“In February, a cabal backed by an ousted dictator and a group of extremist Islamists dealt a severe blow to nascent democracy in a country many people consider an island paradise: the Maldives,” writes Deputy Chairman of the UK Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission Benedict Rogers in the New York Times.
“In the past few weeks, the forces behind the new rulers have driven the knife deeper into the country’s wounded democracy. Without serious international pressure, people who struggled for freedom against dictatorship for so many years — and briefly tasted liberty — will be plunged into authoritarian rule coupled with a rapidly growing extremist Islamist agenda.
Three Danish legal experts published a report this month on their independent investigation into the events surrounding the resignation five months ago of the Maldives’ first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed. They concluded that, according to international law, his ouster amounted to a coup d’état. The international community needs to take this report seriously.
Nasheed was charged this month with illegally arresting a judge while he served as president. It is clear that the charges are politically motivated, designed to eliminate him from contesting any future elections — if any are held. There is no chance he can expect a fair trial. If convicted, he could serve three years in jail.
The former president is not the only opposition activist being harassed by the new regime. The leader of the youth wing of his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, Shauna Aminath, was arrested and detained, and other people who have taken part in pro-democracy protests have been severely beaten by the police. Demonstrators were released on condition that they did not participate in another protest for 30 days, in violation of the Constitution. Exiled democracy advocates have received death threats.
The Maldives’ journey to democracy was long and arduous. For 30 years, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled the archipelago with an iron fist. Opponents were jailed, torture was rampant, freedom of speech nonexistent. Toward the end of his rule, however, he developed a thirst for legitimacy and respectability, and appointed several reformist ministers in the hope that they could give him a better image in the international community.”
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This is not true. Anni is the one who had tried to deprived the Maldivian from the real democracy. He had openly told the public in many occasion that he will only listen to the people from him party and he will show his evil side to those who does not belong to his party.
Still you are talking about democracy ? Anni had tried and brought all the power under his arms where all ministries are there for the name sake and Anni himself is only the decision makers for the entire nations and his cabinet was merely a puppets cabinet.
He was a threat to the young democracy and it proves by the following action.
By ordering and Locking of supreme court - This is to threaten the judiciary and to threat the people and show his power to the people and to interfere with the judiciary.
By arresting the opposition leaders. Gaasim and Yameen and Nazim. If these guys were a threat to national security and they should be arrested through the legislative bodies and not some arbitral arrests.
By arresting the chief judge. There should be other means to get this judge arrested and that is through the legal frame work. Anni should have first tried with the legal framework and then if it fails then Anni could have order to arrest him through the force.
But Anni never did this cause he want to threatens the public and show his power to Maldivian who does not blindly agree with him. He infect want to rule this country like a Maumoon but the guys never throughout that he was unlucky to have the new constitution when was elected as the president of this country.
In reality Anni is bigger threat to our democracy than anyone else.
But one things we all need to admit is that he is very strong in organizing the demonstration on the roads and no other party will be able to compete with his quick and organized demonstration like him.
Also Anni has immense support from international community since he is very good at playing dramas and show the international community that the entire Maldives is behind him.
But the fact of the matter is that he has approximately thirty thousand of very loyal Maldivian to him . Those people are willing to do anything for the Anni regardless of whether it is right or wrong thing for them to do.
The above comment is again this tsk tsk. Your propaganda !! LOL.
I will jump on each thread where you are commenting. Will not make your propaganda work here.
This news was written by New York times they are not from the your local sun news. get a life mate if you are not tsk tsk !!
Perhaps the international community will now take notice of the brutality of the Gatyoom regime and impose a total ban on all international flights. This will bring Gayoom and his goons to their knees. The people won't suffer as so little off the tourism money escapes the wallets of the resort owners (Gayoom's cartel of thieves) to pay the meager salaries paid to resort workers. Gayoom and Waheed should be in then International Criminal Court in the Hague once Anni is restored to his rightful place atop the government.
That wasn't me you silly boy.
I agree with the overall sentiment of Mody's post but had you invested even a brief amount of time to a proper education, like I suggested you do, perhaps you would have noticed the grammar slip ups in his post.
I never make mistakes, son.
why would you be watching this right now when you know that its not your comment ?? you are silly !! it is you yea !!
LOL it was not tsktsk and it is me Mody.
I have spoken the truth but the truth will not be possible to digest by yellow fever people like you.
No matter what you or me believes , our history will be written and Anni will never be able to have decent history when it comes on how he rule this country.
I reiterate it here again" Anni is the biggest challenge for our democracy " and this will remain same.