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.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) representatives have claimed the international community favours pursuing a settlement with the Maldives government to resolve ongoing political instability before next week’s publication of the Commission of National Inquiry’s (CNI’s) findings.
Observing ongoing dialogue between the international community and local political figures, MDP MP and spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor claimed that the opinions of foreign governments on how to resolve the country’s political deadlock were “now aligned” largely with the stance currently held by the Commonwealth.
While currently travelling, President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told Minivan News by SMS today that there had been no discussions on any settlement with foreign governments regarding potential commitments it would take following the outcome of the CNI.
The CNI was initially established by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to investigate the details of February’s controversial transfer of power.
The Maldivian government said earlier this month that in the interests of not interfering with the work of the CNI, it would not hold any dialogue on the commission’s findings until its report was published.
Former President Mohamed Nasheed this week told local media that talks had been held with “prominent officials” in the respective government’s of Sri Lanka and India about the MDP’s strategy on how to proceed regarding its calls for early elections following the release of the CNI’s findings.
MDP spokesperson Ghafoor said he was unable to add any further details to Nasheed’s comments, claiming the “bigger picture” of ongoing international discussions reflected a mutual commitment to resolve political deadlock through dialogue and commitments to early elections.
He added that through ongoing dialogue with government representatives, its coalition partners, and the country’s political opposition, international opinion now generally favoured the stance taken by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG).
“CMAG has reached a binding decision that has called for early elections, an independent investigation into the transfer of power and dialogue between national stakeholders” he said. “This is position we are seeing shared between a number of international partners. “
With just over a week until the CNI releases its findings, Ghafoor alleged that parliamentary representatives within President Waheed’s coalition government had not forwarded any potential resolutions to resolve the stalled political process.
“[The president] must remember that there are ten days to try to come to a resolution and their biggest demand so far is to cease protests, a commitment that we have carried out,” he claimed.
Despite the MDP’s claims of ceasing street protests, President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza claimed on Saturday (August 18) that the “harassment” of state officials by opposition party members was continuing.
Abbas told Minivan New that President Waheed was committed to taking part in roadmap talks between government-aligned parties and the MDP to try and overcome the country’s political deadlock, but only when he was confident the opposition had stopped its alleged harassment.
President Waheed also reiterated to local media over the weekend that the government would not discuss any outcome of the CNI until the body concluded its work later this month.
The CNI is scheduled to publish its report by August 29 on the events leading to Dr Waheed assuming the presidency . The report will first be made available to the authorities and to the Prosecutor General (PG). The public will be given access to the findings on August 30.
Abbas stressed that the government was committed to not “intervene” in the inquiry’s work, as it had been set up, and later amended under international pressure, to operate without state interference.
“The outcome will be respected by the country’s various institutions such as the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Human Rights Commission and the Police Integrity Commission,” he said.
Senior representatives from several government-aligned parties were not available for comment when contacted today about their plans following the publication of the CNI report.
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and Deputy Leader Ibrahim Shareef both had their phones switched off at the time of press.
Jumhoree Party (JP) MP Abdulla Jabir said he was presently travelling and would contact Minivan News once he returned.
Meanwhile, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Interim Deputy Leader Umar Naseer and MP Ahmed Mahlouf were not answering calls at the time of the press.
The State Trading Organisation (STO) has put plans to purchase a resort property on hold, citing “current economic conditions” as a barrier to any potential deal, local media has reported.
Back in June, STO announced its intentions to venture into the Maldives tourism industry, with the company targeting the purchase of “at least three resorts and one hotel” as part of attempts to increase its access to foreign currency.
However, the Sun Online news service yesterday quoted STO Managing Director Shahid Ali in announcing a temporary halt to the company’s resort purchase ambitions.
According to the report, the company remains committed to the ongoing construction of a 5-star hotel on Hulhumale’ under a contract with USA-based multinational travel company, Carlson Group.
The STO is the Maldives’ state-owned importer, and is the primary supplier of general goods, fuel and pharmaceuticals to the Maldives. It also supplies aviation fuel to Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).
STO had formerly operated a resort property in the country, before selling it to a private group in 2007. Shahid had told Sun Online this week that the group had been focused on developing the island of Muthaafushi.
A leaked audio clip apparently of Deputy CEO of Maldives Ports Limited, Ahmed Faiz, has been aired on opposition-aligned Raajje TV after it appeared on Maldivian social media and went viral.
In the 15 minute audio, Faiz speaks in detail about his intention to hire his audience as government supporters, President Mohamed Waheed’s reluctance to maintain ties with PPM, an intention to “wipe [former President] Maumoon out of the political picture”, other problems arising in the current ‘unity’ government, his own influence within the State Trading Organisation (STO), and large amounts of money being illicitly obtained.
Faiz is a member of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Gaumee Itthihaad Party (GIP), and was previously appointed by him as the Managing Director of the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC).
In the audio, Faiz boasts that he is a “close confidante” of the President, and that he had been given many assignments to help his presidency.
RaajjeTV initially aired a shorter three minute audio of Faiz, in which he boasts of being the main actor in toppling the Nasheed administration.
He goes on to say that if the change of power was indeed a coup for which the punishment was the death penalty in Islamic Shar’ia, then he himself ought to be the first to be sentenced.
Faiz confirmed to Minivan News that the clip was authentic, but said it had been recorded five months ago and cut and edited together. He had no further comment.
Ahmed Faiz: Not necessarily going out into the streets with huge knives and attacking people, okay? What I want is, for example, when the key people who are involved in this are in a certain place… for example, four or five of these people might be in a coffee-shop. You go in there, do you understand? You go and barge in right into the middle, and say, no need to be discreet at all, just say it out loud openly, ‘Hey you (expletive) dogs, this country is being destroyed because of you (expletive). Don’t even think you can do what you please with this country..’
You know what I’m saying. Start off in this manner, and then say ‘We support this government. We will keep protecting this government as long as there is even a single drop of blood left in us.’
Go on like this and say ‘If you continue to go on like that, we are willing to risk our lives.’ And you all should not stay in your homes, always be in cafes, you people should be in all the cafes of Male’ at all times. You should be in all the popular ones, especially those the opposition frequent.
You should also go on motorcycle rides. What you will do is go around on your motorcycles one night, all around Male’, yelling things like ‘Ganjabo’ (pothead) and finish it up in about half an hour. Small things like this need to be done.
What I’m saying is, this government is now appointing people to different posts and it’s getting structured in the manner we want. Now there is a lot of things that I can do. Material benefits can be gained, and lots of other things. Credit from STO (State Trading Organisation) worth millions of rufiya, that’s absolutely welcome. Do you get it? Then maybe funds are needed for some activity, for example, ‘Please arrange this amount of cash needed for something’. I will get that done. Or perhaps, ‘From this project, give us this amount of money’. Now when it’s put like that, it seems somewhat twisted to me. I tend to see that like cutting a ‘deal’.
Unidentified person 1: Like a deal, eh?
Faiz: (unclear) so what I, too, want is to (unclear) all of us staying in connection (unclear) can go even higher than that. If this government continues to stay in power, if I continue to stay in there, then something will come out of this, right? For example, freeing someone who’s been put in jail. These are things which do not involve money that I can get done simply through a single phone call. So…
Unidentified person 1: Is there anyone you need to be set free from jail?
Unidentified person 2: Not yet. We’ll have to get someone in there first.
Faiz: Eh?
Person 2: We’ll have to get someone in there, to then get him released.
Faiz: Yes.
(laughing)
Faiz: So, I’ve told you what needs to be done, generally. Tell me an approximate amount.
Person 1: Faiz, you tell us an amount.
Faiz: No, no, I won’t name an amount.
Person 1: No, you don’t name a price. Let Faiz.
Person 2: Wait, wait, wait.
Faiz: Ok, now, the President knows very well that the youth are angry for this particular reason. The President is not at all happy about having to give some posts to PPM people. He has put them into posts which will be the least influential when it comes to matters of the state.
The truth is that there is quite a lot of support for Maumoon too, and we have to accept that. If a political gathering is to be held in this country, at this moment it’s only PPM or MDP that can gather a good amount of people. No one else can do it, ok? This is the political reality of now.
We are not at all aiming to keep them close to us. The real objective is to destroy this… thing… that Maumoon has. This cannot be done by even Anni, or by anyone else in this country, unless we stay within them, and let them into the government. There is simply no other way. Now I’ve gone and said something I was not meaning to share! I have just shared with you a huge secret.
There is no way anyone can rule this country by sidelining Maumoon. We have to bring in people close to Maumoon, the youthful, educated citizens… Do you know? Already, they are themselves extending offers, claiming they don’t want to work with Maumoon, they prefer Waheed and want to continue working with him. Asking Waheed to get ready for the next government, many of these high level people we speak of.
So, in truth, what we want is to wipe Maumoon out of the picture. We won’t bother DRP (Dhivehi Rayithunge Party). We know very well that they are not capable of taking any portion of the Maldives. What’s left is MDP. Efforts are underway now to clean out MDP too. Even now the evil people in it are being pushed out and it’s becoming cleaner. So that’s how things are now.
Okay now I am making way for a remuneration. Even this credit term that I am giving now is worth a lot of money.
Person 1: Yes, we believe that.
Faiz: Lots of money. If you have the will… now, I’m giving you credit for about 60 days, or 90 days, and even if there is still a slight delay, that’s also fine, so you can make money out of it.
Now in addition to this, I am guaranteeing you that I will get you a million rufiya, if you stay with us. That I will find you a million rufiya. In any case, I will have power within this government, until 2013, do you understand? In the next couple of days, next two weeks or so, this money that I have planned for will start coming into my hands. I am in a powerful position at a place where I can get the most money, neither a managing director nor a board member can be here in a way I disapprove. I have ensured that.
I do this work in STO too. I will be getting one or two hundred thousand rufiya. I will be getting money. The purpose of obtaining this money is to get this certain thing done. Not me getting rich. The President’s intention is to get this done. This is what he said at me even tonight. ‘What can you get done, Faiz?? What is there that you have asked for, Faiz, that hasn’t been met?’ So these things…
Faiz: I am assuring you 100 percent that as long as this government continues to be in power, and as long as what I ask for is done, I won’t walk away. If what is asked for is not given number one priority, than that area of the government will be no more, the person in charge of that area will be no more.
Unidentified person 1: We are saying it as it is…
Faiz: Keep watching. In the next two weeks I will (unclear). I know it might be hard. (unclear) won’t be going for a hundred thousand rufiya. So this must be around enough. I will help you out of the small hardships in your business. Make sure (unclear) can do business in the right way, okay?
Person 1: Okay, no problem
Faiz: So plan this out very well, ok. And if there are youth needing jobs, bring them. I’ll get them into STO. Then they will have permanent jobs too. Each of them will get about six to eight thousand rufiya as salary. And it won’t be easy to just fire and replace them or anything, okay?
We can only get things done in whatever way things go best at any given time, okay? I also have in my hands a company that the President has given me. That’s MNBC. I’m the Managing Director there. And through that I have about 9 or 10 million rufiya. If there is no other way, I’ll just wipe all of that out too. Seriously. If I have to do that for political reasons, I won’t hesitate at all. I won’t be reluctant to do anything it takes to protect the President’s post or the President himself. Then later, I will just have to burn all the paperwork. Even now I have 20 million rufiya.
Person1 : For real?
Faiz: yes
(laughing)
Faiz: It’s not just a job when handling the highest matters of the state. After I got out of that house at 1.30am in the morning, even now there will be some (expletive), and was just getting on my motorcycle in front of the Justice Building, he calls again and speaks of further things we can do.
I have spoken to him without anyone else there. Just him, his wife, and me, the three of us. He won’t talk about these things in front of any other being in this country, I swear by Allah.
I mean, you know Maumoon, right? His character and the cosmetic face that he shows? Waheed won’t show anything besides that to anyone, except for me. Now you get what I am saying, right? My stand is, this government is running with the participation of many political parties, it is nothing but a (expletive).
None of these (expletives) can do anything, there’s no one in there who even got a minister’s post without calling me first. Even Thasmeen and them come and ask for posts. Then we decide whether or not to give a post, or which post goes to whom. There isn’t even a single post that has been given in this government without first discussing it with me.
The first post that was guaranteed to a person in this government was one that I had asked for, that is the post of Managing Director at STO, the one in which that Shahid Ali is. That is something I did in my interest, and I swear, it is something I myself did. There is no one who hasn’t been coveting that post. I was offered five hundred thousand dollars to get Shahid Ali replaced by a person of Yameen’s choice. I said to him… what he said to me even at the beginning is that if you are uncomfortable by this, then we shall treat this as a conversation that never happened, and I replied saying this never happened.
I said this conversation never happened. Yameen said it never happened. And that was it, I got up and walked away. That (expletive) said to someone nearby that I am a very dangerous (expletive). Now I’ve told you of some of the problems in this government.
Now, I, and even the President, should know that even without any of these political parties, I can go out personally and show the numbers I speak of, that this is of value. Then I will not be hesitant regardless of how big a piece of the cake they cut. Why would I care (expletive)? Even if they ask to cut an electric cable, just cut it. Why would I care (expletive)? Who is going to come at me? I won’t hesitate at all. Now I have power.
Even if it is a coup government, they’ll just have to (expletive). I will activate whatever I want whenever I want. Even now, I can even activate the Police or MNDF or whatever. So what I am saying is there is nothing they can do against me even. So now I’ve given you complete power over everything, so go ahead with it…
Person 1: Yes
Faiz: …anything I cannot do. I am giving you my word, a person who shares a very close relationship like that which is amongst family.
(on phone) Hey you wait. I’m in a meeting with some people. I will call, will go, once this is done.
Unindentifed person 2: Who?
Faiz: These people are simply not worth marrying. It will be a lot more easier even if we just went ahead and became homosexuals.
(laughing)
Faiz: I will dish out more money than can be found in this country. That’s what you want, right? It’s what I want too. We share common terms among us all, right?
Person 1: Yes, so it’s okay with us. Shall we go?
Faiz: Okay, so here’s what should be done. When you’ve got those guys out, make sure that 30 to 40 of them are always on.
Person 1: On-call, right?
Faiz: On at coffees. Maybe at the cafe’ near the President’s Office. Spending time there, having coffees, doing other little things they need. Okay? That place should always be dominated by them. These cafe’s should be taken over.
Then there’s Al Fresco. These places should be taken over. Should you hear anything from any side, you should rush over. And then you will say things in support of the President, okay? Even in there, you should spend time on this. You should be in all the cafe’s these (expletive) go to.
Even that place near Moonimaage, go there too. So slowly take this work forward, and along with that… Even tonight, assuming Waheed would go to this meeting at Nasandhura, they went there.
But what was this really? It was a meeting held by the Japanese in remembrance of the tsunami victims. The Japanese had very bad things to say at the MDP people tonight. They are now ruining (expletives) themselves on their own, there are some people who have gone completely crazy in this. Lots of….
Faiz: I will cook this up very well, what I too want is money. I’m telling you the truth. I’m also in hardship now. My business is ruined, all due to being involved in this. My business started going down from the time I ran for a seat in the parliament. Things started going downhill then, and all this time I’ve been trying to recover from that. But in these past three years the government terminated all the projects I had taken. They’ve caused me huge loss. So when this loss was caused, I gave up all fear for my life or death and came out against them. And now I am the biggest key to having toppled that government.
Unknown: (unclear)
Faiz: I’m the biggest key to this change in government. All that was done, all the deals that were made, all that was done, all the people that we met with, within Defense, even within Police; nothing would have taken place without my knowledge, without my participation.
If this is a coup government and there is a death sentence given out, I will be among the first to be sentenced to death. So what even I want is money, do you understand? I’m telling you the truth, it is to gain money that I have come into this.
I will only be able to acquire money when the conditions to getting more money is put in place. We’ll be able to get more money now than we have ever managed to get from this country all our lives. This is what I want. I want money too.
The proposal to develop Thanburudhoo near Male’ as a boutique surf resort will halve the number of breaks open to local surfers and particularly impact safari operators due to the limited access, a group of local surfers have claimed.
According to the July 2011 proposal, submitted by senior Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) figures and Telos Investment, Telos would receive a 50 year lease on the military training island to develop a “boutique surf resort”, in exchange for US$5 million to develop an MNDF training facility on nearby Girifishi.
According to the proposal, the 3.6 hectare island “does not have the normal beauty found in Maldivian resorts”, as it does not have natural lagoon or sandy beaches. Furthermore, the strong currents limit recreational swimming, and therefore “the only development for Thanburudhoo which is sensible is that of a boutique surf resort.”
The surf resort would “open its doors to Maldivian surfers for a special surfing session twice per month,” the 2011 proposal notes.
“Unlike other resorts which do not allow local Maldivians to surf, Thanburudhoo would make available two surfing sessions per month, most likely Friday mornings or Saturday afternoons.
“The Maldivian surfers coming to Thanburudhoo for the special local surfing session must be in good standing with the Maldivian Surf Association and must abide by all the rules and regulations of Thanburudhoo surfing activities. Generally understood, the local surfers will not be on the resort island per se, but in the water surfing.”
Local surfers have slammed the idea. In a document circulated on social media, ‘Surfers’ Report on Thanburudhoo’, they argue that the island has two of the atoll’s four accessible waves (Sultans and Honkeys).
“If Thamburudhoo is a resort the only two accessible waves in the atoll are in Himmafushi (Jails) and Thulusdhoo (Cokes) – the number of accessible waves in the atoll is halved from four to two,” the document states.
Most of the waves in the atoll are claimed by their respective resorts, including Tombstones (Full Moon resort), Ninjas (Club Med Kani), Lhohis (Hudhuranfushi) and Chickens (Kuda Villingili).
The development of Thamburudhoo would lead to overcrowding of the remaining two waves, which “already have four surf camps each”, the surfers argue.
“There are 8-10 or more safari boats in this atoll during peak surf season. Each safari boat will have between 8 -12 surfers. Surfers from tourist resorts’ surf transfer boats can number between 10 – 30 or more from each resort. There are surf transfer boats operating from Dhonveli, Hudhuranfushi, Club Faru, Club Kani, Four Seasons, Paradise and Bandos expected each day,” the document claims.
“Surf tourism is putting food on the table for a lot of families and overcrowding of these waves could be disastrous to these surf camps. It is not right for the safari boats either since the number of surfable waves in the atoll just halved from four to two – they will lose clients or maybe even their businesses.
Furthermore, “Surf tourism is growing fast in the country and there are a number of locals who depend on these clients for their paycheck, such as; the surf guide, the captain and crew who work on the boats, and the people in the offices that operate these safaris. Some of these safari operations are not strong enough to run trips to the outer atolls. Besides the waves in most other atolls are not as consistent as the ones in North Male Atoll.”
As a result of the development, “surf tourism in this atoll will not be sustainable.”
Currently, Thanburudhoo was the only island in the atoll “that is freely accessible to both locals and foreigners. It is an uninhabited island and doesn’t have any local surfer population. Hence, no one can claim more ‘rights’ to those waves,” the surfers said.
“Maldivians have been surfing for centuries. Long before any white man showed up on these shores, or before anyone ever thought of making fiberglass surfboards, or before tourism was even a word. Blocking access to our waves is against sustaining a part of our culture. We believe that all the waves in this country should be free for all local waveriders to surf. These are our playgrounds.”
Minivan News sought comment from President of Telos Investment, Dr Gunnar Lee-Miller, however he had not responded at time of press.
Lee-Miller has previously stated that a “robust development plan” was being put in place for local surfers, and that discussions were under way with the Maldives Surfing Association over the issue.
The proposal stalled under the Nasheed government, according to former Economic Development Minister Mahmoud Razee, “partly due to timing”, but also concern over providing access to the surfing areas around the island.
However the development has now proceeded under the new administration, after the MNDF formed a joint venture company with the government last week.
In its original proposal, the MNDF argued that the development would allow needed infrastructure development on Girifushi.
“Since it began operations 22 years ago, Girifushi has never benefited from crucial infrastructure improvements. Without a proper harbour, and with outdated mechanical systems and insufficient support structures, Girifushi cannot sustain the operations and personnel it must so as to continue to be a productive base for the MNDF,” the proposal stated.
“Girifushi must undergo vital infrastructure improvements and thus, along with the construction of a leadership centre, this proposal seeks to acquire funding for the two most important infrastructure upgrades for Girifushi – a proper harbour area and increased area through land reclamation.”
The US$5 million obtained from Telos in exchange for the lease of Thanburudhoo would be “stretched” by deploying MNDF personnel to help build the leadership centre, the proposal notes.
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.
The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which is headed former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has leaked the report composed by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) into the police mutiny and controversial transfer of power that led to ousting of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
Details from the report were leaked by PPM interim Deputy Leader Umar Naseer at a press conference yesterday. The report itself has not been released to the public.
However, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has raised concerns that, contrary to claims in local media, it had not yet received a copy of the findings from the HRCM that were detailed by the PPM. The now opposition party has claimed it is presently awaiting a copy of the report to be sent by the People’s Majlis following a written request.
HRCM’s report claimed that Nasheed gave “unlawful orders” to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and police officers at the Artificial Beach area on the evening of February 6, during a confrontation between then-opposition protesters and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) demonstrators.
According to Umar Naseer, the HRCM report stated that the MNDF and police officers at the Artificial Beach area were “unlawfully” ordered to leave the area, which led to a breakdown in command and control of the security forces.
Consequently, citizens were injured and huge damage was caused to the state, Naseer stated, citing the report.
The HRCM report said the order of Nasheed to leave the area violated article 245 of the constitution, by obstructing security forces from fulfilling their lawful duties.
The report also stated that there was no chain of command inside Republican Square that night, but that some individual officers obeyed Nasheed’s orders and a group of MNDF officers attempted to arrest police gathered in the square.
“A confrontation occurred between security forces and citizens, and officers of the security forces were severely injured,” HRCM reportedly claimed.
The report concluded saying that the investigation did not find that Nasheed’s life was in danger that day while he was inside MNDF headquarters, or that anyone tried to kill Nasheed, Naseer claimed.
Umar Naseer told the press that the HRCM’s report was “very true” and thanked the commission for “revealing the truth”.
On February 7, Former President Mohamed Nasheed resigned after several elements within police and MNDF officers joined a then-opposition protest and demanded his resignation.
MDP Spokesperson and MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor today told Minivan News that despite having received a report from the HRCM “late last night” regarding an investigation into the events occurring on February 8, it had not been given findings concerning the events leading up to the power transfer.
“We have a situation where the MDP, as a stakeholder in this process, has not received a copy of this report,” he said. “We have been made aware that a copy has been sent to the Majlis and we also have the PPM talking about this.”
Ghafoor claimed that it was “very important” for the party to be updated on the HRCM’s findings to address what he alleged were “blatant lies” spoken by Umar Naseer.
“We also have concern about the legal implications here. Independent institutions and their findings are playing a key part in the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) investigation,” he said.
Ghafoor added that parliament had since responded to a request by the MDP that was made late yesterday for a copy of the HRCM report leaked by Naseer.
HRCM President Mariyam Azra was not responding to calls by Minivan News at the time of press.
A website launched this month will enable thalassaemia patients in the Maldives to find blood donors by sending a single text message, according to developers of the service.
With almost 18 percent of the population registered as carriers, the Maldives has the world’s highest incidence of the crippling genetic blood disorder. Patients diagnosed with thalassaemia major must receive regular blood transfusions and treatment throughout their life.
Currently, over 500 patients with the condition are registered at the National Thalassaemia Centre (NTC) in Male’.
According to the developers of “Blood Donor Online Database”, the new system will ease the burden of thalassamia patients and their families by helping to find willing blood donors quickly and easily.
“By using this unique online directory, available blood donors can be identified quickly and contacted via a simple SMS, saving valuable time for you and your loved ones. Also a simple SMS would enable to register blood donors,” local IT firm, Shell Tech claimed on their website.
The system has been designed in collaboration with national telecom service provider Dhiraagu, which supports the automated SMS system linked to the database website.
Blood donors can register with the database by sending an SMS to 678 with the keyword “REG” and their Identity Card (ID) number.
Meanwhile, thalassaemia patients or their relatives seeking donors can type the allocated atoll code and island name (location), along with their required blood group and send via SMS to 678. This text will be sent to a donor with the needed blood type.
Listed blood donors names will be automatically forwarded to the blood seekers, once registered and will be available for searching on the website.
Each SMS sent through the blood donor service, will be charged at Rf1 (US$0.60).
According to the Chief Executive of Dhiraagu Ismail Rasheed, all revenue raised through the SMS charges will be donated to the NGO, Maldives Thalassaemia Society (MTS).
He added that the company supported the development of the online blood donor database as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.
The other telecom service provider in the country, Wataniya, will also soon join the initiative allowing its customers to register to the database, Shelltech company noted.
Meanwhile, Thalassaemia Society welcomed the initiative as a “good beginning”, and urged potential donors to register as soon as possible.
On World Thalassaemia Day, 8 May, this year, Minivan News reported on the current challenges facing the country’s thalassaemia patients, as well as inequalities in the services available for them in Male’ and the wider atolls.
The Maldivian Thalassaemia Society contended that authorities have “largely neglected” the rights of local patients, who face numerous challenges to stay alive, especially those in the Maldives’ smaller inhabited islands.
“We see huge inequalities in the provision of medical treatments and services to thalassaemia patients living in the islands and services available from the centre established by the government in Male.”
Even though the government has arranged for blood transfusions on the islands, the MTS claimed that for various reasons, the service and necessary medications are unavailable, forcing patients to cover the high costs of travelling to other islands or the capital in order to get blood transfusions. These transfusions are often a matter of life or death for patients.
In response to multiple concerns raised by the group, the government has decided to revamp the system by joining the Nastional Thalassamia Center and the National Blood Transfusion Center to create the “Thalassaemia and Other Hemoglobinopathy Center” – which needs to established under the Thalassamia Control Act.
Health Minister Dr. Ahmed Jamsheed told local media earlier this month that all necessary administration work had now been completed and the centre would soon start functioning. He said at the time that the utmost importance was being given to ensure Thalassaemia patients from the islands receive free health care.
“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 16Brigadier 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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