Author: Mohamed Naahee

Maldives “A new kind of coup”, says President’s Special Advisor Dr Hassan Saeed, in leaked audio recording

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Special Advisor, Dr Hassan Saeed, has said in a second leaked audio clip that given the current situation in the Maldives, the change of government on February 7 was “a new kind of coup”.

In the audio clip, said to be recorded while he was speaking to the Maldivian students in the UK, Saeed states: ʺThis is how we observe coups in practice. So the Maldives [case] has become a new category of coup. You have a coup. Within twenty four hours you have the deposed President campaigning in the media with full protection.”

ʺSo, we have to add another new category of coup to the normal definition. Obviously this is different, different than the [coups] that I know of,” Saeed continues.

“The way the person who assumed power came in after the coup was different in this case. The way we treat a deposed President after a coup has also changed.”

At the end of the clip, Saeed suggests that the events of February 7 was a contribution from the Maldives to political science.

Dr Saeed and Dr Waheed’s Press Secretary, Masood Imad, had not responded to calls at time of press.

However speaking to local newspaper Haveeru, Saeed dismissed the claims that his remarks were an admission that the change of government was a coup.

“If it was a coup that was brought in the Maldives, then it is a new type of coup,” he told Haveeru.

ʺFor an example, after the coup in Pakistan, Bhutto [father of Benazir Bhutto] was hanged. After the Libya revolution, Gaddafi was killed. In Philippines, Marcos [Ferdinand] fled the country. But in the case of Maldives, I said such occurrences did not take place.

“If the change of government happened via a coup, the current president gets the protection of police and the military. Cabinet meetings are held. The President is able to meet the public. The former President gets protection. He is able to live within the people. Therefore if it was a coup, then it’s a whole new type of coup,ʺ  Saeed told Haveeru.

In another leaked audio recording yesterday, Dr Saeed described Dr Waheed as “politically the weakest person in the Maldives” with “a lot of legitimacy issues”.

Following that leak, President Waheed’s Press Secretary told Minivan News  that Dr Saeed has said he “had been played” and that the recording had been “taken out of context”.

Dr Saeed was the former Attorney General during Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration, before he resigned to contest the presidential election in 2008.

He came third in the race, but joined Mohamed Nasheed in the second round and became his special advisor after Nasheed won the presidency. He subsequently left the government and joined the opposition.

Transcript – Dr Hassan Saeed:

ʺCoup, most recently we saw the Egypt coup, Mubarak was ousted. Tunisia had a coup recently, and after that Gaddafi. If we even go further back, the case of Marcos [Ferdinand Marcos] of Philippines, he fled the country.

This is how we observe coups in practice. So the Maldives [case] has become a new category of coup. You have a coup. Within twenty four hours you have the deposed president campaign in the media with full protection.

When all these things happen, in parallel, the next president came in to power through a constitutional route. This is a unique case, which we have got to study ourselves.

So, we have to add another new category of coup to the normal definition. Obviously this is different, different than the things [coups] that I know of. This is different from the normal examples I know of.

And, the way the person who assumed power came in after the coup was different in this case. The way we treat a deposed president after a coup has also changed.

Actually, a Maldivian contribution to what type of science is this? Political science?

The thing is, this is a new case, this is a case that has to be studied.ʺ

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MDP and pro-government parties all planning rallies tomorrow

Political parties both supporting the current government of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of ousted President Mohamed Nasheed are planning rallies on Friday.

MDP will hold “Women’s rally for justice” tomorrow evening, calling for early elections. In a statement on the party’s official website, president of the party’s women’s wing, Shiyama Ahmed said “Our rally is to be held in all major streets of the capital Male’ to express our concerns. We shall call for the immediate stepping down of this ‘coup’ government and demand a date for early elections.”

According to Shiyama, the rally will commence near the Social Centre in Maafannu ward at 3.45pm, and conclude near the tsunami monument on the other side of Male’.

The MDP has also planned a ‘sleepover’ event tonight near the tsunami monument, part of their ongoing protest against the government. Nasheed’s party alleges that Dr Waheed’s government illegally came into power through a police mutiny, and are calling for early presidential elections.

The coalition of parties supporting President Waheed’s government have also meanwhile planned a rally on Friday evening at the artificial beach, just a short distance from the MDP’s protest, in which they will call on the government to take legal action against those who were involved in the arson attacks on local police stations and government offices on February 8, after a police crackdown on MDP supporters.

Spokesperson of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), MP Ahmed Mahlooof, said during a press conference yesterday said that the rally held by the coalition would take place at the artificial beach tomorrow evening at 4:00pm.

Mahloof stated that the different parties in the coalition were jointly working on to bring as many people from the islands to the capital Male’ for the rally, and said that many were willing to come and take part in the event.

Mahloof further stated that they had asked the Male’ City Council for the permission to hold the rally near the tsunami monument, but had instead been given the artificial beach area. Mahloof alleged that the MDP had taken hold of the Male’ city council.

“I have a feeling the two crowds will meet at some point tomorrow,” an MDP-linked source told Minivan News. “This is going to be a numbers game. We are demanding an election date.”

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has meanwhile travelled south to meet supporters in Addu, and is expected to return before the weekend’s protests.

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President Waheed forms commission to investigate transfer of power

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has formed a “Commission of National Inquiry” to investigate the events that unfolded in the Maldives during the period from 14 January to 8 February.

The inquiry was created by presidential decree as per the article 223 clause (d) of the constitution.

The President’s Office stated that the commission was established to make “an independent impartial investigation” into the change of power and surrounding protests.

President Waheed nominated three members to the commission: former minister of defence and national security during President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration Ismail Shafeeu, Gayoom’s former minister of tourism and the first president of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Mujuthaba, and Dr Ibrahim Yasir.

Shafeeu was nominated to chair the commission. Mujuthaba is also chairing the cross-party talks concerning Dr Waheed’s “Roadmap for a Possible Way Forward”, which the MDP has boycotted due to the involvement of un-elected parties without a democratic mandate.

President Waheed has also requested Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz oversee the legality of the inquiries and investigations as per the article 223 (d) of the constitution.

The commission has been given the mandate to compile a full report on the outcome of the investigation and submit it the President, the Prosecutor General and the Attorney General – Gayoom’s former lawyer, Azima Shukoor.

Dr Waheed’s Press Secretary Musood Imad was not responding to calls at time of press.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson for International Affairs, MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, questioned the impartiality of the commission.

“How can [the government] carry out an impartial investigation, when they themselves were involved in the actions during that time period?” he asked.

“This is exactly the same type of commission that was formed during Gayoom’s regime to look into the events that unfolded in Maafushi Jail in 2003, including the custodial death of Evan Naseem,” Ghafoor said.

“Look what happened to the report they published then – people questioned it, and part of it was censored. We are calling for a third party consisting of international experts  to come and  into look into the matter. We absolutely do not believe that this commission will be impartial in investigating the matter.”

The legality and legitimacy of the transfer of presidential power in the Maldives should be determined by the independent impartial investigation, and the make-up and mandate of the investigation must to be agreeable to all responsible political parties, the MDP has said, acknowledging the European Union (EU)’s statement on the current situation of Maldives.

The investigation “must include international experts and should deliver accountability for all human rights violations,” MDP’s statement read.

Police and protesters attack the military base on February 7:

Police, MNDF and opposition protesters break into the state broadcaster on February 7:

A police crackdown on MDP demonstrators and supporters followed on February 8:

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Cabinet discuss cutting government working hours

The Maldives’ new cabinet has discussed restoring government office working hours back to what they were under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

During Gayoom’s time, government offices were open between 7:30am to 2:30pm. Nasheeds’ administration amended the hours to 8:00am until 4:00pm.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb, during a news conference held last night to brief the press on the current economic situation of the country, said that cabinet had discussed the matter and had come to a decision to talk to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on the matter.

President of CSC, Mohamed Fahmy Hassan has stated in the local media that the commission is in full support of the change of the working hours and that the commission had proposed the change of the working hours even during Nasheed’s administration.

A formal announcement of the change of the government working hours is yet to be made.

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Maldives Broadcasting Commission seeking to prevent Raajje TV broadcasting outside Male’

The Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) has stated that transmission of the signal of local TV station Raajje TV is against the Maldives Broadcasting Act (No. 16/2010) and that those who are involved in such transmissions should stop it on immediate effect.

Raajje TV faced heavy criticism from opposition parties during Nasheed’s administration, who are currently involved with the new president Dr Waheed’s National Unity government. The opposition alleged that Raajje TV was biased and was working in favour of former president Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). The station has actively covered MDP protests and rallies, and in several cases aired incorrect reports of fatalities which police later cited as a factor in the subsequent and widespread destruction of police property.

However the TV station’s audience seems to have rapidly risen following the fall of Nasheed’s government and takeover of the state broadcaster, MNBC, rebranded as TVM. Many people are apparently now viewing the channel through satellite.

A person from Addu City, Hithadhoo under the condition of anonymity, said “Here a lot of people are depending on Raajje TV for information. Many believe that TVM (the state broadcasting TV station) is biased and not showing what is really going on in Male’. There is only one house where Raajje TV can be seen in Hithadhoo and everyone gathers there to see the news.”

During the protests held by the ’23 December’ coalition against then president Mohamed Nasheed, some reporters from the TV station were attacked and some of them sustained injuries.

According to the media release issued from the commission, Raajje TV – which is run under a company Media Ring Pvt Ltd -was given the license to broadcast the channel via cable TV only to the capital Male’ city region and any broadcast out of the authorised boundary is illegal under the broadcasting act article 22 clause (a).

The article 22 clause (a) states “Any party who gives broadcasting service in the Maldives should be given under a license issued from the Maldives Broadcasting Commission, adhering to the conditions and stipulations stated under the license.”

The commission further stated that they have been receiving complaints about the transmission of the channel outside its licensed region.

“When the commission inquired Raajje TV regarding the complaints, the TV station has confirmed the commission that it has not been broadcasting the channel outside its licensed boundaries.” The media release read.

When contacted with Raajje TV Chief Executive officer Mohamed Rafeeq, he confirmed that Raajje TV was not involved in such transmissions. “Raajje TV is not broadcasting its signal out of its licensed boundary but since we broadcast the signal through satellite, it is possible that reception of the channel could be possible through satellite TV.”

He further went on to say “We can’t do much about that kind of signal reception but we do believe that everyone has the right to information under the constitution. The media release could be because of political pressures especially given the current vibrant situation in Male.”

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“We want to kill you. Do not think you can behave like you do and get away. You will have to die today”

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s interim chairperson MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik has for the first time spoken to the media after he was brutally beaten up by the Maldives police during what was meant to be a “peaceful march around Male’” after yesterday’s MDP National Council meeting.

Manik, who was in critical condition when he was taken to the hospital late yesterday afternoon but had regained some stability, spoke to local media Raajje TV about how violently the police had dealt with him while he was accompanied by the former president Mohamed Nasheed and former party chairperson and MP Mariya Ahmed Didi.
Moosa said that when the police started beating the protesters and spraying pepper spray without warning and using excessive force in dismantling the protests Nasheed, Didi and himself had ran into a tile shop in the east of the local market area.

“While we were in there the police came, sprayed pepper spray and started beating us. We ran into the road, to the east of the market, and hid in a shop… selling  tiles… if… if I remember correctly. I walked in first followed by President Nasheed and Mariya. We went into the back and stayed in the storage area”, Moosa said with a weak voice.

Moosa continued that police officers addressed them with foul language when Nasheed asked the officers not to hurt them. The officers openly said that Moosa was on their “hit list” and that they wanted to kill him, before taking three to four punches on his face, Moosa said.

“….When they police looked at me [to hit me] the President said, ‘Don’t hurt [him]’ and they… hurled abuse at the President. Maari said the same thing. I said, ‘If you want to beat us beat me first’ and by then they had already hit me on the face three or four times. They pointed their fingers at me and said, ‘You are a person we want to kill’…” Moosa continued.

Although the police were beating him, Moosa said that an MNDF person came to his rescue and tried to stop the police officers. “They did not let me go and continued beating me. And I saw an MNDF [army] person. He ran to me hugged me and said, “don’t hit, and don’t hit!’ ”, Manik said.

Moosa said that the officers enjoyed taking turns hitting his genital area and one police officer who was in plain clothes tried to stab something (a stick or a pole) into his head, and he was fortunate enough to have ended up with a two inch gash on his head instead.

According to local media, Moosa’s family has said he has been flown to Singapore for further medical treatment. The MP for Hulhuhenveiru constituency, Moosa has been a vocal critic of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom and the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed. He has also been active in MDP’s campaign to reform judiciary.

Interview transcript

“While we were in there the police came, sprayed pepper spray and started beating us. We ran into the road, to the east of the market, and hid in a shop… selling  tiles… if… if I remember correctly. I walked in first followed by President Nasheed and Mariya [Ahmed Didi]. We went into the back and stayed in the storage area.

“Police came in after a while and asked the people at the counter where Maryia and them were. When the people at the counter did not respond the police charged into the back of the store and I said to the President, “They are coming to kill us and so I will just let them do what they want to do” and I walked out. The president followed saying, “Moosa don’t go alone”, followed by Mariya.

“When they police at me [to hit me] the President said, “Don’t hurt [him]” and they… hurled abuse at the President. Maari said the same thing. I said, “If you want to beat us beat me first”, and by then they had already hit me on the face three or four times. They pointed their fingers at me and said, “You are a person we want to kill”. The army person? It was police… they were police not army personnel.

“It was a very narrow path and they pushed me out, beating me. They threw me out on the doorstep and hit me in the groin with their boots. Two policemen were holding my hands, spread, and one person held me by the back, and everyone (police) was beating me. The people on the dhonis [boats] saw everything. One person hit me here… on the ribs… with his boots. By the time I had my wits about me I could not breathe and I begged them to stop…. I pleaded that I was dying. They said, “We want to kill you. Do not think you can behave like you do and get away. You will have to die today”. They did not let me go and continued beating me. And I saw an MNDF [army] person. He ran to me hugged me and said, “Don’t hit, and don’t hit”.

“We reached MTCC [a local company] by then and they continued to beat me… I was surrounded. They were hurling abuse at me and spraying pepper spray into my eyes. One person forced my mouth open and sprayed… I fell over, coughing. The MNDF person was trying to protect me. Then came a police person in plain clothes… he was wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt… I know him. He jumped… and he tried to… and he said I want to embed this into your brain (probably a stick or a pole). It broke open a gash of about two inches and it hit the shoulder of the MNDF person. He was hurt too. And then… the blood was gushing out… and I fell onto the road. And they stomped onto my hand. They all seem to really enjoy hitting me in the groin.

“Then I did not know where they were taking me, two persons were dragging me by the hands. Then they got into a dispute within themselves. One person was saying not to hit me. With my knowledge, a bunch of them in Star Force attire, some in plain blue and another bunch of them in the… the dark blue uniform continued to beat me.

When the blood started flowing [from the groin] they asked me to, “Cover it with your hand… and you will die in a bit”. Then… then I did not know what they were saying. After that I did not know what was going on. By the time we reached the bus I had nothing left in me. There was a brother [relative] in the bus and that’s why I survived. When I got here I was in a lot of pain. Now… now… my spine hurts… it hurts a lot. And when I relieve myself I bleed. I am in a lot of pain. Insha Allah, I will be well soon.”

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MDP proposes bill to reform judiciary, reappoint higher courts

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has proposed a bill to amend the Courts Act (22/2010) which would reduce the number of judges on both the benches of the Supreme Court and High Court if passed.

In a press released issued by the party’s parliamentary group, amendments have been proposed to article 5 and article 27 of the Courts Act which dictates the number of judges on the benches.

The first amendment proposes changing clause (a) of the article 5 of the Courts Act, reducing the Supreme Court bench to five judges inclusive of the chief justice. The amendment would also dissolve clause (a) of the article 16 in Judges Act (Act 13/2010).

The second amendment proposed reducing the High Court bench to seven judges, inclusive of a chief judge.

The current Supreme Court has a bench of seven judges, including the chief justice, while the High Court consists of nine judges including the chief judge of the High Court.

The bill also states that once it is passed and ratified, the judges for the Supreme Court and the High Court should be reappointed within 30 days.

MDP Spokesperson and MP Imthiyaz Fahmy stated that the bill was proposed because the ruling party believes that the Supreme Court and the High Court have been inefficient in finishing cases, and that it is not feasible to have a large bench of judges if the efficiency of the courts were below expected standards.

“Only 31 percent of the cases submitted to the Supreme Court in 2008 were actually finished while the remaining 69 percent remained pending. In other countries with similarly-sized benches the same number of judges finish more than 90 cases annually,” Fahmy said.

Fahmy also said that the MDP is not seeking to remove specific judges from the bench,and that instead the intention was purely to reform the judiciary and ensure the people had free and fair access to justice.

The MDP was confident that the bill would pass despite neither the opposition or the ruling party having an absolute majority, Fahmy said.

Prominent lawyer Ali Hussain raised doubts about the sincerity of the MDP parliamentary group’s decision considering the timing of the proposal. Hussain claimed the government had a majority in the JSC and the parliament for six months [referring to the 16th parliament which ended its term in February 2009 after the general elections] and had done nothing to reform the judiciary.

Independent MP for Kulhudhuhfushi, Mohamed Nasheed, was reported saying in the local media that the bill to amend the Act was an attempt by the government and the ruling MDP to intimidate the current sitting judges of courts of the Maldives. Fahmy denied the claims.

The MDP recently launched a campaign to reform the judiciary. The government subsequently took Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed into military custody maintaining that Judge Abdulla posed a threat to the wellbeing of the society.

Tempers have flared across the capital Male’ with an ongoing series of opposition-led protests calling for the government to uphold the constitution and release the chief judge.

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