Author: Daniel Bosley

“The good news is that the Maldives is not about to disappear”: President Waheed

“First of all, I want give you a bit of good news. The good news is that the Maldives is not about to disappear,” President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has told a group of Sri Lankan businessmen in Colombo yesterday, according to media reports.

Speaking during his official state visit to the Maldives’ closest neighbour, Waheed told an assembled group of business heads at the Hilton Colombo hotel that the country could mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming.

Waheed made the comments in an attempt to assure his audience in Colombo yesterday that steps were being taken to stabilise the political climate in the country, as well to retain investor confidence.

The President said that large sections of the state budget were currently being spent on combating coastal erosion, providing clean water for the islands and developing renewable energy to minimize overall expenditure.

Since assuming the presidency, Waheed has pledged to work towards the previous administration’s carbon neutrality strategy, while also announcing intentions to make the Maldives the world’s largest bio-reserve.

There has also been discussion of a green energy fund to raise US$100 million for renewable energy projects through voluntary tourist contributions.

The country’s energy sector had been headed for a dramatic overhaul this year before the political instability surrounding February’s transfer of presidential was claimed to have deterred potential investors in such a project.

The Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) promised to attract up to $3billion in risk-mitigated renewable energy investment and reduce the Maldives’ dependency on imported oil.

The environmental obstacles besetting the low-lying archipelago had been championed by former President Mohamed Nasheed, who garnered international media attention with his underwater cabinet meetings and a promise to make the country carbon neutral by the year 2020.

Nasheed’s media campaign was covered in the documentary film, “The Island President”, which highlighted his negotiations at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit.

Before assuming office, Nasheed told international media that he had discussed the idea of purchasing land in Sri Lanka, amongst other nations, “as an insurance policy for the worst possible outcome.”

Investor Confidence

Waheed assured his audience in Colombo yesterday that the government was also focused on bolstering investor confidence.

Threats to renationalise Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) – currently being developed by Indian company GMR – have recently brought calls from within the national-unity government for greater consideration of the longer-term impact on foreign investment.

President Waheed is also reported as having told Sri Lankan media that both the economy and the tourism industry, which indirectly contributes around 70percent of GDP, were growing.

A President’s Office statement, however, has reported that Waheed told the group gathered at the Hilton that there had been a decline in the tourism industry recently.

The Tourism Ministry’s most recent figures show that, compared with the same point in 2011, tourist arrivals were up by 2.8 percent, whilst occupancy rates had dropped 1.2 percent.

Figures published by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) show that the economy was expected to grow by 5.5percent this year, a slight slow down on the previous year.

Tourism Minister Ahmed Adheeb, who is accompanying President Waheed to Sri Lanka, was unavailable for comment when contacted today.

At present, a key economic concern to the government is the current budget deficit, anticipated to reach MVR9.1billion (US$590million) – over 28 percent of nominal GDP.

Haveeru reported that Waheed has informed the Sri Lankan press of austerity measures which were delivered to the Majlis by the Finance Ministry earlier this month.

The Sri Lanka Daily News meanwhile reported that he was in the process of finalising agreements which would strengthen bilateral ties in trade and investment as well as the legal and the educational sectors.

Minister for Economic Development Ahmed Mohamed and President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza were not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Home again: Maldives’ Olympians talk London 2012

An estimated audience of 900million people saw Mohamed Ajufan Rasheed carrying the Maldivian flag during the opening ceremony of this summer’s Olympic Games in London.

A further 750million were said to have seen the closing ceremony during which fellow compatriot Azneem Ahmed took the opportunity to wave the red, green, and white for the world to see.

In between, Ajufan competed in the men’s badminton as the first Maldivian to qualify independently for an Olympic event, whilst Azneem broke the Maldives’ national record in the men’s 100metre preliminary heats.

The pair were accompanied by Aminath Shajan – women’s 50m freestyle swimming , Ahmed Husham – men’s 100m freestyle swimming, and Afa Ismail – women’s 100m athletics.

These five Maldivians joined over 10,000 fellow Olympians competing in 26 different sporting events conducted across Great Britain.

A total of 962 medals were shared amongst 85 countries and, despite the Maldives not appearing on the medals table, the games was not without progress for the island nation.

Both Ajufan and Azneem have returned to Male’, anxious to talk about their time in London and excited about their sporting futures.

“We want to share our experiences with others,” said Ajufan, whose first match in the tournament saw him drawn against current European champion Marc Zwiebler, ranked the world number 18 by the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF).

Despite holding his own for long periods during his first ever clash with a European opponent, Ajufan lost to both Zwiebler and his next opponent, the Ukrainian Dmytro Zavadsky (ranked 48 in the sport’s official rankings).

Undeterred however, Ajufan was confident he had benefited from this high level of competition at the games.

“It was not the speed [of Zwiebler] but his finishing shots. I need to work on specific shots,” he said.

Ajufan’s own rise in the BWF rankings has been greatly assisted by the opportunity to train in Malaysia courtesy of Interntional Olympic Committee (IOC) funding.

Improved training and facilities have seen him rise 200 places to 185th in the official rankings in less than a year.

After training six hours a day and working the world’s tournament circuit in preparation for the Olympics, Ajufan is enjoying his first holiday in a year and a half.

Azneem’s preparations for the games were quite different.

After being scouted in Kulhudfushi in 2008, Azneem found work in Male’ with the police force and designed his Olympic training schedule – 2hrs a day – around his duties.

Despite an increased workload owing to political tensions in the capital this year, Azneem was still able to become the first Maldivian sprinter to qualify from the preliminary rounds at the Olympic Games, recording a national record time of 10.79 seconds.

Ahmed Marzook, Secretary General of the Maldives Olympic Committee (MOC), explained that he was hoping to send Azneem to train in Jamaica by the end of September to continue his development.

He will compete in the Maldives quarterly ranking event at the running track in Male’ this weekend.

“We are hoping to send all our athletes abroad eventually,” said Marzook.

Azneem had previously made history as part of the 4 x 100metre relay team who won the country’s first medal at the 2010 South Asian Games.

Marzook explained that the Olympics will have prepared the athlete’s for the next South Asian Games in February 2013.

“We are really hoping for individual medals,” said Marzook.

When asked about the disadvantages of competing against the financial advantages of other Olympic nations, Ajufan said that he felt it was commitment that was the vital ingredient for young athletes, and hoped that their achievements could inspire others.

“Before, Maldivians thought that the Olympics were out of reach – now kids have more motivation,” he said.

As for the next Olympiad, Marzook is optimistic that the team will be even bigger in Brazil in four years time.

“We will now focus on nine or ten athletes,” he said.

The Olympic experience is one both Azneem and Ajufan are keen to repeat.

“There was a good atmosphere in the Olympic Village,” said Ajufan. “There were lots of famous people.”

Both athletes had the opportunity to meet Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis whilst in the UK.

But, while Azneem was able to meet the British athlete during his pre-Olympic stay in Bedford, Ajufan was unable to see her in the flesh.

“I met Jessica Ennis at Madame Tussaud’s [waxwork museum],” he laughed.

When asked whether they would be in Rio for the 31st Olympic Games, the pair replied in unison.

“That’s the plan.”

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Maldivian football contemplates new horizons ahead of Nehru Cup

Maldivian football fans will look to New Delhi this week as the national team competes for the first time in India’s Nehru Cup.

The team arrived in Delhi yesterday ahead of their first game against Nepal tomorrow evening at 6:30PM (7:00PM local time).

The match will be played in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which will host all the tournament’s fixtures.

The tournament begins this evening, with India taking on Syria.

Mauroof Ahmed, Technical Director of the Football Association of Maldives (FAM), said that despite being invited at short notice, the team were in good physical shape.

“In terms of fitness we are well prepared. In terms of spending time together as a team, we need more games,” said Mauroof.

Following their opening fixture, the Maldives will play the hosts and holders India on Saturday (August 25),  Syria on Monday (August 27), and Cameroon a week today (August 29).

This will complete the round robin stage of the tournament, at the end of which, the top two sides will play for the trophy on September 2.

Team Coach Istvan Urbanyi told maldivesoccer.com of his high expectations despite a lack of time for preparation.

“I wish we could have a long-term preparations. This time, I am going with a team prepared by clubs, definitely fitness wise,” said Urbanyi.

“I have the maximum expectations because we tried our best even though we didn’t have enough time to build up a team.”

Despite media reports that they have sent an inexperienced squad, the tournament’s favourites are Cameroon, who sit a clear 88 places above any of their opponents in the FIFA world rankings.

Meanwhile, the teams from the Asian Confederation are all thought of similar ability, with the Syrians officially ranked highest and the Indians the lowest. Of the participants, the Maldives is the only side to have moved up the rankings in the past 12 months.

Cameroon’s invitation to the tournament continues the tradition of high quality international opponents featuring in the competition since it started in 1982. Previous non-Asian confederation invitees have included Argentina, Uruguay, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Russia.

This year’s tournament is the 15th edition of the Nehru Cup which was resumed in 2007 after a ten year hiatus. The most successful team in the competition’s history is the Soviet Union, who won four titles during the 1980s.

Football development

However, in a region fixated with cricket, the Maldives stands out as a nation that has seemingly shunned wickets and bats for goal-posts and football boots.

“Football has been the number one sport for quite a while,” say Mauroof. “There is a long history of football here, going back 55 years.”

“Cricket is not very popular. In terms of space and available land, football is far more convenient,” he added.

During the recent European Football Championships, huge screens were set up across the capital Male’ to show every game live.

Hundreds of boys turn up every night to play on the sandy pitches on the southern side of the Male’, often having to wait for another game to finish before placing their portable goals at either end of any available space.

Mauroof explained that the best way for the game to continue to develop in the Maldives was to find overseas opportunities for its players.

“The football association is doing work to get players international exposure. We have a close links with the Japanese FA and plan to send one player and one coach to Japan,” said Mauroof.

“Playing in the local leagues will not bring players to an international level. The mentality has to be changed. The challenge is to instil professionalism,” he continued.

The national team’s current captain and leading goalscorer, Ali Ashfag, was offered opportunities in Europe with Portuguese club Benfica as a younger player before opting to remain in the Maldives.

More recently, youngster Mohamed Miraash Imthiyaz travelled to Spain this summer to play with an FC Barcelona under-13 side.

“He is very talented,” said Mauroof. “He has been in our development programme for two years.”

Mauroof was quick to add, however, that Miraash’s parents had been the main driving force in securing opportunities for their son.

“The parents are very motivated. Miraash has also attended other international academies for clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool,” he said.

However, limited finances were described by Mauroof as being a key issue in the further development of the sport, with overseas opportunities often dependent on sponsorship money.

“It will take time,” he said.

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Nasheed discusses CMAG team’s apparent dismissal of “coup” claims in leaked audio

Local television station DhiTV has leaked an audio clip appearing to involve former President Mohamed Nasheed discussing the opinions of several Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) members concerning February’s transfer of power.

In the recording, Nasheed is alleged to have said that three Commonwealth foreign ministers sent to investigate the controversial power transfer had determined that the events on February 7 did not amount to a coup.

Foreign Ministers from Bangladesh, Barbados and Australia visited the country in February concurrent with the body’s remit to investigate potential violations of the organisation’s political values.

In the clip, Nasheed appears to be recounting his discussions with the CMAG members.

“I asked them, if they decide that that’s what happened, what will I do next? The entire opposition of this country will go to prison,” Nasheed appears to claim in the clip, reported to be an excerpt from a thirty minute-long recording.

MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Minivan News that he doubted the clip’s authenticity.

“It’s difficult to believe that Nasheed would talk about it publicly. I feel it is a fabrication,” said Ghafoor.

After sending its investigative team, CMAG announced that it had not been possible to determine the constitutionality of the transfer of power.

The group, therefore, recommended that an independent investigation, with international representation, be conducted.

The Maldives, which since 2009 was a member of CMAG – the Commonwealth’s eight nation watchdog group – was subsequently suspended from the body after being placed on its formal agenda.

Continued pressure for inter-party dialogue and early elections from the Commonwealth led to strong criticism of the organisation from local politicians earlier this year, before resulting in the eventual reconstitution of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI).

The CNI is scheduled to publicly publish its findings on August 30.

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has suggested that he and his ministers be reinstated should the investigation find evidence that a “coup” had taken place.

The party also promised its acquiescence in the event that the CNI find no evidence of illegal activity whatsoever, a likelihood Nasheed does not anticipate.

Meanwhile, the government, which has steadfastly denied it came to power in a “coup d’etat”, has officially refused to speculate on the possible fallout from the CNI report.

Leaders from the minority leadership party in the Majlis, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), have said that they would challenge any results which disputed the legitimacy of the President Waheed’s unity government.

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Maldives celebrates Eid ul-fitr

Dr Mohamed Iyaz Abdul Latheef conducted prayers before a huge congregation in Male’ this morning, as thousands of Maldivians joined fellow Muslims across the globe in celebrating Eid ul-fitr (the festivity of breaking the fast).

Up to 50,000 people were reported to have attended the ceremony in the stadium area on Ameenee Magu at 7:00am.

The area, more commonly used for games of football, was prepared to accommodate male worshippers, whilst provisions were made for female worshippers in the adjoining track area.

During the 20 minute sermon, the Imam advised young people to be steadfast in their prayers and to avoid the intellectual war with which they are faced, reported local media.

Ameenee Magu was closed to traffic as tables were arranged, laden with food for the early-morning worshippers, celebrating the end of Ramazan and its month of daytime fasting.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s released a statement yesterday calling for unity and brotherhood over the holiday period, which runs for the three days following the end of Ramazan.

Waheed stressed the importance of strengthening family relations over the Eid period as well as placing national interests above personal ones.

The President, after attending this morning’s prayers, made his way to the official residence of the President, Muleeaage where he received members of the public after 9:30AM.

Along with the First Lady Madam Ilham Hussein, Waheed was visited by state ministers, members of parliament, state dignitaries and foreign diplomats.

Zakat – the giving of alms –  one of the five pillars of Islam, occurred before the Eid prayers.

Local media reported that 80,408 people paid Zakat in the Maldives this year, amounting to  MVR2.4 million (US$155,642) for distribution to the needy.

The ministry noted that a large number of people were paying Zakat through means other than the government.

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‘I will not take action against army in relation to CNI’: Defence Minister

“I will not take any action against the army in relation to that [Commission of National Inquiry] report,” said Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim, according to an audio clip leaked by Rajje TV.

Nazim has confirmed to local media that the recording was taken during a speech given to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) soldiers on Wednesday night, saying that a full transcript would soon be made available on the MNDF’s website.

Speaking with Minivan News today, Nazim clarified his comments.

“As we have seen on numerous video footage, a very small number of very junior ranked soldiers of MNDF may have acted outside the bounds of law on 7 February. However, the situation at that moment was very chaotic, and there was no command and control over them and they were not following any orders,” he said.

“They were doing what they thought was right in the absence of orders. Therefore, it does not make any sense to take any action against these very junior ranked soldiers, who may not have realised the implications of their actions at the time,” continued Nazim.

The Commission of National Inquiry (CNI), created by presidential decree in order to investigate the circumstances surrounding the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed, is scheduled to publish its report on August 30.

Elements of the military, including Nazim himself- a civilian at the time, have been implicated in the alleged coup that led former Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan take over the country’s leadership.

Reports produced by the (pre-reform) CNI and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) attest to the heavy involvement of MNDF troops in the transfer of power.

Hours before former President Mohamed Nasheed’s resignation on February 7, uniformed police and 60-70 officers from the MNDF were filmed joining with opposition protesters and attacking military headquarters.

Nazim told the press in June that an internal MNDF investigation into the events had been completed, although he opted not to disclose the details for fear of influencing the CNI’s ongoing investigations.

Military anxiety

Nazim explained that the publication of the report was prompting particular concern amongst the MNDF’s ranks, due to fears that it may spark further violence.

“There is no more anxiety among the ranks of MNDF pending the CONI report than there is among the general public. Our only concern is that the Maldivian Democratic Party has declared that it will take to the streets of Male’ once the report is published, regardless of the outcome,” he said.

The MDP last week announced it would continue its protests until any person implicated in the CNI report was brought to justice.

The CNI’s work does not constitute a criminal investigation and its findings will be forwarded to the relevant government departments before being released to the public.

“Once its findings are published, it is up to the relevant authorities to take any action if necessary,” said Nazim.

Last week, former President Nasheed released a statement expressing his dismay at the flurry of recent dismissals from within the MNDF and the Police force.

“It saddens me to note that during the past six months, senior officers of these institutions have been unfairly dismissed and continuously intimidated,” said Nasheed.

Deputy Commander of Medical Services of MNDF, Captain Dr. Dr Fathmath Thahsyna Ibrahim was removed from her post as Deputy Commander of Medical Services after expressing outrage on social media after her father was allegedly injured by an MNDF officer during a protest on August 2.

In an excerpt from Wednesday night’s speech already available on the MNDF’s website, Nazim urged all soldiers to be vigilant and to avoid “spreading false gossip” via social media.

On July 16 Brigadier General Ibrahim Didi, a national hero following his exploits in preventing an attempted coup in 1988, resigned “prematurely” after the government filed charges against him for the detention of Chief Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

Chief of Defense Force under Nasheed, Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel and Vice Chief of Defense Force, Farhath Shaheer, resigned from the MNDF shortly after Nasheed’s departure.

In Nasheed’s statement, he urged the military not to promote, demote, dismiss or intimidate any of its soldiers, but to wait for the CNI to conclude.

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Nasheed reneging on commitment to respect CNI: Dunya

State Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon has accused former President Mohamed Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of “threats and intimidation tactics” over the outcome of the CNI report, due at the end of August.

“The Government of Maldives is committed to the resolution of political differences through peaceful dialogue and the democratic boulevard [sic] and institutions available in the country,” Dunya said in the statement.

However Nasheed “is going back on his own words and commitment to the international community that he would respect the outcome of the CoNI.”

Former President was speaking during an event commemorating ‘Black Friday’, the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists by the former regime in 2004.

Dunya expressed concern at Nasheed’s apparent determination to bring members of the police and military to justice for their illegal roles in the transfer of power, no matter the final verdict of the inquiry commission.

“President Nasheed had threatened violence on the streets of Male’ in order to ensure justice,” said Dunya during the press conference, the details of which have been distributed by the Foreign Ministry as a media release.

A translation for Minivan News of the pertinent section of Nasheed’s Monday speech is as follows:

“I am certain beyond doubt that the commission’s report would note that many officers of the security forces committed a number of unlawful acts. Our demand, our protest, our request will be for these [officers] to be brought to justice. Our work will be to bring them to face justice. We should only go back home after CoNI’s report after bringing them to justice and establishing justice in this country. For a certainty, I definitely will not go back home otherwise.”

Nasheed’s intentions were clarified the following day in a proposal submitted to the government by the MDP . The document mapped out the steps the party expected to see taken following the CNI’s conclusion.

This proposal stated the MDP’s willingness to cease its calls for early presidential elections and wait for the constitutionally mandated polls in 2013 should the final report show no evidence of any unlawful activity in the transfer of power.

However, should the report find that the transfer included illegal acts on the part of any individual, the MDP proposed that those implicated be brought to trial and that all parties agree to early elections.

In the event that the CNI rules the departure of Nasheed from the President’s Office to have been unconstitutional, the MDP proposed that his government be fully reinstated.

The party had hoped for a response from the government before the end of Ramadan this weekend and appeared to receive it today when President’s Office spokesman Abbas Adil Riza told local media today that the government would not discuss the report’s outcome before its release.

“CNI’s report will not act as a final verdict. The purpose of the report is to assist the relevant institutions. So, there’s no need to make the report a ‘political carnival’,” Riza reportedly told Sun Online.

At its meeting on Tuesday, the MDP’s executive council had agreed to call a meeting of its National Council in order to determine the party’s next course of action.

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MDP to hold mass rally ahead of CNI report, but will “accept findings”

The steering committee of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has decided to stage a mass rally before the publication of the Commission of National Inquiry’s (CNI) report, but has also committed to accepting the commission’s conclusion should it find there was no illegal activity involved in the ousting of former President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7.

A successful resolution proposed that should the CNI conclude February’s transfer of power was illegal, former members of the government should be reinstated, early elections scheduled, and legal proceedings initiated against those implicated.

However, should the CNI conclude that there was no coup in February, the steering committee decided it would wait for constitutionally scheduled presidential elections in 2013.

Deputy Leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer has responded to the MDP’s “amusing” proposals by stating his party’s intention to take the matter to the Supreme Court should the CNI’s findings indict the current government.

Local paper Haveeru reported on August 2 that Naseer, after refusing to testify a second time before the CNI, had argued the reconstituted commission represented an attempt by “foreigners to enter into the country’s internal affairs through the backdoor”.

Following his own statement to the committee last month, the interim leader of the PPM and former President Maumoon Adbul Gayoom told the press that he would not accept that the ousting of Nasheed amounted to a coup, regardless of the CNI’s findings.

Current President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, during an interview with the BBC in June, stated his belief that he would not feel compelled to resign if he was found to have played no role in any alleged coup.

“If [the commission] find out that I had a role in bringing about a coup, then I would definitely resign,” he said. “But if I have no role – if somebody else has done it – it doesn’t mean I have to resign, according to the law of the Maldives.”

In the interview, Waheed argued that premature elections would be far more harmful to the country than his continuing presence in the President’s Office.

The CNI, originally created in February by presidential decree to investigate the events leading up to and including Nasheed’s resignation, was reconstituted in June following concerns, both domestic and international, that the committee lacked independence and impartiality.

The revised commission includes the addition of a Nasheed nominee as well as a retired Singaporean judge as co-chair.

Calm before the storm?

Last week, the MDP announced its decision to suspend its ‘direct action’ protests for the remainder of the Ramazan period in order to foster an atmosphere in which inter-party dialogue might progress.

Prior to this, the party had intensified its anti-government campaign during July, spending consecutive nights demonstrating on Chaandanhee Magu near the political and military headquarters of the capital, Male’.

The concurrent raising of tension in Male’ brought clashes between police and protesters. Injuries on both sides of the barricades brought claim and counter claim of police brutality and violent protests.

High-level parliament-initiated talks were scheduled to take place yesterday morning but appeared to stall after a number of senior party figures failed to attend.

There was apparent confusion regarding the aims of yesterday’s meetings. Jumhoree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim told local media that the meeting was “meaningless” unless the issue of resuming Majlis sittings was discussed.

The Majlis has not met since the end of July following Speaker Abdulla Shahid’s decision to suspend sittings owing to escalating tensions in the house.

Alternatively, the MDP’s representative at the meeting left the President’s Office yesterday speaking of early elections and the course of action to be taken after the CNI report’s publication.

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Police crack down on ‘harassment’ of politicians

Police are taking stronger measures against people who harass politicians and such incidents are falling, according to President’s Office Abbas Adil Riza.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has meanwhile alleged that freedom of speech is being unfairly restricted by the crackdown.

Commenting on the arrest of an MDP activist known as Okay Zahir – who allegedly called the Islamic Affairs Minister a ‘baaghee’, or ‘traitor’ – Abbas said that Zahir stood accused of harassment.

Local media reported yesterday that Zahir’s period in detention had been extended by a further 10 days after his original arrest on August 7. Zahir is a former director of the Thilafushi Corporation (TCL).

Abbas alleged that the accused “verbally abused the Islamic Minister”, engaging in “indecent behaviour” towards Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Seed whom he claimed was in the company of his nine year-old son at the time of the incident.

Neither Sheikh Shaheem nor Police Spokesman Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef were responding to calls at time of press.

A source who had seen the arrest warrant claimed that Zahir was accused of approaching Shaheem’s son on a number of different occasions, inquiring as to the whereabouts of “baaghee Shaheem”.

The source stated that police obtained the warrant due to their belief that this alleged offence would be repeated.

MDP spokesman Hamed Abdul Ghafoor stated that the charges against Zahir seemed “very bizarre”, and expressed his concern that “the scope of freedom of speech is being severely constrained.”

“One could argue it is unconstitutional,” continued Ghafoor. “I don’t see how giving your opinion of the truth equals harassment”.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Lawyer Hisaan Hussain used social networks to express her belief that calling someone a ‘baaghee’ is not a criminal offense.

Meaningful dialogue

Since his accession to the Presidency, Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s public appearances have often been accompanied by heckling crowds disputing the legitimacy of his government.

As well as calling for early presidential elections, the anti-government demonstrations have attempted to mock and ridicule leading government figures as part of a well-choreographed non-violent strategy.

The harassment of politicians has recently been central to the government’s negotiations with the opposition MDP.

During the last round of the UN-mediated roadmap talks in June, pro-government parties presented the MDP’s representatives with a list of 30 suggestions for resolving political tensions in the country which included calls to stop the harassment of political figures.

However, the list also included calls for the MDP to stop the use of “black magic” and “erotic tools”, leading the MDP to interpret a lack of sincerity on the part of the pro-government group.

More recently, President Waheed said that he would not engage in the all-party talks until the harassment of his officials stopped.

The MDP announced last week that it intended to suspend its program of anti-government demonstrations in order to “facilitate meaningful dialogue”.

This move was initially welcomed by the government, before protesters targeted Vice President Waheed Deen as he attended a ceremony in Hulhumale, causing Abbas to tell local media that the government’s participation in talks may have to be reconsidered.

Freedom within limits

During a speech given in June, President Waheed stated his belief that freedom of expression ought not to be permitted to the extent that it impinged on the rights of others.

“People misuse the right to freedom of expression and yell whatever words that come to mind at other people. You have seen and heard this, not just on TV or radio, but on the streets, in front of houses and schools. This is not how it should be,” Dr Waheed was reported as saying.

As well as being enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to freedom of expression is listed in the 2008 Maldivian Constitution as one of the fundamental rights and freedoms of its citizens.

The right to freedom of speech, however, has long been met with caveats and provisos which in effect limit the ability of individuals to unrestricted expression.

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights espoused the right to freedom of expression whilst delineating restrictions it describes as “necessary in a democratic society”.

The list of exceptions includes constraints “for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others”.

Similarly, the right to freedom of speech is guaranteed by the first amendment to the US constitution but has been restricted by subsequent Supreme Court rulings which have included issues concerning incitement, false statements of fact, and obscenity.

During the speech, Waheed expressed his hope that the People’s Majlis would move to curb the actions of those who, he felt, were abusing this fundamental freedom.

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