands where voting took place, the proposal was endorsed by Alif Alif Mathiveri, Alif Dhaal Maamingili, Thaa Omadu, Baa Dharavandhu and Goidhu, Haa Alif atoll Baarah and Thakandhu, Haa Dhaal Finey, Noonu Kendhikulhudhoo, Raa Inguraidhoo and Rasgethymu, Shaviyani Fonadhoo and Milandhoo.

The Elections Commission (EC) is expected to announce the official results tonight.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MPs clash over signing Convention on International Criminal Court

MPs clashed over signing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at a rancorous debate during yesterday’s sitting of parliament.

While MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) used the debate time to condemn the “unlawful and authoritarian” practices of the previous government, opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance (DRP-PA) MPs accused the current administration of disregarding rule of law and negating parliamentary oversight.

Following an hour-long debate, a motion to send the matter to the national security committee for further consideration, proposed by DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom, was carried with 61 votes in favour and four against.

The issue was sent for parliamentary approval by President Mohamed Nasheed in accordance with article 93(a) of the constitution, which states that, “Treaties entered into by the executive in the name of the state with foreign states and international organisations shall be approved by the People’s Majlis and shall come into force only in accordance with the decision of the People’s Majlis.”

“Torturers”

MDP Parliamentary Group Leader “Reeko” Moosa Manik said the purpose of the international criminal court was to “arrest torturers like Maumoon [Abdul Gayoom], people like Ilyas Ibrahim [brother-in-law of the former president] who stole state property and funds, and Attorney Generals like Hassan Saeed who tried to hide it.”

Moosa compared legislation voted through last year to afford privileges and protection to former presidents to laws enacted in Serbia to protect war criminals.

The former president and his brother-in-law, along with former National Security Services senior officer “Isthafa” Ibrahim Manik, he continued, numbered among “the worst torturers in the country’s history.”

Moosa accused former Attorney General Hassan Saeed, leader of the minority opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), of unlawfully arresting and jailing peaceful protesters on August 12 and 13, 2004.

Further, he speculated that the current administration was “incapable of touching [the issue of the former government]” because people involved in the purported crimes were in the new government as well.

He added that “suckling babes” in parliament who “jump up to defend [senior officials of the former government]” would not be able to understand the “feelings of torture victims”.

Moreover, he argued, numerous custodial deaths and brutal torture in prisons exacerbated the national crises of drug abuse and corruption, adding that the new government would go the same way if “action is not taken now.”

Following Moosa’s tirade, DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom accused the MDP government of formulating policies only to “benefit certain people”, which he argued could be “considered a crime in international courts.”

DRP MP for Mid-Henveiru Ali Azim insisted that parliament needed time to carefully study the documents sent over by the president’s office, containing legal advice from the Attorney General, before reaching a decision.

Islamic principles

Minority opposition People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdul Azeez Jamal Abubakur meanwhile noted that the absence of the United States and most Islamic countries from the list of signatories “raises some questions”.

Referring to article 7.1(h), which deals with persecution of minorities, Independent MP Ibrahim Muttalib argued that parliament should consider whether some articles of the convention were in conflict with Islamic principles.

“This article talks about discrimination,” he cautioned. “Today, international parties consider as discrimination the fact that people of other religions don’t live among us; the fact that we don’t have gay marriage. This is something we have to think about.”

Muttalib added that he was “certain” that secularists and followers of other religions in the Maldives would “come out openly after this convention is signed and start working for their rights.

“Those amongst us today who want gay marriage, once this convention is ratified, will begin work on getting married,” he continued. “We are certain that there are people among us who are scared of our religious scholars and rebuke them. They will make use of this court and begin work against the scholars.”

Vili-Maafanu MP Ahmed Nihan agreed that Maldivian citizens would “surely” take the government to the ICC “saying the government did not allow us to have gay marriage.”

Controversial religious scholar Dr Afrashim Ali, DRP MP for Ungoofaru, meanwhile warned that such conventions could be used “to shatter Islamic principles” and defame individuals “outside the bounds of law”.

Afrashim insisted that the convention should not be signed if it could lead to “the construction of temples here under the name of religious freedom.”

Moreover, Afrashim reprimanded MDP MPs for leveling serious accusations at the former president, pointing out that he had never been convicted of wrongdoing in a court of law.

DRP Deputy Leader Ali Waheed attacked the government for refusing to enact legislation passed by parliament, such as the amendments to the Public Finance Act, which was passed for a second time after the president vetoed the bill.

Independent MP Ahmed Amir suggested that consultations should take place with stakeholders in the judiciary before parliament makes a decision.

Vilifushi MP Riyaz Rasheed of DQP questioned the President’s motive for proposing the matter to parliament.

Referring to the People’s Court protests carried out by the MDP, Riyaz insisted that parliament should pass a law before signing the convention to specify the circumstances under which a Maldivian could be tried at an international court.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Parliament returns from recess, passes Judicature Act

Parliament returned for its final session of the year today after a month-long recess and passed the Judicature Bill in a bipartisan vote, a crucial piece of legislation for judicial reform.

The last sitting of parliament on August 30 was called off after MPs clashed over amendments proposed to the bill by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) to both prevent the courts from conducting trials related to the activities of the former government and block retrials of controversial cases.

Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) “Reeko” Moosa Manik told Minivan News at the time that MDP MPs protested because the DRP was attempting to “take the judiciary in their fist”.

However, in contrast to the acrimonious sitting of the last session, voting on amendments passed smoothly.

The Judicature Act was passed today with 50 votes in favour, four against and six abstentions.

As stipulated by chapter six of the constitution, the Act specifies the hierarchy and jurisdiction of the courts as well as standardized procedures for administration.

Once ratified, the Act will also create a Judicial Council to formulate regulations and procedures for trials.

The bill was proposed by the government in March this year.

Free whip

Baarah MP Mohamed Shifaz, spokesperson for the MDP parliamentary group, told Minivan News today that he voted against the bill because he was “not satisfied” with some provisions.

Following extensive discussions, the two parties came to an agreement on the bill during the last session, Shifaz explained, but the DRP proposed “a lot of amendments at the last minute.”

Speaking to Minivan News at the time, DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom, accused the MDP of scuttling the last sitting on August 30 when “it was not going the way MDP MPs wanted.”

“We have the right to propose amendments; all the things they are saying are excuses,’’ said Mausoom. “MDP MPs just do not like following the due procedure of the parliament.’’

Mausoom defended the amendments as intended to “broaden the bill and to frame it in such a way that the courts can perform their work best.”

The bill was voted through with all the amendments proposed by the main opposition and only one amendment proposed by an MDP MP.

On the final vote, Shifaz said that the MDP MPs were given a free whip “to vote with their conscience” as the matter was of national interest.

Among several issues with the final bill, Shifaz said that he objected to “a big gap” between courts in the capital Male’ and the atolls as islanders would have to come to Male’ for civil cases involving an amount in excess of Rf100,000 (US$7,782).

Moreover, he added, the Act would give excessive powers to the Judicial Services Commission, such as control of the Department of Judicial Administration, which would be renamed if the bill is ratified.

Point of order

Today’s sitting became heated during the preliminary debate on a bill on jails and parole proposed by the government when DRP MPs raised consecutive points of order to object to President Mohamed Nasheed’s refusal to ratify the amendments to the Public Finance Act more than a month after parliament voted to override a presidential veto.

According to article 91(b): “Any bill returned to the People’s Majlis for reconsideration shall be assented to by the president and published in the government gazette if the bill, after reconsideration, is passed without any amendments, by a majority of the total membership of the People’s Majlis.”

The objections of the DRP MPs were echoed by Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed and independents Ibrahim Muttalib and Ahmed Amir.

The MPs argued that passing any further legislation was “pointless” until the president ratified the amendments to the Public Finance Act, claiming that continuing sittings in the meantime was a serious procedural issue.

As the sitting grew heated, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim threatened to invoke his authority under the rules of procedure to call out the name of DRP Deputy Leader Ali Waheed and force him out of the chamber.

Addressing the points of order, Deputy Speaker Nazim said that the matter was “a constitutional issue” as article 91(b) did not specify the period in which the president had to ratify bills passed by parliament for a second time.

The minority opposition People’s Alliance MP suggested that a dispute between the executive and the legislature could only be resolved through the courts.

“I don’t believe that with the issue you are raising we could make any progress without passing through the stages of the legal process,” he said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Government’s proposed grouping of islands “senseless”: Thasmeen

The government’s proposal to group islands to create new administrative island constituencies is “senseless”, claims opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, warning of “dire consequences for the people” if administrative consolidation fails.

Public referendums are due to take place on October 9 in over a 100 islands on the government’s proposed changes to island administration under the Decentralisation Act, the landmark legislation passed in July to introduce local governance through elected island and atoll councils.

The referendums are required by article 136 of the Decentralisation Act, which states that islands could be grouped to form constituencies if the respective populations make an appeal to the president.

“Whilst best practice in democracy advocates the involvement of people and a bottom up approach, it is a shame that the government has announced this plan without consulting the people of the islands concerned,” Thasmeen writes on his personal website, adding that the party “has all along said and maintained the stance that such changes should be made only if the people of the islands are willing.”

As a result, he continues, people were not fully aware of the implications of the changes to their lives: “What will happen to the system of civil and social services? Should the school children change school? Will there be a change to their representations is local councils? How does the administrative-joining differ from physical relocation of a population from one island to the other? How would the proposed Local Elections Constituency divide work in par with the Parliamentary Constituencies, when there are crossovers?

“These are just some of the many questions that people need answers before they vote at a referendum.”

The unique culture of islands as well as geographic dispersion, he adds, are other aspects that should have been considered.

Dr Hussein Rasheed Hassan, state minister for fisheries and member of the advisory committee to the president on administrative consolidation, denied that citizens had not been properly consulted.

Gauging public opinion through an informal “gathering on the beach” would not be enough to determine either support or opposition, he explained, insisting that the government took into account a host of socio-economic factors for the proposed groupings.

“We believe the best way is to go directly to the people with referendums in a secret ballot where it will be one vote for one person,” he said.

Article 115(p) empowers the president to “hold referendums on issues of national importance”.

Island populations “will know the implications very well” before casting their ballots, Hussein Rasheed said.

“We are preparing a proposal to inform voters on the issues, including the benefits of the administrative grouping and the changes to their daily lives,” he said.

“A sinister plan”

The Elections Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday that the referendums will take place on Saturday, October 9 from 8am to 4pm in 110 islands across the country.

The government has proposed grouping 99 islands into 64 administrative island constituencies by joining two to three islands within four nautical miles, while an additional 11 islands will vote on creating city councils for island populations that exceed 10,000.

In addition to Male’, depending on the outcome of the referendums, city councils will be elected in Haa Dhaal Kulhudhufushi, Fuvahmulah and Addu Atoll.

However, the DRP MP for Kendhoo and parliamentary majority leader also argues that “it would be highly irresponsible to spend taxpayer money” on the referendums in islands with potential opposition.

“Anyone who understands the politics of the different islands would understand that some of the groupings are just non-starters,” writes Thasmeen.

The proposal to merge Lhaviyani Felivaru and Hinnavaru, he continues, reveals the “senselessness” of the plan as the industrial island Felivaru with its fish cannery does not have a settled population.

“Does this mean this is a done deal, a sinister plan of the government to gift Felivaru to Hinnavaru people ripping other islands in the atoll of its stake in the industrial island of Felivaru?” asks Thasmeen. “It sure raises questions.”

In February 2009, the cabinet decided to turn Felivaru, which houses the Maldives Fisheries Company (MIFCO) main fish cannery, into an inhabited island and the hub of the North Province.

In the intervening period, however, the government lost the parliamentary squabble over decentralisation, ending with the Act being passed in a partisan vote after MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) walked out in protest.

The case of Felivaru was a misunderstanding, said Hussein Rasheed, and voting will not take place in Felivaru as the island has not yet been settled.

The state minister urged both the public and opposition politicians to “express their concerns” and “offer constructive criticism” as the issue was of national interest.

He added that the government is “open for consultation.”

“We are very grateful for the DRP Leader for their cooperation,” he added. “We understand that this has to be done in a very short period of time, but we are determined to hold the referendums before the date agreed upon in our talks with DRP.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

President outlines transition to programme budgeting

President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday announced the transition from line-item to programme budgeting in 2011, a process that began in 2006 under the previous government.

In his weekly radio address, President Nasheed explained that the new budget will be based on the Strategic Action Plan formulated in 2009.

The purpose of a programme budget is to determine and identify means of achieving targets of government offices and institutions.

“After identifying the target, objective or the aim, what offices have to do is determine the work that will be needed to achieve it,” he said. “And then they have to determine the expenditure required for it such as machinery, services, people. That is what we consider the budget. But what is important are the programmes.”

Following the valuation of the estimated cost of government’s projects for 2011, said Nasheed, the provisional budget will be submitted to the People’s Majlis.

As next year’s budget will include projected revenue from newly introduced taxation, he continued, it will be “a budget with a completely new form.”

Overhaul

An IMF Public Financial Management Performance Report, made public in May 2010, meanwhile recommends an almost complete overhaul of the existing public finance management system in the Maldives.

The assessment found that budget credibility was weak as revenue fell well below estimates in each year except 2006, while budget documents for 2005-2008 showed “no clear linkages between budget figures and underlying policies.”

In 2007, actual primary expenditure deviated from budget estimates by -13.7 percent, while domestic revenue collections were below 92 percent of budgeted estimates in the same year.

Moreover, as funds for discretionary spending was released on an ad hoc basis, “there are critical weaknesses in the management of government cash, debt and guarantees.”

Among its other findings, the report states that “efficient service delivery has not been prominent priority for public financial management in the Maldives” as the emphasis has been on inputs as opposed to output or results.

While strategies and goals had been identified in national development plans, it had not been costed and “linkages to the budget have been unclear.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Yameen’s “protection” is constitutional: Nasheed

President Mohamed Nasheed insisted today in the face of repeated queries by the press that opposition-aligned People’s Alliance (PA) MP Abdulla Yameen’s detention or “protective custody” was not unconstitutional.

As a court of law has not ruled that the detention was unlawful, said Nasheed, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) acted within the bounds of the law and the constitution.

“It’s going to be very difficult for us to legitimise the process [of the corruption investigation] through the present judiciary,” he acknowledged, adding that while a new President and Parliament had been elected after the ratification of the constitution in August 2008, the judiciary remained unchanged.

“We have done nothing to upgrade or bring the judiciary to the present constitution’s standard,” he said. “So unless and until we do something about that it’s going to be very difficult for us to legitimise [the cases], for the people to understand how the judiciary works.”

He stressed that “all the arrests, actions and omissions” of the government were within the bounds of the law.

“There’s not a single step that I have taken that cannot be completely and fully justified in a court of law,” he claimed.

Asked about his remarks at an MDP rally on “stepping outside the chart”, Nasheed explained that “chart” was commonly used to refer to either “a process, or an agenda, or a manifesto, or a roadmap.”

Opposition parties have strongly condemned Yameen’s detention, arguing that rule of law no longer existed in the country following the intervention of the military.

Meanwhile, a letter sent to parliament yesterday by Defence Minister Ameen Faisal states that Yameen was taken into “protective custody” by the MNDF under legal authority granted by articles 105(b) and 243(a) of the constitution.

As an angry crowd outside Yameen’s residence was “expressing hostile sentiments and throwing stones”, it continues, and riot police were in need of reinforcements, MNDF took into consideration the threat to public safety posed by a possible confrontation between the crowd and a second group that was gathering in opposition.

Moreover, it adds, at a time when “cases related to national security” were emerging, MNDF decided that Yameen had to be placed under “protective custody” for the security of both Yameen and the community.

“As the situation in Male’ was worsening, the national security council held a meeting on July 15 2010 and decided to keep Yameen under protection,” it reads. “He is now being held in light of secret information that emerged during an investigation conducted under article 24(a) of the Defence Forces Act following violent clashes between Yameen’s supporters and those opposed to him and the sudden unrest in the political sphere.”

Asked whether Yameen would be released to participate in any cross-party talks, President Nasheed replied it would require the national security council chaired by the Commander-in-Chief to believe the situation that warranted the move had changed.

“I can’t take a risk when it involves a person’s security,” he said.

President Nasheed was further adamant that his administration would not face any international pressure or sanctions due to Yameen’s detention.

He had personally explained the situation clearly to leaders of friendly nations during the past week, Nasheed said.

International pressure was brought to bear on countries “when people are put in solitary confinement for 18, 19, 20, 22 months on end, pilloried, handcuffed, when people are killed and their property confiscated.”

As the current administration would not commit such “atrocities,” Nasheed reiterated he had “complete confidence” that the country would not face international pressure.

The Supreme Court ruling ordering the release of accused MPs Abdulla Yameen and Gasim Ibrahim had “in a sense invalidated the Police Act” and undermined police ability to maintain law and order.

It was under such circumstances, said Nasheed, when people were gathering outside the MPs homes in protest, that the decision to “isolate” Yameen was made.

On the alleged corruption and bribery in parliament, Nasheed said police will conclude their investigations and forward cases to the Prosecutor General’s office.

The president hinted that he would offer clemency to opposition politicians found guilty in court.

Constitutional crisis

While police have complained of obstacles to their investigation of “high-profile corruption cases”, President Nasheed argued that “some laws” passed by the parliament were making it difficult for a presidential system to function effectively.

“In my view, the essence of this is connected to the form of the constitution,” he said, adding that teething issues in implementing the constitution must be resolved.

There were two ways to resolve the present constitutional crisis, said Nasheed, both of which involve bringing amendments to the constitution.

“One way is for all political parties to agree to amend the constitution to change to a parliamentary system,” he suggested, adding that he was ready to face any election in the event.

As the existing constitution allows parliament to block executive functions, said Nasheed, the government could neither ensure economic development nor offer basic services effectively.

“If opposition political parties did not believe [changing to a parliamentary system] would be best, the second way is for us to perfect the presidential system,” he said.

The second option would be to amend the constitution by adding provisions “to the extent that [the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party] DRP called for when it advocated for a presidential system” in the October 2007 public referendum.

While the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) campaigned for a parliamentary system at the time, Nasheed said both systems were beneficial but “a middle way” was not practical.

“Either perfecting the presidential system or changing to a parliamentary system [is the choice],” he said.

As DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has signalled the opposition’s desire for dialogue, President Nasheed said he was willing to engage with opposition MPs to resolve the deadlock in parliament, adding that he hoped the process would begin today.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)