Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protesters were blocked by coastguard vessels on Friday from disembarking from six vessels that had circled Male’.
The boats, bedecked in yellow flags, attempted to dock at the President’s jetty near Republic Square but were blocked by the coastguard.
The protesters were calling for the resignation of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.
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(0)The Indian government has offered to replace all police vehicles destroyed during the unrest that flared across the country following the recent transition of Presidential power.
The police bore the brunt of the anger that followed former President Nasheed’s resignation, resulting in damage that the Ministry of Home Affairs has estimated to amount to Rf183million.
The majority of the damage occurred in the atolls where 16 vehicles were destroyed during February’s upheavals.
(0)Dislikes(0)Speaker of the People’s Majlis Adbulla Shahid has that discussions regarding the reconvening of Parliament are ongoing. Despite his belief that a sit-down with all party leaders was not currently possible, Shahid stated that talks were being held on a party by party basis.
Shahid added that details of these discussions, if released prematurely, could damage progress. “That’s why in this crucial and sensitive juncture, I urge all political parties to recognize the importance of dialogue and thus refrain from actions that would impede the discussions.”
The scheduled opening of Parliament last week was cancelled after MPs from the Maldivian Democratic Party blocked Shahid’s entry to the chamber in protest against the government’s reluctance to fix a date for fresh elections.
In response to this, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progresive Party of the Maldives (PPM) joined the Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) withdrew from the roadmap talks, which are aimed at ending the current political crisis.
(0)Dislikes(0)Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai’s visit to the Maldives was continuance of diplomatic fire-fighting where India has actually messed up big time, writes Rajeev Sharma for the Eurasia Review.
The official line taken by the Government of India is expectedly much different. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a press release on February 29 claiming that the representatives of all parties who met Mathai, individually and collectively, expressed the view that India had played “a very useful role” in taking the process forward as a facilitator and friend of the Maldivian people.
This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as India continued to be a fence sitter as the then President Mohammed Nasheed committed errors of judgment one after another and sought Indian help when he was neck deep in trouble. Maldives is the second SAARC country which has witnessed fall of President after he took on the judiciary of his country. The previous example was that of Pakistan where President Pervez Musharraf had to bow out of office after he unsuccessfully locked horns with Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry. But Maldives is not Pakistan. Unlike in Pakistan India could have, and should have, played a more pro-active role in Maldives and nipped the crisis in the bud which India failed to do.
The MEA has claimed that Mathai’s Male visit threw up a broad measure of agreement with all stakeholders. All parties agreed to continue dialogue on the way forward including possible amendment to the Constitution and enactment of legislation for institutional reforms. All Parties recognized the need to undertake the necessary amendments and legislation within a quick timeframe in the People’s Majlis. Maldives’s new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan, in his concluding meeting with Mathai, reiterated appreciation for India’s assistance and support to the reconciliation process and expressed further potential outcome of the continued consultations while agreeing that India would continue its role of facilitator.
But the ticklish situation remains as Nasheed continues to sulk and has refused to join the national government. Though Waheed has agreed on the need for early elections and continue further consultations among all major parties under the rubrique of All Party Consultative Committee (APCC), no fresh dates of elections have been announced. Waheed does not seem to be in a tearing hurry to holding fresh polls. Nasheed demonstrated his power and his intentions on March 1 when his supporters squatted in front of Majlis – Maldives’ Parliament – and prevented President Waheed from opening Parliament. The incident showed that Maldives’ political instability is going to exacerbate. That all parties have agreed to look at India as a ‘facilitator’ in bringing about national reconciliation has endowed a big responsibility on New Delhi. It is also a key opportunity for India which it cannot afford to whittle away. But the Indian path is laden with more of thorns and less of roses.
A delegation of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) that visited Maldives on February 17 recommended that early elections should be held in the country and preferably within this year itself. CMAG had urged President Waheed to commence an immediate dialogue without preconditions. Having come in the wake of the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary and the subsequent roadmap that President Waheed’s Office itself had made public, it was expected that discussions would be held among the principal political players in this regard and dates would be firmed up at the earliest. However, this does not appear to be happening.
At a rally organised by the “December 23 Coalition” on February 24, an alliance of religious NGOs and political parties led by former President M A Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), President Waheed adopted a strident position on the issue. He declared that before declaration of a date for the elections, former President Nasheed should first establish the illegitimacy of the present Government. Earlier, Waheed had reacted to the suggestions of the CMAG by appointing his own Commission of Enquiry to go into the circumstances leading to transfer of power (events from January 14 to February 8).
The Commission is headed by Ismail Shafeeu, Minister of Defense and National Security in Gayoom’s regime. He had also said that the CMAG’s recommendations for international participation in such an inquiry were for the Commission to consider. In view of the volte face by President Waheed on the assurances given to the CMAG, the Commonwealth and foreign office as well as the international community is seriously considering sending observers to Male in order to oversee a smooth return to democracy by the convening of early elections. The international initiative has become urgent in view of what happened in Male on March 1 when the Majlis could not begin its scheduled session due to large-scale protests from Nasheed’s supporters.
India cannot afford to lower its guard in Maldives at a time when China has raised its strategic sweepstakes in this country and Pakistan too has become active. The Wahabi tremors that are already being felt in Maldives have accentuated the situation further. Any diplomatic blunder by India vis a vis Maldives will prove to be costly. If India were to display any diplomatic shortsightedness in Maldives, the results would be catastrophic. This will downsize India in its strategic backyard which is strategically located near busy, pirate-infested shipping lanes.
(0)Dislikes(0)UK High Commissioner to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, John Rankin, has emphasised that democracy must continue in the Maldives, “and [there must be] no return to the autocratic rule that has been in existance prior to 2008.”
In his regular “Ask the High Commissioner” interview, Rankin said the UK had called on “all parties to exercise good faith to try to find a way throgugh the current problems and consensus for the way forward.”
“The UK recongises states, not governments,” he explained. “We made it very clear that it was for the government of the Maldives to establish democratic legitimacy both with its own people and the international community.”
Rankin said the UK backed the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)’s call for early elections, and for agreement as to the constitutional changes required for that to happen.
“We have also joined calls for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power,” Rankin said.
“We called for calm in the country and for demonstrations to be peaceful, and for the police to exercise maximum restraint.”
(0)Dislikes(0)India has a moral obligation to safeguard democracy in the Maldives, Home Minister Mohamed Jameel has told the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Jameel said it would be a blow to India if the nascent democracy in Maldives failed to live up to its promises, PTI reported.
“It will be a moral obligation on the part of India to see that democracy is sustained at Maldives, and if not it will be a blow to India as well as it the closest ally to our country,” Jameel told PTI, thanking
Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai for brokering the roadmap negotiations.
Several political parties in the talks had accused India of interference in Maldivian internal affairs.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Criminal Court has ordered the release of protesters arrested on March 1, after the expiry of the five day extension of detention.
Sun Online reported that 24 people were released who were, according to Sub Inspector Ahmed Shiyam, the last of those people arrested on March 1.
Investigations were ongoing and would be referred to the Prosecutor General, Shiyam said.
(0)Dislikes(0)Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s two members have filed cases requesting the police to investigate into major breach of laws committed by former President Mohamed Nasheed during his short-lived tenure, local newspaper Haveeru has reported.
According to Haveeru, the first case filed by the two PPM members Ahmed “Maaz” Saleem and Ahmed Siddeeq include the alleged transgression against the judiciary by locking up of the Supreme Court in 2008, allowing police entry into Judicial Service Commission (JSC), illegally appointing JSC members, ordering the removal of the interim Chief Justice.
The other case is about the leasing of Male’ International Airport to India’s GMR in 2010 for 50 years.
Saleem claimed that the filing of the cases had been delayed as it was understood that Nasheed would not have allowed the police to carry out the investigations, reported Haveeru.
“After Nasheed has resigned all institutions have now become independent and without any political influence. Hence I have filed the case to carry out a probe in accordance with the law,” Haveeru quoted Saleem as saying.
Siddeeq meanwhile has said that further constitutional violations by the Former President is under evaluation and will be filed with the police for subsequent investigation.
(0)Dislikes(0)Police have sent a bribery case involving Jumhoree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim to the Prosecutor General’s office, reports Haveeru.
Gasim was accused of bribing up to six Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs in 2010 in a bid to unseat then President Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed’s ministers resigned in protest against what they described as the “scorched earth” politics of the opposition-majority parliament.
The case had been returned to police by the PG on the grounds that it was “incomplete”, reports Haveeru, with the PG’s office requesting to meet with relevant witnesses.
“We have forwarded the case to the PG after completing those areas,” police told the newspaper.
Gasim and former President Gayoom’s half brother Abdulla Yameen had earlier been arrested by Nasheed’s government on charges of bribery and treason, however the Supreme Court had ruled against their detention.
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