Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Z-DRP a campaign launched by Gayoom to win 2013 Presidential Elections, says party

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has condemned former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for causing the DRP to split in two.

In a statement, the party said that it was “very clear to the citizens” that Gayoom’s objective was to win the 2013 Presidential election despite his previous resignation from politics.

Gayoom’s actions had revealed that he would not hesitate to disunite the DRP to serve his political ambition.

‘’The picture we are seeing today is that individuals in the party are declining to follow the democratic decisions of the party and giving priority to their own personal interests,’’ the DRP said.

DRP Z-Faction MP Ahmed Nihan said he could not believe that DRP Leader Thasmeen Ali had issued such a statement against the party’s founder and ‘honorary leader’.

‘’Maumoon is the founder of the party and the party’s charter itself has given him an honorable position of the party,’’ Nihan said. ‘’He is not trying to win or run in the next presidential elections.’’

He said Gayoom himself gifted the leadership and the presidential ticket of DRP, as well as MPs and  supporters, to Thasmeen, but that Thasmeen had failed to handle them.

‘’As the honorary leader of the party it is the responsibility of Maumoon to solve internal disputes in the party,’’ he said. ‘’Imagine how it would feel to keep watching while someone else destroys something you created.’’

Nihan said Gayoom had recently tried many ways to solve the disputes inside the party.

‘’But [Thasmeen] has been very careless, not responding to any calls or replying to letters,’’ he said. ‘’Thasmeen has even violated the party’s charter,’’ he alleged.

He claimed that rather than being concerned about the internal dispute in the party, Thasmeen was more  concerned about the Z-faction using the party’s logo and color.

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Three prison guards convicted over Maafushi riot shooting sent back to prison

Three former prison guards sentenced to death by the former administration for shooting at inmates during a prison riot in 2003 have been returned to jail after they were found to be living at large.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that police had received reports that those found guilty were at large and had been handed over to the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS). He referred Minivan News to the Home Ministry for further information.

Home Minister Hassan Afeef referred Minivan News to the DPRS, while the DPRS referred Minivan News to State Home Minister Mohamed Naeem.

Naeem told Minivan News that the relevant documents showed that 12 of the 13 found guilty were sentenced to death, but former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, using Presidential privileges, had commuted their sentence to a 25 year imprisonment.

‘’The 13th person was the head of the prison – he was found guilty but was granted clemency by the High Court, which was allowed according to the then blue constitution,’’ said Naeem. ‘’It was unfair, and violated the rights of many. How come the former President could grant clemency to the head of prisons who ordered the shooting, but imprisoned the officers who did the shooting?’’

Naeem said the documents at the Home Ministry showed that the 12 officers were at first kept in Maafushi Prison until the new prison head sent a letter to the-then Home Minister Ahmed Thasmeen Ali – now the leader of the opposition – that it was unsafe for the 12 to be among the other inmates.

‘’They were then transferred to Dhoonidhoo Prison, and after two months again a letter was sent to Thasmeen from the then Deputy Police Commission saying that there was no lawful grounds for keeping convicts in Dhoonidhoo to implement verdicts,’’ he said. ‘’And that was the end of the document trail. We do not know what Thasmeen said in reply, or how they managed to stay at large.’’

Thasmeen did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Naeem said he regretted that the Home Ministry was obliged to send the convicted officers back to prison after such a long time.

‘’They have wives, kids and families, but this had to happen because of the former administration. If they had not freed them from prison, by now they would have served most of their sentence and could have even possibly apply for clemency,’’ Naeem said. ‘’But there is no other choice – it is our legal responsibility to implement verdicts, whoever it is.’’

Naeem said the action of the former administration had not only violated the rights of those found guilty, but also those of the victims.

‘’When the victims who survived that time see these convicted people roaming around the streets, how do they feel? It is unfair for them,’’ he said.

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DRP’s Thulusdhoo branch threatens to “shift sides” if internal dispute continues

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP)’s Thulusdhoo branch has released a statement to the media claiming that supporters of the DRP in Thulusdhoo will “shift sides” if the internal split in the party continues.

‘’We call on former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and DRP Zaeem (honorary leader) to solve the internal dispute within the party,’’ read the statement,signed by the Deputy Head of Thulusdhoo Branch.

The statement acknowledged that DRP supporters were “in turmoil and deeply confused due to the split” and warned that those supporters in Thulusdhoo might have to change sides if the dispute remained unresolved.

‘’The citizens can no longer tolerate watching members leave the party,’’ the DRP branch stated, in reference to the recent defections of several DRP MPs to the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), including Ali Waheed Abdulla Abdu-Raheem. ‘’Consequently it will the ordinary citizens living in the islands that will suffer, due to the unrest and loss of members.’’

The branch added ‘’that as Maumoon was the person who introduced democracy to the Maldives, who led the Maldives for 30 prosperous years and is a person who lives in a democracy, we call on Maumoon to solve the dispute between the leadership democratically.’’

Thulusdhoo is an island with a majority of DRP supporters who voted for the party in the recent local council elections.

Since then, the party has been split after ‘honorary’ leader Gayoom clashed with the party’s leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali over the dismissal of former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer. Gayoom’s supporters have since created a splinter faction they call the Z-DRP, in a move that prompted the defection of several MPs previously loyal to Thasmeen.

DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom said the statement issued by Thulusdhoo’s DRP branch showed that the remaining supporters in the party wished it to be unified.

‘’To do that firstly, everyone in the party must fully respect the party’s charter,’’ Dr Mausoom said. ‘’There are different ways people express concern – some put more effort to solve the dispute, while others leave the party in frustration.’’

He said to uphold democracy in this country a strong, responsible opposition party was needed.

‘’The entire nation believes that the DRP is an opposition party which has to be there to uphold democracy,’’ he said. ‘’Although there are some internal disputes, we will solve them hopefully and by God’s will we will win the 2013 Presidential Elections under Thasmeen’s leadership.’’

Z-DRP spokesperson Ahmed Nihan was unavailable at time of press.

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Magistrate investigated after submitting documents claiming he was two years older than his son

The senior magistrate of the ‘Thundi’ ward of Gan in Laamu Atoll is currently under investigation after he filed documents at the Island Council Office indicating that his age was 50, despite his eldest son being  48 years old, reported Haveeru.

Haveeru reported allegations that the magistrate had intentionally defrauded the documents because he would have been required to resign from his position if he was over 60 years-old.

The paper also reported that the magistrate was now even younger than his younger brother, according to the documents submitted.

Sources told Haveeru that the magistrate’s real age was, 68 and his younger brother was aged 66.

Haveeru reported that another magistrate working in the same court was now investigating the case.

The court and staff declined to speak about the matter, reported Haveeru.

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Dhunya calls for investigation into death of woman who died after cesarean section

Leader of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP)’s Women’s Wing, daughter of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Dhunya Maumoon, has called on the authorities to investigate the death of a 36 year-old woman who died in Laamu Atoll regional Hospital this week after undergoing a cesarean section.

Speaking to the press yesterday, Dhunya said in other countries whenever such incidents occurred a maternal death audit was conducted. The Maldives also needed to introduce the maternal death auditing to prevent medical negligence, she said.

The 36 year-old woman admitted to Laamu Atoll Regional Hospital died after undergoing a cesarean last week.

Family members claimed the doctor mistakenly cut some veins during the operation, with local media reporting the woman subsequently received three pints of blood in an emergency transfusion.

After the cesarean, the hospital advised the family to take her to Male’ as soon as possible, but since the family was unable to catch a flight that night they waited for a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) helicopter to arrive the following morning. The woman died later that evening, and the hospital has so fair declined to comment.

The woman had requested to undergo a C-section as she felt the baby was large, however the doctor declined until the last minute, the family told Haveeru.

Local media reported islanders as claiming that the doctor had not performed a cesarean operation before and conducted the operation watching a video of a cesarean operation. The baby survived the procedure and was in a stable condition.

Dhunya further alleged that as a consequence of the government’s decision to privatise hospitals, high prices had impacted the capability of ordinary citizens to receive services.

She also welcomed Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM)’s decision to organise a ‘sit-down’ near the tsunami monument, to raise awareness of the increase in inhumane and violent crimes committed in the Maldives today.

Dhunya called on the government to curb the increase in crimes committed against women.

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Maldives calls on Yemen’s president to resign

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Naseem has called on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to accept and implement the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) terms and leave office.

‘’The Minister was speaking against a backdrop of escalating violence and human rights abuses in Yemen following President Saleh’s refusal to cede power as per a transitional plan tabled by the GCC,’’ said the Foreign Ministry.

‘’Over thirty people have been killed in recent fighting fueled by frustration over the protracted issue of reform in Yemen. Protesters see Saleh as the key obstacle blocking real change in Yemen.’’

The ministry also said that on May 25 President Saleh had clarified that he would not leave office.

“The Maldives calls on President Saleh to stop reneging on earlier promises, to listen to the will of the people, and to put the country of Yemen above his own personal interests,” said Naseem.

“Because of his actions, President Saleh is directly responsible for the current situation, including the political impasse and the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation.”

“The Maldives urged President Saleh to follow through on his commitments to peacefully transfer power, and for the parties concerned to reach a consensus, leading to the early stabilisation of the situation. For that to happen, President Saleh must sign the GCC agreement and step down” the Foreign Ministry’s statement said.

The Ministry added that the Maldives stands ‘’firmly beside all those in Yemen who are calling for greater freedom and the full enjoyment of their human rights.’’

Naseem is currently in Bangladesh on an official trip, where he signed a memorandum of understating ‘’concerning placement of manpower’’ with the Bangladeshi Government.

The ministry said the MoU would help to protect the rights of Bangladeshi labors working in the Maldives.

The Immigration Department predicts that the number of expatriates working in the Maldives will reach 100,000 in June – a third of the country’s population.

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“I said it only because I was hopeful”: Umar Naseer responds to Supreme Court allegations of sub judice

Former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer has issued a statement following a complaint from the Supreme Court that he was prejudicing a case under judgement by publicly claiming he was certain he would win.

In his press release, Umar said that his comments were “only made because I was hopeful of winning” a suit filed against Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa.

Umar made his remarks about the suit against Musthafa last weekend during an oppistion rally led by main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP)’s Z-faction, led by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Speaking at the rally, Umar said that he was confident that the MDP would lose two seats in parliament very soon – one was to be MP Musthafa’s seat following the ruling, and the second was to be MP Hassan Adil’s seat. Adil is currently on trial in the Criminal Court for allegedly molesting a minor.

‘’One will be Musthafa. You will remember there is a suit filed against him in Supreme Court, a suit I filed. The suit has almost reached a verdict, and all statements have been signed. I’m sure Musthafa will lose his seat. The next one is [alleged] child molester Ahil [MDP MP Hassan Adil],’’ Umar said during the rally.

The day after Umar Naseer’s announcement, the Supreme Court said that ‘’predicting how the court may rule on a certain case obstructs the administration of justice, and added that the court had “authority to stop anything that might influence the judiciary.”

The court also warned that commenting on cases on sub judice was an offence under the Contempt of Court Act, the constitution and other relevant laws.

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DRP reports Umar Naseer to police for use of party letterhead

The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), led by MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, have complained to police that the party’s former Deputy Leader was continuing to use the party’s logo and letterhead without authorisation of the DRP.

The DRP alleged that Naseer had sent a letter to the police concerning the recent protests, which was signed by Umar but with the letterhead of the DRP.

Yesterday the party told the press that Naseer had been violating the Political Parties Act and the decrees of the DRP council.

MP from former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s faction of the DRP, Ahmed Mahlouf, said it was “hard to believe that Umar Naseer would do something like that.”

“I do not think he actually did [send a letter],’’ Mahlouf said. “Thasmeen has just run out of things to do and wants to stay busy.’’

Whenever the opposition organised a protest, the police called and met with the organisers, said Mahlouf.

‘’We never send letters to police about protests, we always negotiate and discuss with them verbally,’’ he said.

Mahlouf said that if Naseer was to be banned from speaking at DRP rallies, Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) leader Dr Hassan Saeed should also be prevented from speaking at DRP-led rallies.

‘’For instance, I am the leader of DRP Youth Wing. If Umar is a person working closely with us, and we are organising a rally, why can’t he speak on DRP podiums?’’ Mahlouf questioned.

Mahlouf further stated that he did not believe that Naseer had been formally dismissed from the party, because Thasmeen had not followed due process.

“There is a suit filed in the court [concerning Naseer’s dismissal], hopefully we will win,’’ Mahlouf said.

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Supreme Court calls Umar Naseer not to proclaim outcomes of unresolved cases

The Supreme Court has called on former Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader Umar Naseer not to publicly predict court verdicts before judgments were reached.

The Supreme Court said Naseer had proclaimed to the media that the court would rule in his favor in a suit filed by Naseer himself against Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa.

‘’Predicting the how the court might rule on a certain case obstructs the administration of justice,’’ said the Supreme Court, adding that the court had “authority to stop anything that might influence the judiciary.”

The court also warned that commenting on cases on sub judice was an offence under the Contempt of Court Act, the constitution and other relevant laws.

Such actions are considered as an offence under the ‘’Sub Judice rule’’ in other democratic countries as well, said the Supreme Court.

Last week speaking at a Z-DRP faction rally attended by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Naseer said the MDP “must be warned that they are about to lose two seats in parliament.”

‘’One will be Musthafa. You will remember there is a suit filed against him in Supreme Court, a suit I filed. The suit has almost reached a verdict, and all statements have been signed. I’m sure Musthafa will lose his seat. The next one is [alleged] child molester Adhil [MDP MP Hassan Adil],’’ Umar said during the rally.

Umar filed the suit against Mustafa in 2009, alleging that Mustafa had not been paying a decreed debt.

Article 73 [c][1] of the constitution states that ‘’a person shall be disqualified from election as, a member of the People’s Majlis, or a member of the People’s Majlis immediately becomes disqualified, if he has a decreed debt which is not being paid as provided in the judgment.’’

People’s Alliance (PA) MP Ahmed Nazim is also before the court on corruption charges. The PA is aligned the former President’s faction of the opposition.

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