“I realised it was all going wrong,” recently resigned member of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed told a press conference at Dharubaaruge this evening.
During the press conference, Saeed revealed comprehensive details of the admissions from the final CNI draft which led to his resignation on Wednesday.
“I did push for the initial extension, but this time around I realised that even if the time was extended, there was no possibility that the report would come out any different,” he said.
Saeed said that he had accepted the post because he had been deeply affected by the brutality and the injustice he observed in the events following February 6, and felt he could make a constructive contribution to the commission’s work.
He emphasised that he was not a politician and did not take up these responsibilities with any political interest in mind. Saeed provided a copy of a letter which he says was presented to the commission’s co-chairs on August 26 as well as a copy of his resignation letter.
The first letter, written on August 18, detailed Saeed’s concerns about the commission’s progress, which included the following: withheld evidence, non-cooperation from crucial witnesses, non-examination of witnesses, witnesses being intimidated or obstructed, testimonies and evidence that was not reviewed, and organisation by the CNI secretariat.
“I feel compelled to formally register with you a number of issues that I believe, if left unaddressed, will seriously undermine the credibility of the report. I also believe these matters defeat the purpose for which the CNI was established,” read the August 26 letter, sent to the other members of the commission as well as Commonwealth Special Envoy, Sir Donald McKinnon, and members of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) – whose pressure led to his appointment.
Saeed told the press today that he had submitted his concerns regarding Singaporean Judge G.P. Selvam’s extended absences to the Commonwealth, but that he had so far not received a response.
He mentioned that there were a total of 31 days in which the commission was not able to work with the full commission’s presence, alluding to Selvam’s lengthy absence.
In responding to questions from media, Saeed said that Judge Selvam had brought gifts for the commission members ranging from dictionaries to perfume.
He said that the last gift, which had been offered along with the draft of the CNI report, was an Apple iPad for each member of the commission.
Saeed confirmed that while he had not accepted any of these gifts, the other commission members had.
Saeed also spoke of material worth thousands of Singaporean dollars that Judge Selvam had donated to the Villingili Hiya Children’s Center and the Maafushi Juvenile Detention Centre.
In the distributed letter, Saeed decried the fact that no CCTV footage from the police or the President’s Office had been made available to the commission.
“Only three out of eight CCTV cameras in and around MNDF have been provided and these have some crucial hours of footage missing,” wrote Saeed.
Saeed added that, “after much stonewalling”, he was simply told the footage was not available.
Saeed also wrote that the CNI was unable to access the information compiled by the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) despite repeated requests.
He also said that the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) report was not received until August 16, describing the eventual report as “superficial and inconclusive”.
The letter suggested that key witnesses, believed to have played crucial roles in the events of February 7, appeared to have been coached – all giving standard responses to questions such as “no”, “I don’t know”, or “I can’t remember”.
Saeed also suggested that the non-cooperation of Deputy Leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer was unacceptable after he had made public statements detailing his role in Nasheed’s resignation.
He also alleged that the original members of the Commission (Dr Ibrahim Yasir, Dr Ali Fawaz Shareef and chairman Ismail Shafeeu) showed a lack of interest in witnesses, “rarely posing questions.”
Using the examples of MC Mohamed Hameed and Superintendant Adnan Anees, Saeed expressed his belief that pressure was being put on members of the security forces not to cooperate with the CNI.
He added that a number of potentially crucial witnesses had been transferred, sometimes overseas, “making it extremely hard or impossible for them to appear before the CNI.”
Writing 12 days before the report was due for release, Saeed had mentioned his concerns that a lot of evidence had yet to be reviewed in the limited time remaining.
The final point raised in the August 26 letter was the poor scheduling of the witnesses by the commission’s secretariat.
Saeed said that inadequate notice had been given to enable his preparations for questioning. He also suggested that the most important witnesses were scheduled at the least convenient times.
The quality of translations services provided by the secretariat were also criticised, being described as “inappropriate and to some extent misleading.”
Additional details of Saeed’s concerns came in the August 29 resignation letter in which he alleged that the reformed five-man commission had not reviewed the finding of the original three-man group, “despite inconsistencies”.
The resignation letter detailed that no officer from the Special Operations branch of the police force had been interviewed. “The CNI has not been able to ‘summon’ any of the alleged ‘perpetrators’ or ‘culprits’,” he wrote.
Saeed criticised the nature of the commission’s work, arguing that it lacked the “investigative powers to thoroughly probe accusations.” He mentioned that the group had been unable to access key individuals’ bank accounts or phone records.
In concluding the press conference, Saeed said that he felt the Commonwealth had welcomed the final CNI report even though Saeed himself had not signed it because after his resignation, he was no longer a part of CNI and his signature would no longer be needed.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has welcomed the release of the report by the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI), and urged “all concerned to respect the findings of the commission so that, moving forward, all actions and reactions reflect the sense of responsibility and restraint necessary in the best national interest.“
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wow! the whole world is wrong. it was a coup in the fairy world of neverland. paradise for banana cases of Anni and his followers. He even blamed his diarrhea for the failure of this report. pls include that too "minvan news" guys lol
What a crime against democracy and the people of our nation!!
ONE PAGE OF OUR HISTORY IS OVER. THAT DOESNT MEAN WE MUST TAKE ALL THE RUBBISH FROM THIS JUNTA
All who are ready to believe the CNI report also believe in the Rannamaari story and are willing to deny their own senses and any morality they've ever had..why? Do you not want your country's economic and social development? Does your interest extend only to where your personal interests are met? Or do you have a love of watching the poor get poorer and unlawful (there is hardly any lawful rich are there?) keep getting richer on the public's money. Make whatever excuse u want, but you know what u see. If u cant grasp country's financials, just realize this, they are eating your and our money.
I think all concerned have interpreted CoNI's final report as the closing of a messy and violent chapter in our lives.
The best thing to do for all political parties in the country would be to seek friends both home and abroad, strengthen alliances and push for crucial reforms mentioned in the report, chief among them being reform of the police as well as its monitoring and evaluations body the Police Integrity Commission.
CoNIs report also calls for wide-ranging institutional reforms to be brought to the functioning of Parliament and the Judiciary as well as the media sector. Also the establishment of a culture and respect for rule of law is mentioned throughout as a cross-cutting concern.
The MDP does not have to become disheartened by CoNIs report as it lends strength to Nasheed's initial statement that his resignation came about due to his refusal to use arms to extend his term in power. This is laudable although the regime's actions prior to that are not. I call on the MDP to forge closer ties with DRP and JP, polish its image and reach out to the people once more.
Confrontational methods have proved to be destructive and harmful to the party. This is not the 60s anymore. We live in a globalized world where the voting public are more cynical than in the past. Politicians cannot afford to be idealists and vice versa. I hope everyone catches my drift.
CoNi's report proved Common Wealth is at Ignorance. Report without the stipulation of so much first hand witnesses and evidence, it sure is an insult to the human intelligence
@omg
Are you suggesting that Saeed is lying? And are ypou suggesting that it was perfectly ok that the CNI didnot question Umar Naseer who is on record, on video, on tv, not just here but Australia that they could not guarantee President Nasheed's safety if he didn't resign?
Thank goodness Saeed was on the CNI. Now we know how the CNI worked.
The CNI report once again reaffirms to us that president Nasheed is walking on the right path and that he is right.
The MDP requested Shafeeu to be removed, and the terms of reference revised. If the terms of reference were revised, all the evidence that Saeed requested would have been included in the report..
I am not surprised at the endorsement of the report by the Commonwealth. It was very clear to us what was happening when Judge Selvam was brought in and endorsed by the Commonwealth. of all the judges in the Commonwealth, this was the only judge the Commonwealth could find? Judge Selvam's services were sought by Dr waheed's government, not the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth rubberstamped its approval because they couldnt be bothered.
President nasheed compromised on his stand when the CNI was reformed. He should have insisted on the two representatives from that was initially recommended AND insisted on Shafeeu being removed.
Regardless, the CNI report is a victory for the MDP as it validates the concerns that were put on the table when the CNI was formed.
What else is there to say?
wow! so Selvam is the actual baaghee behind the coup! he tried to hide the facts by bribing the commission members with gifts and donating money to NGOs! why is that of any relevance even? he just donated some items to children in need during his stay here!
@Ahmed on Fri, 31st Aug 2012 1:02 AM
Democracy and Islam are not compatible. To be deluded into thinking they can cohabit in a nation is ridiculous, and the sooner you realise it the better.
If you want democracy, change the constitution. If not, the strong tidal waves which rocked the shaky basics of democracy in our country, will happen again and again. The politicians will use, abuse, twist and stretch all principles of basic Islam and their interpretation, to extract out what they want out of situation. We are not alone or unique in this quagmire, but we have the picture of what's happening in the other Middle East countries, and we are much smaller, and easier to change.
Everyone should realise, Anni was going real strong, until the 23rd dec, which was the turning point.
@Ahmed bin Addu bin Suvadheeb
I agree. President Nasheed could not have governed with a Police Force who would not accept his authority as President of the Maldives. President Nasheed resigned under duress because the Police Force and the Judiciary system would not cooperate and work with him.
What do you call that in the constitution? Treason.
February 7 happened for a reason. it happened to make transparent the games that were being played to discredit and disempower our elected President and to make transparent to us who is who.
No doubt about it, the Police were bought and continue to be bought. Flats??? Low interest loans for private homes? Wages increased? Back payment of allowances? Speeches glorifying the Police and feeding their ego? paid holidays? etc etc
If there was nothing else we learned from the coup of February 7, it is that there is a lot of money floating around the Maldives, money that couldn’t be found for the healthcare of our people, education of our children, and rehabilitation for our lost youth.
The CNI report is the best thing that could have happened, don’t you agree? Clarity comes from knowing. Now we know.
Dr Waheed may consider the CNI report his victory, but the real victory lies with President Nasheed and the thousands of Maldivians who have taken the stand to liberate us from those who oppress us.
Chaos and noise often come when the old order is dismantled. That is what we are witnessing. If ever the people needed proof that what happened on February 7 was a coup, all they have to do is pick up the CNI report.
Dawn is here as I write, and it is no ordinary dawn. The first day of our new order is starting . We are awake, we see, we hear, and we know. We will shape the future of the Maldives.
So thank you Dr Waheed for giving us this extraordinary present, the CNI report. With the CNI report you have made transparent to all of us the REALITY of what we up against, who our enemies are, and who our friends are.
You may congratulate yourself all you like, but my dear chap, the joke is really on you.
Checkmate.
I agree. President Nasheed could not have governed with a Police Force who would not accept his authority as President of the Maldives. President Nasheed resigned under duress because the Police Force and the Judiciary system would not cooperate and work with him.
What do you call that in the constitution? Treason.
February 7 happened for a reason. it happened to make transparent the games that were being played to discredit and disempower our elected President and to make transparent to us who is who.
No doubt about it, the Police were bought and continue to be bought. Flats??? Low interest loans for private homes? Wages increased? Back payment of allowances? Speeches glorifying the Police and feeding their ego? paid holidays? etc etc
If there was nothing else we learned from the coup of February 7, it is that there is a lot of money floating around the Maldives, money that couldn’t be found for the healthcare of our people, education of our children, and rehabilitation for our lost youth.
The CNI report is the best thing that could have happened, don’t you agree? Clarity comes from knowing. Now we know.
Dr Waheed may consider the CNI report his victory, but the real victory lies with President Nasheed and the thousands of Maldivians who have taken the stand to liberate us from those who oppress us.
Chaos and noise often come when the old order is dismantled. That is what we are witnessing. If ever the people needed proof that what happened on February 7 was a coup, all they have to do is pick up the CNI report.
Dawn is here as i write, and it is no ordinary dawn. The first day of our new order is starting . We are awake, we see, we hear, and we know. We will shape the future of the Maldives.
So thank you Dr Waheed for giving us this extraordinary present, the CNI report. With the CNI report you have made transparent to all of us the REALITY of what we up against, who our enemies are, and who our friends are.
You may congratulate yourself all you like, but my dear chap, the joke is really on you.
Checkmate.
Bribery works, who needs human rights and democracy?
ANNI the cult will tell the fairy tales to their thugs and thugs will believe what the cult says since the cult had are paying huge money to them and their family.
Now Commisson , UN, Common Wealth, India and US have played a huge role in bringing this coup and they all had supported to topple Anni regime. What a non sense is this ? This is the failure of MDP and Anni is so arrogant and do not want to listen or share anything with anyone else and he acts like a GOD and treat others like dog including his party members. This is the reason for fall of his government.
The report also clearly explains that Anni had tried to bring a coup by himself on 6th and 7th but with al nightly Allh, it turns against him.
When you read the report fully, it looks like that Anni was under the influence of al cool since he mentioned that he believe that country was in state of emergency, meaning to say that civilian rules were abolished ? This guy does not know what is written in the constitution and how the state of emergency could be declared. I feel sorry for this guy since he is so ignorant.
The real people who had tried to bring a coup to this country are his family . His Grand Father tried to bring a coup and his father tried to bring a coup and his uncles had tried and then now he himself had tried. The real BAAGHEES are kenereege people.
I am really surprised why Saeed had accepted this assignment in the first place. He should have known that it involves delicate legal issues and only a person who has good knowledge of law would be able to contribute to the report in a positive and meaningful way.
If Saeed knew or as soon as he realised that he does not have the capacity to contribute to any legal discussions or deliberation that occur at the commission or apply law to the facts that will transpire in an investigation he should have said so and resigned. By staying at the commission until the eleventh hour he had betrayed the nation. He is either stupid or does not have the mental capacity to comprehend the importance of a representative from MDP at the commission who can honestly and legally contribute an alternative conclusion to the report.
To prove legally that Mr. Waheed failed to honour and uphold the Maldivian constittion is fairly simple. According to the Maldivian Constitution Section 112 There shall be a Vice President of the Maldives who shall assist the President in the discharge of his duties and responsibilites. Section 117 states " The Vice President shall exercise such responsibilites and powers of the President as are deligated to him by the President. The Constitution also gives the opportunity for the President to temporarily appoint the Vice President to discharge duties of the President in the even the President is unable to do it for whatever reason.
The action of the Vice President on 6th February night or early morning of the 7th of February is contrary to the said Sections of the Contitution or it cannot be followed. When the President decides to contact the Vice President he was uncontactable. But records show that he was well and communicating with others. Secondly by issuing a statement to the press in his capacity as the Vice President he has acted independently of the President which is not permitted by the Constitution. If he has issued a statement in the name of Mohamed Waheed Hassan Maniku he could have claimed that he was excersing his right of speech freedom given to every citizen under the constitution.
Anyway this is just one example to show that the Vice President had acted outside the constition. By being uncontactable to the President he had denied the President the opportunity to follow the Constitution. What if the President had temporarily wanted appoint appoint him to discharge the duties of the President as provided in the constitution. By communicating with others and not with the President the Vice President had failed to perform his duties as provided in the Constitution and his intention to do so is proven as record show he was well and communicating with others.
Mr. Saeed could have brought arguments of this nature before the commission and there are many more such points he could have brought forward with irreputable facts and legal reasonings to prove that there was a coup.
Its really sad that MDP was unable to appoint someone with legal knowledge and character to put forward a valid and a convincing legal argument to justify its claims.
For every argument there is a counter argument. Saeed did not have the capacity to raise a counter argument. This gave Mr. Selvam a free hand to come up with a cock and bull story. Talking about the bulge in Mr. Riyaz's pants mistaken by Zulfa to be a hidden weapon. Mr. Selvam had really made a mockery of the Maldivians. We should not let him get away with this. The legal arguments and cased he had cited were not relevant to the real case before the commission. Mr. Selvam had focused on the childish claims made by MDP. There will of course be childish claims when you interview so many people but that does not give Selvam the right to ignore the real facts and based the report on the childish claims made by some parties.
this is exactly why we shouldnt have early elections. if the result is not favourable to mdp they will jeopardise the whole process. CoNI membership was revised according to nasheed's wish. He got his direct representative and he made commonwealth to participate in the process. most intl actors including commonwealth and UN wanted to observe but due to Nasheed's demands Commonwealth agreed to put a judge to co-chair. despite all this now mdp rejects the report! same scenario will be there in an election! just watch
It all happened for good, Anni had to get out of this mess and obviously it was the best thing that happened for Anni’s good. You are talking about bringing democratic ideas and values to a country where majority of people are so ignorant and will defend their belief to the last drop of their blood. However now Anni has lit the beacon of hope this is enough and Anni is a hero , it is always impossible to convince unlearned people the rational and logic but a few enlightened have to start the idea that earth is not flat that will take time for average to break the illusion to come to realm of human reasoning and rational. You are talking about people who lose all their sanity on seeing the picture of different religious artifact and poetry, and there are enough con people like mullahs who are by nature good to convince gullible that the sun sets in muddy water and the moon and stars are hanging chandeliers, and shooting stars are fire balls thrown at devils who eavesdrop the divine conference, are statements made by the creator of this most complex system. Whether the CONI decides it was a coup or not or whether there was no 07 February it was never possible for Anni to survive, in a place where people are less smart than chimpanzees you can’t behave and talk like a modern man.
I didnt know the report was published and available to the public. Where did YOU read the report, Mody?
The report is justifying the presence of Nazim, Riyaz and Fayyaz at the scene of the crime as a moral obligation.
Mr. Selvam! under which law does being present at the scene of the crime to aid and abet the perpetrators of the crime can be justified on moral grounds? Protesting at Jumhoori square is prohibited under Maldive law.
Participating in a protest and demonstration with violence against law enforcement agencies and personnel and damaging government property and threatening the head of state and disturbing public order at a prohibited place to demonstrate cannot be justified on moral grounds under any law.
What rights do Nazim, Riyaz and Fayyaz have other then the rights they have as citizen of Maldives under the constituon? whatever rights they have are rights every other citizen can enjoy under the constitution. Do not bull shit Mr. Selvam? Just because they were ex service men do not give them any extra right or protection under the law of Maldives. Come on Selvam! do you mean say at that every ex service men are entitled to a moral right under your so called law to be present and participate or encourage the commission of a crime. Mr. Saeed's sister is a close associate of Wahideen, I just wonder whether Mr. Saeed is stupid or incompetent or just he had been "taken" on board as well. By the way the anti corruption commission should investigate Slevam's gift of IPAD to the commission members as it is a bribe given to them to alter their views.
I am an MDP supporter and a big fan of Nasheed. I believe the report to be accurate I was in the Republican Square that day. This is a time for reflection for the MDP as our strategy is clearly not working.
In short, President Nasheed screwed up!! I also think Nasheed mismanaged the situation that led to the crumbling of the command and control structures of the security services. Some of those conditions lead to the option which Nasheed took; to honorably resign and not use lethal force against anyone. He should be praised for this by all alike.
As a member of MDP, my advise to the party would be this; we should [as a political party] seriously consider the wellbeing of the nation and reconciliation. A change in strategy and top leadership is needed. MDP should also think about starting its campaign for the 2013 elections.
I'm sorry to say this, but the current leadership of the MDP will not be able to win anything next year. Too much baggage and I think ordinary Maldivians are getting tired and worn down by whats happening. And lets be honest, we are isolated domestically. And almost isolated internationally since all major international organizations (including UN and CW) and also major powers have endorsed the report by CoNI. It'll be foolish to think that the rest of the world is wrong, and MDP is right at this moment.
We really need to re-assess the situation and bring a whiff of reality to the situation. I am deeply concerned to think that MDP's appeal is vastly exaggerated domestically, and is fizzling out internationally after this report.
Can we at least own up to our mistakes and say we screwed one up on 7 Feb? And say that we're sorry to the Maldivian people? If so, I think this would win us a lot of support and a lot more votes.
@Joking Aside
Firstly, is wide open 'Injustice and Islam' compatible.
'Democracy & Islam' - i have my own arguments which is too long to discuss here. We are far too away and we have too many other problems in our society before we should be discussed before we touch the subject of 'Democracy & Islam'.
Here is a little scenario thing to ponder.
Islam allows us to cut-off the hands of convicted thieves. While living in a society where we are reluctant to practice something simple as this, let alone death penalty for convicted murderers, how can we even think of stoning apostates. As i see it, Democracy allowing Apostasy is the main concern of the people who have fear of 'Democracy & Islam' mixing up.
We have be realistic when we discuss issues.
Our society needs education, at all levels, starting from our own family. We need Islamic education, fundamentals, social issues and all these issues of 'Democracy & Islam' will fade away on its own. But there is a long way ahead....
@kareembe
with all due respect gaha Saeed did not raise of any legal issues. He had raised major issues in the whole CoNI process.
Quote
withheld evidence, non-cooperation from crucial witnesses, non-examination of witnesses, witnesses being intimidated or obstructed, testimonies and evidence that was not reviewed, and organisation by the CNI secretariat.
unQuote
How would a person with even the best legal credentials counter these issues.
"there are good people & there are bad people & then there is Gaha Saeed' - totally agree with the great AdduHaanee @AdduHaanee
MDP does not have a good legal team to fight against the opposition team constituting of Hassan Saeed, Jameel, Azima, Kutti etc.
...will someone please provise it?
it is available online now. Even your party MDP is having both hard and soft copy too. Go and ask Ibu, Reeco Hamid Gafoor etc to give you a copy
Through Judge Selvam coup leasers had conned the CONI from the day one. So there are million reasons why people are questioning about the authenticity of the report!
@Fathun on Fri, 31st Aug 2012 5:35 AM
"President Nasheed resigned under duress because the Police Force and the Judiciary system would not cooperate and work with him.
What do you call that in the constitution? Treason."
Where did you read that in the Constitution? Much as we'd have liked to see Nasheed finish his term in office, I am sorry to say that the above doesn't amount to treason. Lack of cooperation from the Police force and the Judiciary also doesn't amount to "duress". If there was "duress", then it has to be found elsewhere.
I agree with "Ahmed Fulhu (Faathey)" that MDP needs to rethink its strategy and get rid of the baggage it has accumulated in the past. The country needs strong parties like MDP, without which we'll revert back to authoritarian rule in short order.
MDP can only regain strength by getting its act together and a reshuffle at the top. The strategy of the past has got the party from the office of power and back down to the street within the space of three years. It's time to think about that.
@Hassan, They are all procedural issues. What I meant was he did not have the capacity to provide legal reasoning based on law to show that wrong doings were committed on 7th February tantamount to a coup.
Mr. Saeed has done a great job by not be betraying the people. He is made of sterner stuff has ably done his job by not succumbing to the temptations bribery. The initial acceptance of nay of those would have hinted that he would accept more for a complete hush.
It is no lawyers job to investigate he obvious. He is qualified with a masters degree and vast experience an impeccable record for integrity. Money cannot buy these. Beyond cheap markets.
Saeed's role in CoNI has been roundly condemned by international parties as well.
There is no point for the MDP to continue pressing on in Nasheed's interests. As someone who supported MDP's initial founding it is time for the party to hearken back to its roots.
MDP's entire structure is very much Nasheed-centric. Even the only pro-MDP media outlet is managed by political appointees personally chosen by Nasheed and his close associates. These individuals lack the necessary experience and social standing to have their media coverage taken seriously.
Minivan has done an admirable job in promoting MDP's interests owing to its foreign staff and maangement. The same cannot be said of RaajjeTV.
We must then consider the party's internal structure. The Qaumy Majlis (policy-setting body) is too bulky and filled with yes-men and puppets. The body needs to be reconstituted and strengthened in order to attract individuals who might contribute financially and ideologically to the party.
The party's constitution needs to be amended in order to clear up the obvious overlap between the powers of the Chairperson and President. Also the Permanent Committees must be dissolved and provisions allowing for their formation should be removed from the Charter.
Work must be done to attract maximum number of top-quality persons of note to contest the general elections on the party's Parliamentary ticket. The Mohamed Shifazs and Ahmed Abdullas must be sidelined in favor of respectable persons.
MDP must also let go of using violent demonstration as a scare tactic. The party must polish its image and project itself as committed towards democratic ideals such as respect for the rights of others and the rule of law. Also efforts must be made to build bridges with other political parties as I fear the MDP must now be at the same position it was pre-2008.
Ahmed Bin Addu, spot on. It is a great pity and travesty that MDP lost its way. This was the greatest tragedy for Maldives. But unfortunately the people in power in MDP only thought about themselves and not the poor and ordinary folks who actually keeps MDP afloat.
Now Coni and the legal advisors, the UN, The Commonwealth and everyone else is being blamed. Does anyone think the legas advisors provided by the UN and Commonwealth would sign such a letter if they do not have a foolproof case?
The biggest problem in the Inquiry was that MDP listened to people like Dr. Shaheed and Farzahnaz. They are out of the country and safe yet they incited people in Maldives to demonstrate and get on the streets and get arrested etc promising them that the International Community including the Commonwealth is behind them and supporting them. This fooled the poor people in Maldives and when they found out that this was not the case they lost their minds.The day they stopped listening to such people would be the MDP the day MDP gets back on track.
MDP should keep their feet on the ground, stop agitating on the streets and get on the with the responsibility of being the opposition and work within the legal framework to win the 2013 elections.
MDP is of paramount importance to the democracy of Maldives. Without MDP it would be back to square one but MDP needs to change course and as in any other democratic country they need to get rid of the old guard and get new people. Anni, Maria, Moosa etc have failed and new blood should take over. They should do what PPM did and kick Anni upstairs and keep him as a figure head and let younger people with fresh ideas run the party.