Month: February 2011

Islamic Foundation alleges black magic performed in Haa Alifu Atoll to foretell election results

The Islamic Foundation of the Maldives has alleged that people on the island of Baarah in Haa Alifu Atoll practiced “black magic” to foretell the results of Local Council Elections held last week.

”A group of clairvoyants or soothsayers are said to have summoned the jinn to predict local council election results in their constituency,” said the IFM in a press statement.

”The black arts practitioners did so by constantly beating a possessed person with a traditional eakle broom while reciting a magic spell, and questioning the evil spirit believed to be speaking through the haunted person.”

The religious NGO referred to sources in the island and said the incident took place two days prior to the Local Council Elections.

”The local superstition states that jinns have the power to foretell the future, and the clairvoyants wanted it to tell the names of the candidates who would win the council vote,” the foundation said.

The Islamic Foundation said another such group of people in the island believed that the ”the party to which the first vote falls into the ballet box will win the election. So, they started queueing up for the vote just after sunset, with the hope of becoming the first person to vote in the next morning.”

The IFM said it had looked into the matter “from a religious perspective” and said the belief that demons or jinns have the power to foresee future, visiting fortunetellers, astrologers and palmists, wearing amulets or charms to ward off evil are forms of Shirk.

“The ignorant among the masses believe that Prophets possessed the power to foretell future and bring good or bad luck. However the Final Revelation, clearly states the Prophets do not have any such power. It is mentioned in the Quran that Allah instructed Prophet Mohamed to say he does not have any such power,” the Foundation said.

“Say! None in the heavens nor the earth knows the unseen except Allah..” (Surah an-Nahl 27:65)” the Islamic Foundation said on its website citing the Quran. ‘

The IFM said that Islam allows exorcism provided the practice does not involve any form of sorcery, Shirk or invocation of false deities. It is mentioned in Sunan Abu Dawud that Allah’s Messenger said, “The Last Hour will not come until some groups of my nation worship idols.”

Belief in black magic remains very common on many islands of the Maldives, despite being strictly forbidden under Islam.

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“We will beat them up and drag them away”: transcript of Mavota’s alleged phone call

In a leaked phone conversation allegedly between Spokesperson and Deputy leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) ‘Mavota’ Ibrahim Shareef and another member of DRP, a voice believed to be Shareef questions Gayoom’s support in Addu and suggested that were Gayoom’s faction to campaign there, “we will beat them up and drag them away [from Addu].”

The source of the leaked phone call, which has been aired on MNBC and DhiFM, has not been identified or its authenticity yet confirmed or denied.

Voice S: Definitely there would not be 99 percent of DRP supporters in Addu behind Maumoon.

Voice A: Just now, Shareef…

Voice S: The support for me would be much higher than that.

Voice A: Yes but just think…

Voice S: What did I say then, the result of all this will be MDP remaining in the administration…

Voice S: Istead of that [if he’s going to Addu] without having any connection with us, but with Umar Naseer and Ilham, he [Gayoom] will have to forget it. I tell you now, it would even be impossible to step on Addu without inviting us.

Voice A: What?

Voice S: We will beat them up and drag them away [from Addu].

Voice A: Zaeem? [Zaeem – literally honorary leader]

Voice S: Yes… will have to forget going to Addu during his visits [to islands].

DRP supporters who had heard the audio clip broadcast of MNBC and DhiFM gathered outside DRP’s headquarters this morning and called for Shareef and party Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali to resign.

Shareef then came out of DRP’s head office to address the protesters, but was attacked escorted to safety by police.

After police took Shareef away, the gathered people called on the resignation of Thasmeen. Minor confrontations between both sides of the party were reported.

Among the spectators of the incident this morning were many Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters.

The Council Meeting

In a meeting of the DRP council meeting this afternoon – with Gayoom’s members noticeably absent –  the party decided to sign a coalition agreement with Hassan Saeed’s Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), pledging cooperation in the 2013 presidential election, and the parliamentary and local council elections to be held in 2014.

Haveeru reported that Dr Hassan Saeed had sided with the current leader of DRP, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

DRP MP Abdulla Mausoom confirmed the arrangement and said that the party would soon issue a press statement regarding the agreement.

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Police evacuate Mavota Shareef from DRP headquarters after spokesperson attacked

A crowd gathered outside DRP headquarters was this morning calling for the resignation of Party Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and Spokesperson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef.

The call came in response to an audio clip allegedly of Shareef, aired on MNBC and DhiFM, in which he apparently expresses a preference for MDP over former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Gayoom would never leave if returned to the leadership, Shareef apparently says, during a campaign trip in Addu.

Minivan News is trying to determine the authenticity of the audio with Shareef, however his phone was turned off at time of press. Thasmeen was not responding.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that a crowd gathered outside the DRP headquarters had tried to attack Shareef, “so police put him into a vehicle and took him to a safe area. He is not in police custody.”

Haveeru reports that Thasmeen and the DRP council will meet at the office shortly, however it notes that Gayoom’s members on the council – his daughter Dhunya Maumoon and former Attorney General Aishath Azima Shukoor – did not appear to be in attendance.

The DRP underwent a major factional split following the dismissal of Deputy Leader Umar Naseer by the party’s disciplinary committee, an incident which came to blows in December 2010 when Naseer and his supporters gatecrashed a DRP rally at Ghiyasuddin International School celebrating the departure of seven of President Mohamed Nasheed’s cabinet ministers on a successfully-prosecuted constitutional technicality.

Naseer claims he does not recognise his removal from the party as legitimate despite confirmation from the Elections Commission. The return of Gayoom to politics and the backing of the party’s ‘honorary leader’ consolidated support for Naseer in the party, and the two campaigned together during the local council election while Thasmeen campaigned seperately.

This mornings’s events suggest the frosty civility between the two factions in the lead-up to the election may be diminishing, as the fielding of multiple opposition candidates in many council electorates may have split the votes and needlessly handed wins to the ruling party.

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DQP allies with Thasmeen as “momentum with opposition”

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) has signed a coalition agreement with Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, after a day of political infighting among the opposition.

The deal could represent an alliance between Thasmeen and DQP leader Hassan Saeed against the DRP faction led by dismissed deputy leader Umar Naseer, who received tacit support from former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom during the location council elections.

Although unable to speak of the role a collective opposition may play within the Maldives’ newly formed local councils, Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Secretary General Abdulla Ameen claimed the recent elections showed public sentiment was “clearly” now against the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

“I think the local council elections clearly show that the public has no confidence in the government,” he said. “With two years until the next general election, the government will have to be much more accountable.”

With ballot counting yet to be finalised following polling for local councils over the weekend, the DQP said it had so far taken two seats – one each in the island and atoll councils – out of eight possible candidates running from within the party.

Ameen added that a “full strategy” for the DQP’s elected council members had yet to be outlined.

The uncertainty over the direction of the council members comes after Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, leader of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), yesterday told Minivan News that successful candidates in the elections were as yet unaware of the mandate for the country’s local councils.

“It is a fact that candidates from many parties including ours may not be clear on their responsibilities and mandates,” Thasmeen said.

Ameen said that the party would be speaking with its local council representatives as soon as possible to begin trying to outline policy and how exactly they will work to serve constituents.

“We are still waiting for official results, so I can’t say anything right now until we consult our councils and see what direction we will be taking,” he said. “Public sentiment appears to be with the [political] opposition. We now must see what they can do.”

However, the post-council election outlook for the DRP, the country’s main opposition party, seems uncertain.

Umar Naseer court-bound

Amidst claims by the DRP of a decisive victory during the local council election campaign that saw them take a large proportion of island seats, infighting within the party has continued this week, with former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer reportedly set to file a Civil Court case to nullify his dismissal.

Haveeru reported today that following the conclusion of the council election race, Naseer, who was dismissed by a DRP disciplinary committee back in December, is heading to the courts to have his former position reinstated.
The former deputy Leader has said he believes he still holds a deputy leader position in the party despite the internal DRP ruling and only a party congress has the authority to terminate his role, according to the report.

Naseer has been campaigning during the elections with DRP supreme leader and former Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom with whom he spoke alongside at a “victory” celebration for the party this week at a ceremony near Male’s artificial beach.

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MDP could win an election “blindfolded”, gloats Nasheed

The ruling party’s election success in population hubs across the country gave “a clear indication of the current political situation”, President Mohamed Nasheed said during a party rally at the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Haruge.

“The government received huge support in some of the small populations. We need to consider the results of the election in several ways. This election is not about the amount of seats,” Haveeru reported Nasheed as saying.

“If we are able to do it [win elections] blindfolded I don’t see any reason why I can’t contest in 2013. It’s fortunate that the constitution limits the presidential terms to two,” he added in an apparent attempt to bait the opposition, today troubled by factional infighting.

According to Haveeru a jubilant Nasheed also criticised the campaigns of the opposition parties, as well as coalition party Adhaalath, saying he was “surprised that I couldn’t see anyone voting for Adhaalath Party except from Kinolhas (Raa Atoll). I did not see any party carrying out a good campaign except the MDP.”

The DRP has claimed victory in the local council elections citing a seat majority of 502 across island and atoll councils, to the MDP’s 375. The MDP has claimed victory because it won almost all the population hubs in the country, which could swing the popular vote in its favour.

The Elections Commission said this morning that it was still calculating the popular vote, which will give a percentage figure of support for each party.

This will provide a clearer indication of the election result than seat count or raw ballots, both because of the divide in DRP votes due to an ongoing factional split, and the ‘multiple’ votes made for island and atoll councils.

One senior figure in the MDP said the party’s preliminary calculations had pegged the result somewhere between 45-50% for the MDP and low 40s for the opposition – which would be a significant jump in support for the ruling party following the parliamentary election. However the source said the figure would be difficult to calculate with any accuracy until the Elections Commission provided voter turnout data.

Leader of the Labour Party Ahmed ‘Redwave’ Saleem, an MDP coalition partner, has meanwhile been quoted from a press statement as calling for Nasheed to resign from office and “hand over the presidency to a more qualified and responsible person.”

Saleem contends that the government misused state assets to conduct its campaign in the lead-up to the Local Council Elections, which saw President Nasheed visiting over 100 islands and giving 130 speeches.

The President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Haveeru yesterday that the President had worn through three pairs of shoes during the campaign, and was now on a four-day break.

Opposition leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali meanwhile told Minivan News yesterday that the priority was to ensure that successful candidates from all sides were aware of their new responsbilities.

“It is a fact that candidates from many parties including ours may not be clear on their responsibilities and mandates,” Thasmeen said.

“We don’t have any details on when the local councils will begin their work, and there are many issues that need to be finalised. For example, how will these councils interact with the government?”

Parties across the political spectrum would be required to provide “support structures” such as technical training to try prepare individual council members for decentralised governance, he added.

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“Ready to serve the people”: Sheikh Hussein Rasheed congratulates candidates

The Adhaalath Party’s President Sheikh Hussein Rasheed Ahmed has congratulated all the candidates of the Adhaalath party who ran for the Local Council Elections.

Sheikh Hussein Rasheed in a statement said that his party was ready to serve the citizens of the country as much as it could.

”We believe that success is for to whom God grants it,” Sheikh Hussein Rasheed said. ”And we believe that we can only serve the citizens to the extent the citizens wish us to.”

Adhaalath Party won one seat in Haa Alifu Atoll Muraidhoo island council, one in Haa Dhaalu Atoll Nolhivaram island council, two seats in Makunudhoo in the same atoll, two seats of Shaviyani Atoll Bileifahi island council, one seat in Noonu Atoll Landhu, one seat in Raa Atoll Dhuvaafaru, one is Rasgetheemu of the same atoll, four seats of Kinolhas in the same atoll, Lhaviyani Atoll Olhuvelifushi island council’s two seats and Veymandu, Thaa Atoll island council’s one seat.

A total of 17 seats were won by Adhaalath Party according to the last preliminary results issued by the Elections Commission.

Sheikh Hussein Rasheed recently told Minivan News that Adhaalath candidates would focus on “wide ranging development”, aiming to reduce problems associated with drug abuse and “uniting people together”.

“We will co-operate with the government as per the law, of course,” he added.

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News sites and celebrity blogs awash with reports of Maldives’ blonde “fantasy” island

Self-described ‘Internet’s most notorious gossip columnist blogger’ Perez Hilton has joined a growing number of international media outlets to cover the story of the Lithuania-based company Olialia’s plans for a luxury Maldivian resort staffed only by individuals with blonde hair or wigs.

Last week, Olialia Brand Manager Lauryna Anuseviciute told the Associated Press that non-blonde staff at the proposed resort, which is set to be built on a man-made island resembling a high-heeled shoe, “will wear a blond wig to make everyone look similar.”

Although Olialia’s resort plans were first announced back last September, the story has this week garnered attention from news sources all around the world, including Sky News, The Week, the Sydney Morning Herald and Perez Hilton’s blog – usually a source for the latest news on pop stars like Britney Spears rather than tourist developments in the Maldives.

“Lithuanian company Olialia has created a business empire, and their newest venture is a ‘fantasy resort’ island in Maldives,” the blogger wrote. Perez Hilton also referenced Anuseviciute, who described the importance of hair colour to the business plan.

Maldivian tourism authorities have yet to officially hear of – or approve – the ambitious project.

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President on break following election tour

President Mohamed Nasheed is on a four day holiday following the conclusion of the local council elections, reports Haveeru.

The President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair claimed the president had worn through three pairs of shoes during a campaign tour of 100 islands, during which he delivered 130 speeches.

Nasheed will spend his break at Muleeage, Haveeru reported, and return to work on Sunday.

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Many successful candidates unclear on new responsibilities and mandates, says Thasmeen

Many successful candidates in the local council election remained unaware of their new responsibilities, or even the mandate of a local council, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has said.

“It is a fact that candidates from many parties including ours may not be clear on their responsibilities and mandates,” Thasmeen told Minivan News.

At present though, the DRP leader said that the party’s key priority was to set out timelines and policy on how local councils would operate, and how they would collaborate with parliament – something he said there were few details of at present.

“We don’t have any details on when the local councils will begin their work, and there are many issues that need to be finalised,” said the opposition party leader. “For example, how will these councils interact with the government?”

Parties across the political spectrum would be required to provide “support structures” such as technical training to try prepare individual council members for decentralised governance, he explained.

Thasmeen added that he was ultimately satisfied with the party’s performance in the election, and believed it was on track to obtain at least 50 percent of all council seats as the results of more ballots became known.

“The council elections have been a good victory, our forecasts now show that perhaps we can obtain 60 percent of the total vote with the MDP at around 35 percent,” he said.

In light of the DRP’s performance at the polls, former president and the party’s honorary leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom hosted a “Welcome to Blue Maldives” celebration yesterday together with ousted Deputy Leader Umar Naseer. However Thasmeen said that “as a party we have made the decision to not formally hold a victory party as we have work to do relating to local councils.”

Thasmeen said that while the opposition party’s 2013 presidential campaign would be very different to the local council elections, it did provide stepping stones for the way ahead.

Meanwhile, reports of factions forming within the DRP between supporters of Thasmeen and dismissed former DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer do not appear to be going away.

Umar Naseer today forwarded reports of the alleged resignation of Dr Mohamed Saud, Thasmen’s recently appointed Advisor on Human Resources after taking part in a DRP victory rally.

Thasmeen said he had been unable to confirm the reports with Dr Saud at time of press, and was unable to disclose any more details on the allegations until his office had spoken with the advisor.

The ruling party was similarly upbeat about the results of the election. A senior government source, also an MDP member, told Minivan News that “traditionally, governments usually get a kicking in midterm elections.”

“We’re still analysing the results but we won the population centres and it looks like we’ll be ahead in the popular vote. We won Male’, Addu, Kulhufushi and Thinadhoo – in Fuvahmulah it was more split,” the source said.

“We got 25 percent in the presidential election, 33 percent in the parliamentary election – I think we could see 40 percent in this election, if not higher.”

Transparency Maldives has meanwhile expressed concern at the amount of “subtle” campaigning conducted inside and outside the polling areas.

Transparency’s spokesperson Aiman Rasheed said that “nearly all observers” had noticed this taking place.

“The EC has said it was not able to find really experienced officials and ended up relying on some very young people, particularly on the islands,” he said. “There was a lot of intimidation of polling officials.”

There were also some issues with assisted voting, Rasheed added, with elected officials inconsistent in allowing assisted votes. Inconsistency had also been observed in declaring ballots invalid, he said.

Despite these observations, Rasheed said the election “was credible and very transparent in the way it was conducted.”

He did note issues with media outlets struggling to provide balanced coverage in the lead-up to the vote, “which is when many people make their decisions”.

“MNBC said it was trying but opposition parties were boycotting them, while DhiTV and VTV said the same thing about the ruling party. The state media also said its budget had been slashed. A lot of journalists have also come up and told us their editorial policy on paper was different from how things really worked.”

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