Former President Mohamed Nasheed has responded to President Abdulla Yameen’s declaration of trust in the judiciary by alleging that his confidence arises from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) ability to influence the judicial process.
Nasheed stated that both Yameen and his coalition partner Gasim Ibrahim of the Jumhooree Party were expressing utmost trust in an institution that the European Union and the United Nations, as well as Maldivian citizens continued to regard as in need of reform.
“By insisting that they hold such a strong trust in this institution, they are really confessing to the fact that they have undue political influence over this institution.”
They are saying that they have confidence that they can do whatever they want at any particular time through these courts,” Nasheed suggested.
He stated that the biggest obstacle to maintaining Islamic principles was the corrupt state of the judiciary and accused the Supreme Court of abusing and breaching the constitution.
“What is most needed is the services of a lawyer to become free of criminal charges. The government should not be allowed to place whatever charges they want against citizens,” he continued.
“What we are seeing today is the Supreme Court raising charges against anyone whenever they want and then themselves launching investigations into the matter,” Nasheed said, adding that the Supreme Court was currently acting in a manner previously observed in the 1980s.
Nasheed further described the apex court as having turned into a “political campaign office” due to what he alleged were political discussions which were taking place among the judges, and various statements of political nature made by them.
He accused the court of working “like the police, with utter impunity”, adding that the MDP would continue to raise its voice against any and all unconstitutional actions – regardless of who commits them.
Case against the Elections Commission
Speaking with regard to the Supreme Court’s current case against the Elections Commission (EC), Nasheed alleged that the panel of judges were “pulling members of the EC to court in an attempt to exert political influence over them”.
He dismissed the court’s actions as being unconstitutional, stating that as per law, the People’s Majlis – and not the apex court – held oversight powers over the EC.
Meanwhile, Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has levied criticism against the EC, arguing that justice must be served to all alike, regardless of the office they hold.
He accused the EC of deliberately presenting obstacles and difficulties to his PPM at the approach of every election.
“Every time the PPM complains that the time the commission provides for any certain task is not sufficient, the EC will claim that they cannot extend the deadline. Then they will go ahead and extend the deadline anyway. This is something that we in PPM find very worrying,” Jameel said.
Jameel said that in order to win any election, the PPM had to face three competitors – the Maldivian Democratic Party, clandestine funds provided to the MDP by unknown entities, and the Elections Commission itself.
The Vice President further accused the EC of working against the laws which govern it, and of attempting to work in a manner that is beneficial to a certain party.
Civil Service
Speaking of his recent trip to the southern atolls, former President Nasheed noted that he had observed a trend of employees being transferred or fired based on their political affiliations.
“I want to say to the Civil Service Commission’s President Dr Latheef to please be aware. If even a single civil servant has to face such a loss, how will you defend your seat once we gain majority in parliament? We will closely observe what is done to the civil servants,” Nasheed stated.
He also alleged that employees at various tourist resorts were also being unduly dismissed for political reasons.
In the last quarter of 2013 – just ahead of the presidential election – employees from Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort and Sun Island resort spoke to Minivan News about what they alleged was the purging of employees based on their political affiliations.
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PPM has the support of the Judiciary and the Army, and a substantial amount of ordinary citizens.
MDP does not have the support of the Army and the Judiciary although they have a substantial amount of ordinary people behind them.
The number of ordinary people who support MDP is not large enough to overrule and outway the support of the Judiciary and the Army for PPM.
PPM is in fact Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who represents the continuation of the past which is largely outmoded and didcredited.
Gasim Ibrahim, and his JP, which is in alliance withe people who created him in the first place,the Gayoom Family, has a negative influence on an aspiring democracy in the Maldives.
There is a Business Class in the Maldives, but there is no Intelligentia and no Lawyer Class. The support base for Democracy and Rule of Law and Human Rights is thin.
The people and society in the Maldives have not entered the realm of ideas yet, and they are too dependent on personalities like Gayoom and Nasheed.
What we need is ideas that captivate the people in the Maldives and not personalities.
We now have a dictatorship of the Judiciary supported by the Police and the Army. As these are institutions rather than personalities, they will be hard to identify, fight and defeat.
Geographical and linguistic isolation make it very difficult for foreigners and foreign ideas to penetrate Maldives; and after all Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights are alien thoughts to the Maldivians.
The isolation of Maldivians makes them feel superior to the rest of the world, arrogant and stubborn.
Dictatorship is in the blood of the Maldivians, and the Maldivian people have little or no experience in thinking about politics, society and government.
The future of MDP and its leader Mohamed Nasheed needs divine intervention and miracles. Superhuman leader of MDP has to become still more superhuman.
Unless and until that happens, Gayoom and Gasim and their supporters will continue to rule Maldives, much to my disappointment.
Certainly. Without any doubt!
But the question is do Mordisians care enough about that?
Do Mordisians believe that? For a lot who believes that meteors are Jinnis, you can imagine the ignorance there.
To win, playing by the book is not good. Playing an open book, exploring all weaknesses would be better.
Start quoting Arabic verses every other sentence, and it doesnt have to make sense either, you will have won the election. Start by saying the corruption in judiciary, with a Arabic twist to tongue. You will gain 2000 more votes daily!
Jameel is full of s*it. Can he point out just ONE law that the EC has worked against and one that governs it?
PPM is trying to scare off the EC officials by dragging them through the Supreme Court. The whole case that's going through the SC is at the behest of PPM as is clear to every single one of us.
PPM is seeking the "golden" old 30 years when absolute power was so comfortable. Those days are gone for good, thankfully.
The interesting fact is that apart from one or two, none of the other monkeys on the SC bench can ever get a job anywhere else in the world in any professional capacity.
So they are thumping their chests in their little zoo, i.e. these far away islands. As Michael Fahmy points out the geographic as well as deliberate isolation of the Maldives from the rest of the world makes Maldivians a little myopic with regard to world reality.
That applies to both educated and the rest. Even the educated classes are oblivious to the very fast changing world around them. The 21st century is literally leaving the Maldives behind without a hope of catching up with the rest of the world in almost every sphere you look at.
Ogling about the 30 golden years is the PPM specialty. That will certainly increase the curiosity of tourists who visit here and see how backward we are both in body and mind.
@Michael Fahmy - what a brilliant, if depressing, analysis of the state of the Maldives.
Yes, they do have the army. Unfortunately, firearm and explosives production is no longer a 'secret of the kings'.
In fact, the 'army' has no air power, and for the longest time, save a few brave people; have always been an agency to strike terror into the hearts of unarmed civilians.
The question is; what sort of spectacular genocide will take place when the public is given the means to strike back, and driven by vengeance?
@michael fahmy: perhaps an underlying question is why Maldivians are in such a state and why we don't embrace ideas that are so fundamentally human?
Consider this trivial comparison, if president Nasheed campaigned to win votes in an Indian slum promising housing, sewage, water, free healthcare etc. he would win in a land slide. But now translate that to the Maldivian reality.
Most islands still do not have proper sewage and water, most people still live in houses made from coral covered with tin sheets , a one up from the thatch roof, there are no good hospitals nor doctors on these islands but who is really complaining or feeling the pinch. This is not something, it's been like that for ages.
No one feels they don't have what some might consider fundamental needs to a better life? Why?
Let me tell you why, it's because god has put us in one of the most beautiful surroundings and environments that even the wealthiest in this world pay by the thousands of dollars a day just to see it the way it was created. Maldivians on the other hand are getting to enjoy it all for free every single day. Certainly, that plays with the Maldivian psychosis and the way we see our lives here in the maldives.
When Nasheed comes full gusto into this environment, telling people there is torture, the regime is a dictatorship, that we need to reform the system, obviously many will feel like their peace of mind has been disturbed while in paradise. They are not suffering, they are not in need of fundamentals to survive on a daily basis, they are all contempt with the way lives have been lived and passed for hundreds of years in the Maldives, the island way, the island life.
So, I think we need to ask a bigger question, does this environment and people in it really need so much reform or do we rather prefer to maintain the island life status core to ensure people remain happy and free.
At the end of the day, I think happiness is what matters to everyone, whether it comes through a democracy or autocracy.and I think the right manifesto and policy should be a promise that all Maldivians will get to enjoy their own islands just like the way tourists do.
A promise of great f&b, water villas, no work, only relax, govt takes care it all, pray five times a day, live in a paradise on earth and die to go to the paradise that awaits.
What nonsense is housing schemes, sewage networks and judicial reform!
@fahmy :
"The isolation of Maldivians makes them feel superior to the rest of the world, arrogant and stubborn"
bingo!!
Couldn't agree more with President Nasheed.
@fahmy
Think you have a very accurate assessment regarding the Maldives as well as outmost intelligent knowledge about the place. A knowledge I think is very hard ore nearly impossible to find among the Maldivian population. You would a been an excellent President for the Maldives.
@Michael Fahmy
While some of what you say are correct, most is nonsense.
To validate you call in calling Maldivains arrogant, please change your Christian name from Michael to something more credible.
Maldivians are NOT arrogant people. Infact, their LACK of arrogance makes it easy for the rulers to manipulate.
What you fail to understand, Mr. Fahmy, is that there is no probles that are unique or spectacular in Maldives that a good leadership cannot solve.
You need to understand what leadership means and what a lack of leadership mean..
If you cannt get that stay in Australia.
@Hassan Mahir must be high on something. Is it because we are so happy with our beautiful islands and their environment that we all crowd into the little shanty town of Male and pay everything we earn in rent? After paying all our money to live in a small box, we have to suffer the humiliation of terrible medical services from IGMH, a lottery of an education for our children, face constantly rising prices for everything.
We must be the luckiest people in the world to have our political masters enjoy living in luxury air conditioned villas with free health care in Singapore and kids educated overseas. Count our lucky stars!
We should be grateful to the Gayyoom family having given money to their family and friends so that they could build skyscrapers in Male, so we could rent them at ridiculous prices. We should thank these land owners for letting us rent their property, so that they could live off the rent.
Gosh, I didn't realize how lucky we really are. I am so happy.
@mode - obviously you haven't been outside Male' where the majority of people in Maldives live.
@Hassan Mahir
More than 1/3 of the population live here in Male. And more and more are coming to the satellite Males. Soon 1/2 the population will be here. In 20 years, this will be the biggest shanty town in the world with record murder rates, drug abuse and all the other social problems.
You think that won't happen? Look at what Male was like 20 years ago!
Hassan Mahir is my friend, and so I do not want to argue with him, but let me make a few remarks about what he said.
I respect his thoughts and feelings about islands of Maldives outside the capital island of Male.
But I do not think those outer islands are such glorious places as he says.
I also think that the holiday islands where foreign tourists go are different from the islands where native inhabitants live.
Some early political thinkers in Europe talked about noble savages who were our distant ancestors. They also lived in organised societies and knew some politics in a very simple form.
Our island populations are a bit like noble savages the pioneer political scientists talked about.
But unlike my friend Hassan Mahir, I do not admire the 'noble savages' of Maldivian islands in the least bit.
Anyway, good to hear from Mahir, and thank you.
To Whats-his-face Fahmy,
You don't seem to have a clue.
How does an isolated nation have such a diverse gene pool? How does an isolated country become invaded over and over again until the British made the Maldives a protectorate? How does an isolated country send its diplomats to ancient Rome and China?
It is not the isolation per se, but the influence of superior powers wanting to invade and dominate that have made Maldivians arrogant, insular and insecure. Read about the history of the Maldives before you make bizarre conclusions that are simply your personal opinion (which you should really keep to yourself).
This is the story of any under-developed country reacting to colonialism, globalization and modernity. The nationals of these countries tend to express their nationality, culture and identity self-consciously - thereby giving the impression that they are arrogant and resistant to change. The past is glorified, and so is the sense of independence and sovereignty.
This has more to do with insecurity, not arrogance.
Nasheed is full of shit ?
This guy must be removed from politics and need to allow a proper leader to take over MDP.
The guy was given the leadership on a plate in 2008 but could not managed it.
One can understand that a guy who could not manage a small timer store can not expect to manage a country.