The speed with which India abandoned Mohammed Nasheed and declared support for the successor government is bewildering, writes Jyoti Malhotra for The Hindu.
The speed with which the largest democracy in the world abandoned, by all accounts, the youngest democracy in the world has left several people terribly bewildered. Was this the result of an accumulated pragmatism that runs freely in the heart of New Delhi’s foreign policy establishment these days, especially as Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna is widely considered to be an absentee figure in this part of South Block?
Certainly, pragmatism has its benefits, and the art of foreign policy-making cannot be mixed with something as ephemeral as friendships, including with democrats. Certainly, too, the Prime Minister’s special envoy to the Maldives, M. Ganapathi, a top diplomat in the Foreign Office, has told Nasheed when he met him on Friday in Male, that Nasheed and his family will be safe under the new dispensation.
But as Nasheed pointed out to this reporter, on the phone from Male, this assurance is hardly enough. Meanwhile, in India and abroad, people are watching to see if India, the most powerful country in the region, can ensure that Waheed stops the savage crackdown that the Maldivian security forces are continuing to heap upon Nasheed’s hapless MDP supporters.
If all foreign policy is a function of national interest, then India must ask itself if the Waheed government is really an ideal partner in the Maldives, or if he is really a mukhauta or a mask of Gayoom. If Waheed is really Gayoom’s puppet — certainly, the new President has not one party member in Parliament, nor any councillors; he has been unable to form his own Cabinet, leave alone a government of national unity — then India should be more than worried.
But New Delhi has already decided that Waheed’s government is a legitimate one and that Nasheed’s crisis is largely one of his own making. Government sources say that Nasheed was repeatedly asked by High Commissioner Mulay, even a few hours before he resigned, whether he needed any assistance from India, and Nasheed said no.
On his part, Nasheed — on whom the realisation is beginning to dawn that his friend and partner, India, has dumped him — points out that he “resigned” because he wanted to avoid bloodshed, which would have been inevitable if he had decided to resist. Surrounded by security forces, Nasheed said, he could hardly have asked Mulay for protection.
As delegations from the U.S., the Commonwealth and the European Union set up camp in Male to figure a way out of the crisis, the world is looking to India to lead. It has all the credentials to do so — in fact, some parts of Lakshadweep even speak Dhivehi, the national language of the Maldives — especially if it believes that the Maldives is a part of its South Asian sphere of influence.
Whether or not Nasheed returns to a jail, this time under Waheed, the simple question remains: will India grasp the immensely fragile moment at hand, ensure that peace and stability return to the Maldives and that fresh elections are held, sooner than later?
If it does, it will be setting an example to the regime not only in Male or elsewhere in South Asia, but across the Asian arc littered with authoritarian rulers of all colours. If not, it could be making its second, strategic mistake in this Indian Ocean island. This time around, though, the error could take much longer to heal.
So much has happened in the last few days. A democratically elected popular government has been ousted from power and the VP has been sworn in as the new president. The country is in turmoil amid fears that three years of democracy could be undone with the change in government.
Police brutality has made an apparent comeback and the public is nervous and sometimes afraid. It is time for the MDP to take stock of the events of the past week and change the party’s current action strategy now.
I don’ t think confrontation or aggression against the current government is the way to win majority of Maldivian hearts.
Currently the MDP is presented with an opportunity to win a clear majority of Maldivian hearts and sweep an election easily. But it can only happen provided the MDP changes their strategy and plays its fortunes correctly.
There are many reasons why a change in strategy is important.
One of the main reasons is that their opponents control the majority of media organizations in town in their favor. The only news service favorable to MDP are;
1. Raajje TV
2. Minivan News
Let us keep in mind that none of these news organizations has a nationwide reach. They are mostly accessible only to people in Male’ or people who have access to the internet. By rough estimates, that is just about 1/3 of the population, if not less.
MDP needs to get their message across to the total population for them to be successful in their goals. A new strategy should include how to make the “enemy” media work for MDP as well.
How to do this?
It is not that easy, but a few changes in current course – or “mid-way course correction”, as Anni once called it – could be a good place to start.
MDP should immediately do two important key things right now.
1. Consult with all party members.
2. Correct action course according to the consultation of party members.
One might say, that MDP is acting now as per consultation of the party members.
I disagree. What is happening is, irrational thinking fueled by surprise, hurt and humiliation of being ousted in a coup (I believe there is sufficient evidence to suggest this is a coup and I don’t support any non-constitutional change in government – but that is my personal opinion) is responsible for bad judgement in setting the current course of the party.
Saner minds would say the current course of the party is heading towards conflict that would be difficult to resolve later on. After all, we are a very small community and people on different sides are effected equally (by way of family relations, friendships and business contacts). We simply can’t afford to be enemies in this tiny land of ours. Our future depends on how we navigate the current political crisis.
Coming back to the two key points I mentioned earlier. How do we consult the members of the party? And how to structure the consultation so that the decision of the members of the party are clearly defined and useful?
By way of a poll.
MDP has good credentials when it comes to polling its membership. Free and fair elections have been held at party level in the past and there is no reason why it cannot be done now or in the future.
Poll the membership to find out what they want. A simple poll could be like this:
Now that the MDP leadership has been ousted from the presidency of the Maldives (illegally, if it makes the MDP happy – the party can phrase this any way they like), and we are faced with the current scenario, what would you as a member of the party have us do next?
1. Protest the current governments legitimacy, request for the resignation of President Waheed and call for fresh elections in 2 months or “threaten” with street protests if they don’t not comply.
(This is what the MDP is doing right now – basically its asking the party membership for a full endorsement of the current course of action.)
2. Request for a full independent investigation into the events surrounding the “forced at gunpoint” resignation allegations, and if this is proven to be true, request for fresh elections and then “threaten” street protests if Waheed’s government doesn’t comply.
3. Accept what has happened (albeit illegal) and start preparing the party for 2013 elections. Meanwhile the party should restructure its leadership if necessary and establish a shadow government and contribute meaningfully to protect the reforms achieved during President Nasheed’s leadership in the past 3 years, and ensure they remain in place and are not reversed or rolled back.
4. Join the coalition government of President Waheed and work for a solution by working with the “enemy”.
By conducting such a poll, MDP reiterates in action its commitment to a democratic process and its actions would be endorsed by its membership.
While such a poll is conducted, media on both sides will have no choice (if they have an ounce of credibility) but to give publicity to the poll and thus, to the MDP and its future actions.
I do hope that reason and sense will eventually prevail and that our tiny nation is not thrown to the dogs in this politically turbulent climate.
I wish the MDP much success in the future, because I honestly believe that it is by far the most democratic party in town and currently the best solution for the country.
I do not wish to see this country go through an autocracy ever again. I wish the people of Maldives much success today and in the future. Please let good judgement take the lead as you tackle the future of our country and our people. Promote democracy and rule of law!
Muzaffar ‘Muju’ Naeem is a media strategist and consultant. He currently works in the public relations sector. He is a member of the Maldivian Democractic Party and a contributor to the initial democracy movement when he co-founded the Dhivehi Observer.
All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]
On the 7th of February, 2012 the lawfully elected Government of Maldives was overthrown by a mutiny carried out by joint factions of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the Maldives Police Service. Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed was forced at gunpoint to write a letter of resignation addressed to the Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid.
Using the above mentioned letter that was processed under duress, was used as a pretext to usher in the then Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik to the President’s chair. Soon thereafter, Dr. Waheed appointed a new Home Minister, a new Defense Minister and a new Police Commissioner. It has now been revealed that these new posts are taken up by the leaders of the coup.
The self-claimed government of Dr Waheed is using the military and the police force to beat and arrest MPs and others loyal to the former government. This large scale crackdown on the members of Parliament and supporters of President Nasheed is continuing.
At the moment, the UN, Commonwealth and other bodies are trying to diffuse the situation.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the coup including Dr Waheed are using their newly assumed powers to suppress free media, conduct extra-judicial arrests and utilise the Criminal Court in issuing court orders for the arrest of President Nasheed and his supporters. We believe they are trying to wipe out the democracy movement by destroying the Maldivian Democratic Party.
As indicated by the popular uprising in the aftermath of the coup, a great majority of the Maldivian people do not accept the newly established government in power.
President Nasheed won the Election in 2008, after 30 years of autocratic rule by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. New President Waheed named ministers on Sunday who are almost all veterans of the government of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Maldives for 30 years until Nasheed beat him in 2008 in a presidential election.
We believe that despite counter claims of Dr. Waheed, his move up from vice president to the head of state did not follow constitutional procedures after Nasheed was forced to resign.
We call upon citizens of all democratic countries to condemn this coup and to demand from the government of Dr. Waheed to hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament in accordance with the Maldives Constitution, until a free and fair election can be held. We also demand from the international community to conduct an independent inquiry of the process that lead to the forcible removal of President Mohamed Nasheed from office.
Help us save this young democracy, before the coup leaders and the mutinous military and police take back our democratic rights.
All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) will send an urgent ministerial mission to the Maldives to “ascertain the facts surrounding the transfer of power, and to promote adherence to Commonwealth values and principles.”
The meeting was convened by Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma and chaired by Surujrattan Rambachan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Communications of Trinidad and Tobago.
Other members of the Group who participated in the meeting were: Kevin Rudd, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Dr Dipu Moni, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, John Baird, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada, Senator Hon Arnold J Nicholson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Jamaica, and Joseph Dauda, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone.
“CMAG received a briefing from the Foreign Secretary of Maldives, Mr Mohamed Naseer, on the events leading up to and following the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed on 7 February 2012. The Group was also briefed by former President Nasheed. The Secretary-General advised the group regarding his own interactions with President Waheed and former President Nasheed, and the findings of the Commonwealth Secretariat team currently in Maldives,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, new President of the Maldives Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan had today asked the Australian government to recognise the new government of the Maldives, which ousted President Mohamed Nasheed alleges is illegitimate following his resignation on February 7 “under duress”.
In an interview with The Australian newspaper, Dr Waheed said blamed international concerns about the situation on a “very biased message that has gone out”, claiming that “it could have an effect on how friendly countries like Australia view the situation.”
“I hope in the next two or three days there will be more understanding of what’s going on here,” he told the paper.
Dr Waheed said he was “not happy” about the arrest warrant for Mr Nasheed, but he would not intervene, the Australian reported.
“One of the problems that led us into this crisis was the involvement of the executive in the judiciary,” he said.
“I know there are some problems with the judiciary, but our democracy is still very young so the solution is not to have one branch of government fight with the other but to find ways of resolving matters.”
He conceded to an investigation into the allegations that Nasheed’s duration was under duress, and “that a half-brother of former president Gayoom had, just days earlier, offered financial inducements to any police officers who were prepared to mutiny”, the paper reported
“I think at the end of the day, he (Nasheed) is responsible for whatever has happened to him, and he should not be looking for scapegoats,” Dr Waheed said.
In the statement, the Commonwealth noted that heads of government had increased the body’s mandate in Perth in 2011 “to consider situations of concern in member countries in a proactive, engaged and positive manner.”
CMAG recognised “the impressive gains made by Maldives in recent years in consolidating multi-party democracy”, and “expressed its solidarity with the people of Maldives to select a government of their choice through democratic means.”
“CMAG stressed that the way forward must be determined by Maldivians themselves, through inclusive political dialogue in an atmosphere of non-violence, restraint and stability.”
The mission to the Maldives will be followed by a report, and a further extraordinary meeting.
Tourists enjoying the sun and sand at the Maldives’ luxury island resorts have barely put down their cocktails during the political crisis rocking Asia’s newest democracy, oblivious to behind-the-scenes links of tourism to the tumult, writes Bryson Hull for Reuters.
Just a 10-minute boat ride from the capital island of Male, site of a police mutiny that led to ex-president Mohamed Nasheed’s departure last week and ensuing clashes, lies the paradise most visitors associate with the Indian Ocean archipelago.
Step off the 15-metre (50-foot) power boat, replete with an air-conditioned cabin and leather seats, that whisks you to the dock at Kurumba resort on Vihamanafushi, and you are immediately in a land of luxury, water sports and relaxation.
The political turmoil, as far as American literature professor Jerzy Sobieraj was concerned, was an ocean away across the glassine turquoise waters at his feet.
“We are having a great time. We heard about the coup, but it doesn’t matter to us. It hasn’t affected us at all,” Sobieraj told Reuters, sipping a glass of white wine alongside his wife, lawyer Ewa Korzan-Sobieraj, on a chaise longue.
A weekend of diplomacy by US and European officials failed to douse the political crisis in the Maldives, where supporters of deposed President Mohamed Nasheed vowed to continue protesting for his reinstatement, writes Tom Wright for the Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Nasheed, who in 2008 became the country’s first democratically-elected president, claims he was forced to resign in an armed coup almost a week ago. He’s accused police of using undue force against his supporters, severely injuring some of them.
Robert Blake, U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asia and Central Asia, attempted at the weekend to persuade Mr. Nasheed to agree to a unity government with the man who replaced him, Waheed Hassan Manik, the former vice president.
Mr. Blake met both men and urged all sides to refrain from violence. A coalition government, he said, would help to restore stability. A delegation from the European Union also urged compromise.
“It’s very important for the U.S. that all parties exercise restraint and refrain from violence,” Mr. Blake said.
Mr. Blake said there were reports of “quite serious violations of human rights” by police against supporters of Mr. Nasheed in Addu, a southern island, including beatings and detention without access to legal representation. The armed forces, Mr. Blake said, “need to restore their credibility with the Maldivian people.”
So far, the violence has had only a limited effect on tourist bookings, big operators say, in large part because the luxury hotels are on self-contained islands cut off from Male. Most tourists come to those islands direct from the airport by speedboat or seaplane.
On Karumba Maldives, the nation’s oldest luxury resort, only 10 minutes speedboat ride from Male, the manager, Abdul Samad, says he’s running at 98% occupancy and has seen no dip in bookings.
As a precaution, Mr. Samad has stopped the resort’s excursions to Male and advised guests not to go there. Over lunch Saturday, the resort was humming with Chinese and European tourists, many of whom seemed oblivious to the troubles over the water. But some guests expressed concerns.
One couple, Ajay Sharma and his wife, Chhavi, who run a nursing home in the Indian city of Varanasi, said they were returning home early. “They’re saying it’s not safe to go to Male,” Ms. Sharma said.
President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has announced an “independent and impartial investigation” into developments in the Maldives from January 14 to February 8, according to a statement on the President’s Office website.
Dr Waheed did not reveal who would conduct the inquiry, but he acknowledged the need for it yesterday after Germany and the UK to establish the legitimacy of his government.
The dates given include the period of incarceration of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed, and subsequent protests held by 200-400 opposition-led demonstrators, which culminated in a press conference on January 31 in which opposition parties called for Dr Waheed to take over the government with the assistance of police and military. The event itself took place on February 7.
In the statement, Dr Waheed said the investigation would create “factual and legal clarity” around events with a “direct bearing on the constitutional transfer of executive power that took place on February 7.”
“The investigation would also help establish accountability for any human rights violations which have taken place and thus set the groundwork for national reconciliation and dialogue,” Dr Waheed’s statement read.
“Reiterating his commitment to free and fair elections in 2013, the President urged all political parties to work together in creating a climate of trust and confidence in the build-up to next year’s elections. The President is also hopeful that the investigation, together with his offer to create a strong National Unity Government that would provide impetus for building trust and the establishment of the rule of law, would facilitate the resumption of normal democratic processes in the country,” the statement read.
Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) maintain that Dr Waheed’s government came to power after Nasheed was forced to resign under duress, and have refused to participate in a “national unity government” they claim is illegitimate.
President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik made seven new appointments to the cabinet on Sunday morning.
The majority are hard-line opposition figures, while several are long time supporters of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Only two of the new appointments (the tourism and and health portfolios) have previously undeclared political affiliations.
Dr Waheed has faced pressure from his predecessor former President Mohamed Nasheed, who has challenged the legitimacy of Dr Waheed’s government claiming that he was forced to resign in a bloodless coup d’etat on February 7 at the hands of rogue police and military officers.
Dr Waheed said yesterday that he wanted cabinet to “represent all major political parties”, hoped that Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) would be represented, and said he would “keep posts vacant for them”. The MDP has so far rejected any participation in Dr Waheed’s government.
Mohamed Hussein Shareef ‘Mundhu’ was appointed as the Minister for Human Resources Youth and Sport. Shareef has been the spokesperson for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom since his last term in office and also holds the Acting Secretary General’s post in Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).
Aishath Azima Shakoor was appointed as the Attorney General. She once held the same post under the former administration and is known be one of the most successful lawyers in the country with a record number of wins in controversial cases against Nasheed’s administration. She is a council member of Gayoom’s PPM.
Ahmed Mohamed ‘Andey’, Deputy Leader of leading opposition party Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), was appointed as the Minister of Economic Development. He has been an outspoken critic of Nasheed’s privatisation policies and the state’s budget formulation. He was the former CEO of the State Trading Organisation (STO) under Gayoom’s administration, the organisation implicated in blackmarket oil trading with the Burmese military junta under the former chairmanship of Gayoom’s half-brother, Abdulla Yameen.
The DRP was the first official party registered by Gayoom before he announced his resignation from politics in February 2010, becoming the party’s ‘honorary leader’. He became increasingly politically active and later fell out with his anointed replacement, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, and formed the PPM after an acrimonious split.
Dr Asim Ahmed, a member of the DRP, was appointed as the Minister of Education. He has not been a particularly active member in the country’s political spotlight.
Dr Ahmed Shamheed was appointed as the Minister of Transport and Communication. He is a member of minority opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) and works as a Director at Villa Shipping and Trade, owned by JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim. He served in the ministry of planning and development under Gayoom’s administration. He is also a director of the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation Board (MTDC).
Ahmed Adheeb, was sworn in as the Minister of Tourism Arts and Culture. Adheeb is the President of the Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) is well known as a critic of the Nasheed’s economic policies. Under his leadership, the MNCCI made a failed attempt in court to halt the enactment of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, citing worse economic ramifications and violations of law. He is a widely respected economic analyst.
Dr Ahmed Jamsheed was meanwhile appointed as the Minister of Health and Family. Jamsheed, formerly Director General of the Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) resigned from his post, over concerns about reduced workloads, and later joined as the Cheif Operating Officer (COO) at ADK hospital. He is one of the leading and most outspoken public health experts in the country, and has been extremely active in promoting both public health and combating malaria epidemics in the Maldives.
Dr Waheed earlier appointed Deputy Leader of minority opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DQP) Dr Mohamed Jameel as the Home Minister and retired colonel Mohamed Nazim as the Defence Minister last week. Both are also notable supporters of Gayoom. Most recently Dr Jameel, Gayoom’s Justice Minister prior to the separation of powers, was an outspoken critic of Nasheed’s religious policies, authoring a pamphlet entitled ‘President Nasheed’s devious plot to destroy the Islamic faith of Maldivians’ and attacking his “business dealings with Jews”.
Dr Jameel is the only member in the cabinet from DQP, Dr Shamheed only member from JP while including Nazim the ministerial posts held by DRP members reach three and PPM stands at two.
Meanwhile ministers are yet to be appointed to the Finance Ministry, Islamic Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Fisheries Ministry and the Housing Ministry.
Abdullah Riyaz, former Assistant commissioner dismissed by Nasheed was appointed as the Commissioner of Police and Major General Ahmed Shiyam, appointed as Chief of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
“No self interest”
Speaking after the appointments, President Dr Waheed said that remaining cabinet ministers will be appointed in a week, and expressed his hopes for MDP’s participation.
“We all are with that hope. Because, today the country needs all of us to work together to establish peace, and take the country out of the deep pit of economic and political [problems] to find a prosperous future for our children,” Dr Waheed said.
He also added that: “I cannot do this work without the benevolent and sincere help of the [cabinet ministers]”, who he claimed had the full potential to serve the nation with “no self interest” during these “special circumstances”.
The newly appointed cabinet ministers must be approved by the parliament, in which MDP currently holds 35 seats, a single seat behind total opposition combined.
Minivan News could not get MDP’s comment on the new appointments as no member was available at the time of press – however, MDP has steadily rejected the legitimacy of Dr Waheed’s government accusing him of participating in what they call an opposition backed coup to force Nasheed out of office.
MDP Thodoo MP Ali Waheed has earlier stated that MDP will do everything to “stop the implementation of Dr Waheed’s every order” through parliament if he continues to remain in office, and ignores the party’s call for new elections in the next two months.
One of society’s biggest fear factors is uncertainty, and in Addu it appears to be fueling a violent social divide in the isolated MDP stronghold – the second most heavily populated area in the Maldives after Male’ and the scene of the SAARC Summit in November 2011.
On Saturday several members of the international press flew to the southern-most atoll to investigate claims of firey protests, beatings and unjustified arrests. While the torched remains of every police building and most courts between Gan and hithadhoo are proof that destruction of public property – and many legal records – has taken place, the back-and-forth ‘whodunnit’ accusations color fears of revolution with a strong shade of small-town politics.
“The police’s personal property, their computers, was burned inside the stations,” observed Alif Fahumy Ahmed. “This isn’t necessarily political.”
On Wednesday night police stations and court houses in six southern atolls were torched after police violently cracked down on a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) march in the capital Male, in which thousands marched in support of ousted president Mohamed Nasheed.
Nasheed’s decision to order the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court on January 16, in an attempt to push forward judicial reform, prompted three weeks of opposition-led protests with a nightly attendance of 200-400 people, culminating on Tuesday in what many have called a military coup.
While the southern protests were said to be the work of MDP supporters, in Addu, which claims a majority MDP population, people have begun slicing and dicing the duty.
“Maldivians are a very innocent people, but this violence was brought by MDP,” said Ani Luthfy, who yesterday organised a ‘protest for safety’ in Addu, with the rapidly-formed and ‘non-political’ Addu Alliance.
The placards that greeted journalists included “Ex-President was not coerced into stepping down” and “Violence and conflicts won’t help resolve our ecomonic problems”.
“Addu MDP [Councillor] Hussein Shahid gave 30 young people alcohol and when they were drunk he led them out to do the burning,” he alleged, adding that MDP activists have acted like “hooligans”.
Police meanwhile yesterday reported the arrest of MP Moosa Rasheed, Addu City Hithadhoo Medhu Dhaairaa. His arrest reportedly followed an investigation into a spate of attacks in Addu City that occurred on February 8, following a brutal police crackdown on protesters in Male’. Police say that he was arrested lawfully, under a warrant issued by the court and in consideration of various evidence including video footage and eyewitness accounts that connected him to that night’s incidents.
According to police yesterday, tensions escalated in the islands after rumours of serious injury and the death of former President Mohamed Nasheed at the hands of security forces on Wednesday reached the islands.
Luthfy said, “we have a motto: live and let others live.” He said the alliance would continue to protest until Addu was “100 percent safe”, a point in time he defined as “When the police have taken all MDP who are in hiding.”
Meanwhile Muaz Saleem, a prominent MDP supporter on Hithadhoo, said the group “was just going in front of Gan police station to express our concerns” on Wednesday.
“Who knows if police may have started [the fire]? They left before people went in, where was the tear gas? We strongly believe the opposition encouraged people to start the violence, it was a plan. ”
A former member of Hithadhoo council, who requested anonymity and did not wish to discuss his resignation last year, suggested the opposite. “The funniest thing is that the mayor [MDP member abdullah sodig] hasn’t issued a statement about this,” he said, estimating the damage at Rf200-300 million (US$13-20 million).
Sodig has been in hiding since he was attacked Wednesday evening.
The former council member confirmed that many have followed Sodig’s lead. “Because of this protest most people are on a wanted list, ” he explained, suggesting that to some extent the list was justified: “There are CCTV camera tapes with evidence.”
Amid speculation, police have taken action. MDP supporters said they have been targeted by police and military forces, who were deployed to Addu after Wednesday. They claim the “hit list” has been drawn up by members of opposition parties Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Prty (DRP), and that those individuals are assisting security forces to beat and arrest MDP members – often without evidence.
One 22 yr old man, who claims not to have participated in any recent gathering, said he was handcuffed and pepper sprayed in his eyes and genital area along with 40 other people. ” because of the violence, they said, I was a terrorist. They said we had dstroyed everything.” he added that some members of the detained group were told to take off their shirts and were taken to a separate area of the burned Gan police station “to be beaten. I could hear the shouting, and cries.”
Minivan News received unconfirmed reports that the Elections Commission’s SMS service – which allows people to send their national ID number and find out what party they are registered to – was being abused by groups of police aided by opposition supporters, to ‘hunt down’ MDP members.
While sources claim the attacks are directed at MDP, their stories suggest that the security forces are not operating with a political-or evidence-based motive.
Two young men interviewed, one of whom sported a bruised right eye, denied being part of any political party. Another said he wasn’t even part of the protest. Yet none would give names “because it might not be good, they said if I talked about what I saw they would come back.”
Muaz Haleem’s wife said the violation of her right to privacy at home, and the lack of an explanation, are her biggest concerns.
She reports seeing several policemen run into her home with raised batons yelling an unfamiliar name. “I said it was the wrong house, wrong name. But they pushed me down and said, ‘now we want Muaz ‘ and began beating him and dragging him out of the house.”
“I asked about the court order, and they said, ‘What court order? You guys burned down the court house. What rights do you want?'”
She explained that her neighbors have been far from helpful – in fact, they were part of the problem.
“Most people on the other side of the road are PPM (Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives). Mr Hamid was out there directing the whole thing, pointing at the house and everything.”
The family of Mohamed Saeed, whose detention has been extended by 15 days, said they too had not been informed of Saeed’s arrest, and that their neighbors are only cautiously supportive.
“They ask for news, but they are afraid to help because they could also be taken,” his wife explained.
Saeed is one of approximately 80 men who are still being held in the remains of Gan police station, reportedly in terrible conditions.
“He has asked to go to the hospital but they say they have no vehicle,” his brother in law said.
Others, such as Haleem, appear to have been detained on an aggressive whim, in retaliation for the destruction of police property.
“They gave me a cup for tea and then struck it down. They just dumped people in the courtyard of the station amid the broken glass and burnt debris, and pushed me down to the ground for sleeping,” he said. Haleem currently has a swollen left wrist and cuts where he claims the handcuffs were squeezed closed.
While Haleem believes the security forces are targeting MDP members, he suggests that their motive is more personal than political.
“It looks like there is a massive financial factor,” he said. “We have had the trust of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) for ages in this country, but under Nasheed individual police have shown they are motivated by something. I don’t have proof, but that’s what I strongly believe.”
He further explained that “The opposition has fewer numbers, but now that they have the security forces with them, they can act.”
Meanwhile most who claim to support the current government are consistently saying “It’s not the opposition, and they’re not beating people. The police have just asked the public for assistance,” explained a former councillor.
No members of opposition parties have been reported beaten, arrested, or detained.
Meanwhile, the arrival of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has triggered some over-excitement. One MDP member yesterday informed the author that the police had lied to HRCM about the whereabouts of a detainee, and that HRCM was arguing with police over the matter.
HRCM’s delegation in Addu later stated that the detainee had been released from the hospital by the time HRCM had gone to look for him, and that he is now at home.
As high level delegations hold conference with President Dr Waheed and former president Nasheed, and HRCM surveys police operations in Addu along with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), police and military appear only watchful. Still, the tense mood is palpable.
“We are not safe because we don’t know when again it will start,” said one man outside Feydhoo’s smoldering court house.
Ahmed said he had no confidence that the political issues in Male will be quickly resolved: “Things in Addu have calmed at the moment, but they may continue once HRCM and the reporters leave.”
It remain to be seen whether similar violence and revenge attacks will grip Male’, once the international community departs and visiting foreign journalists run out of stories.
The 'Addu Alliance' greeted foreign journalists, in support of Dr Waheed's government.
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