Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has been sacked from the cabinet by President Dr Mohamed Waheed, two days after he was unveiled as the running mate of the government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen.
“I am being informed by HEP Dr Waheed that I have been dismissed from my post as Home Minister for joining PPM & becoming running mate,” Jameel tweeted today.
Jameel added that he remained “determined to serve the nation” and expressed gratitude to President Waheed and the cabinet “for the opportunity I received to work together.”
“I extend my well wishes to HEP Dr Waheed and his team’s attempt to win the upcoming election which PPM will also attempt to win and succeed,” he wrote.
Dr Jameel is currently campaigning with PPM presidential candidate Yameen in Addu City.
In August 2007, then-Justice Minister Jameel along with then-Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed resigned from former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s cabinet citing obstruction of political reforms and launched the latter’s presidential campaign.
After Dr Saeed came third in the first round of the October 2008 presidential election, the former ‘New Maldives’ ministers “unconditionally” backed Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate Mohamed Nasheed in the second round run-off against Gayoom.
The pair were appointed special advisor to the president and minister of civil aviation and communication, respectively, in the MDP-led government that took office in November 2008.
Jameel was however sacked as civil aviation minister on May 31, 2009 following public criticism of the government ahead of the parliamentary elections earlier that month, which was also contested by Jameel’s Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP).
“Some people say he was a bit abrasive,” President Mohamed Nasheed’s press secretary told Minivan News at the time.
Fraying coalition
Prior to Jameel’s dismissal, President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told the press that having a rival candidate’s running mate as the home minister would create a conflict of interest.
In addition to the PPM, the other main parties in the ruling coalition have fielded presidential candidates, including MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali from the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and tycoon MP Gasim Ibrahim from the Jumhooree Party (JP).
Dr Hassan Saeed’s DQP and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party have meanwhile entered a formal coalition with Dr Waheed’s Gaumee Ihthihaad Party (GIP).
Speaking at Thursday night’s PPM ceremony to unveil Dr Jameel as running mate, former President Gayoom reportedly said that a sitting president should not be allowed to seek re-election if a serving cabinet minister could not become another candidate’s running mate.
On the same night, DRP Leader Thasmeen said at a rally on the island of Thulusdhoo in Male’ atoll that the party was concerned with Dr Jameel’s administration of the home ministry.
The former minority leader of parliament said that the DRP could have worked with the opposition MDP to pass a no-confidence motion against the home minister but the party instead “prioritised national interest.”
Jameel’s dismissal also follows friction between the PPM – the largest party in the governing coalition – and President Dr Waheed.
MP Abdulla Yameen told newspaper Haveeru last week that some PPM members were joining Dr Waheed’s party.
Yameen expressed disappointment with Mohamed Naseer, brother of slain PPM MP Afrasheem Ali, actively working with Dr Waheed’s GIP after the PPM campaigned to elect Afrasheem’s younger brother Ibrahim Ameen to parliament.
Yameen also referred to rumours of the possible defection of PPM MP Ahmed Shareef to GIP over dissatisfaction with a stalled airport project in his constituency.
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now they are just playing a drama
This brute began the Coup. He accused Nasheed govt of paying a Priest in UK, and building him an Office with State Funds. The Police queried him which Priest? Which address is the Office and which account was used to transfer the so called pay? This was the beginning of the "Laadheenee" accusations. When Jameel wouldn't give a clear answer or even have the guts to say he was referring to David Hardingham (who certainly is not a Priest, nor was he paid or given an Office by the Maldivian government with the State flag at its premises), enter the notorious Ablo Gaazee. This man orders Jameel's release and that's when the government took the moral high road and did the right thing in going after the Judge even despite the threat of a Police and Armed Forces mutiny...
Evil traitors together to ruin the country AGAIN.
The old brutal dictatorship is trying to come back for anther 30 years. Waheed, you are such a poor judge of character you have got what you deserved. You are surrounded by the enemy with in.
This is just a game they are playing. Artificial chaos is created. you cannot hide from me.
Why has Dr Jameel never been investigated and prosecuted for the slanderous comments against President Nasheed?
Why has this man been allowed to get away with accusing President Nasheed with absolute rubbish?
@Kaizer Fischer
You are right. Just games. Messing with our heads. ALL the parties except MDP has chosen Dr Waheed to be the next President. This is just thamseel.
Waheed was never an elected President. He is a traitor and should be suffering sentence behind bars!
However due to some unusual and unconstitutional strategy, he is enjoying the luxury of campaigning on the taxpayer money while they are made to suffer and not being extended the full universal health insurance policy implemented by the President who he stabbed from behind!
Jameel has always been abrasive or rather arrogant at whatsoever or whosoever when things do not come his way!
He is fond of putting people behind bars for longer periods and would have loved to blind them if he could and watch the poor inmate suffer the agony of being blind!
If no conflict of interest is to come by, or if an election has to be fair and free, Waheed should resign, handover power to an interim leader before he could sack Jameel!
If Waheed is in power and is enjoying the free campaigning that he is getting right now, the Presidential election is never going to be fair and free.
If Waheed had become President, constitutionally, it would have been a different thing!
Backstabbing, brutal fallouts, WILD allegations, bribery, blackmail, corruption, manipulation of beliefs and desires, intimidation, torture, murder... Organized crime assasins are goody two shoes little public servants compared to politicians.
Dr. Waheed pls submit case to International Court of justice against Gayoom and Yameen 800 million usd fraud dealings,30 killing of Maldivea in Prison and torturing in Prison.
If not you will be deleted the way Gayoom did to your Mom and Dad.
You are getting trapped.This demented guy will never leave the County until his last breath. Dictators are like that.
A small party (less than 20,000) from a small country (less than 300,000) making big noises without any policies or plans... and running with a 30 year old dictator as the helm with two boys.
How crazy can things get.
david Hardingham is a priest and he was paid by Nasheed during his regime and it is there in the President office records.
Nasheed had robbed this country and Nasheed had pocketed the money out from GMR deal.
Nasheed had violated our constitution and he need to be punished accordingly.
Nasheed is trying to drag the country into 3 years of darkness that we had experienced from 2008 to 2012.
When Nasheed did his campaigning while he was president in 2009 parliamentary election, it was OK .
When Nasheed told the public that he will use all the resources available to him to campaign for his party that was legitimate?
When Nasheed use abrasive words and gives warning to public to obey and follow his rules or else to be left alone, and suffer, then it was ethically correct warnings.
what a double standard these yellow party have?
What everyone here must understand that, in order to go forward, we must separate religion and government.
Religion is an individual means to go to heaven.
Heaven does not require governance. Hence a government or a country cannot go to heaven. So it is not necessary that a government be Islam or a country be 100% muslim.
Thats must basic foundation for rational thought.
The country now needs rational thinking.
Which is why the Donkey-beards and opportunists like the Mordis-man be jailed for life.
After a long hiatus I have decided to return to Minivan's comment forum to throw in my 50 cents in time for the supposedly "life-changing" event the UN, our political parties and Western powers have been awaiting (minus the people of course-Yay! for democracy).
I have started from today to begin a let's talk about the issue campaign to promote debate and dialogue on issues, especially ones mentioned in the articles we come under.
ISSUE - President dismisses Cabinet Minister for announcing his candidacy as the Vice President of a rival candidate.
Is this legal? Yes the President has the power to dismiss Cabinet Ministers under Article 115 (f) of the Constitution?
What are the grounds for dismissal? The President's office believes there would be a conflict of duty if the Minister were to serve his role as a rival Vice Presidential candidate while also serving the incumbent who also plans to contest the September elections.
What says the Minister? He feels the dismissal was politically-motivated and aimed at undermining the party he is allied with. He also refers to the unique situation in which the current government was formed (i.e. it was shored up by support from diverse political parties rather than by the executive will of the President)
My opinion? A Cabinet Minister serves his post at the pleasure of the President - so I see nothing wrong with the President sacking such a person at will. Obviously the political realities now allow President Waheed to dismiss whomsoever he wants therefore whatever means by which the government was initially propped up is irrelevant now. Furthermore, I believe there really is a conflict of interest given the fact that the newly-appointed Vice Presidential candidate would be required to criticize the current incumbent. If he was allowed to do so while remaining his his post then I think the results speak for themselves.
tsk tsk,
If I recall correctly you sang a different tune when discussing Nasheeds' sacking of ministers'. Back then there was the guilty president who couldn't be bothered with dissent.
I look forward to reading more of your specious arguments though, always a pleasure to see how intelligent apologists of the Pharaohs regime skilfully keep themselves convinced.
@kuribee
Where is your evidence for your claims. If there is none then you like Dr Jameel are guilty of slander and false allegations and you should both face the law and prosecution. Or you are both mad and desperate for power and curruption at any cost.
In any other country in the world, if you make false allegations attacking a President you are guilty of treason and should be sent to prison. That is where the phony Embrace Islam cronies and Dr Jameel should be when all this is over.
This is a supposedly clever ploy by the Kaaminee clan with regard to Jameel as Yameen's running "mate". We all know that just 5 years ago, Jameel was foaming at the mouth when it came to the Kaaminee family. Now he is a "mate", or is that a "play mate"?
The reason why I say this is a ploy, is because the clan knows that they have very little support in the populous southern parts of these God forsaken islands. They do have support in the mid and northern parts of the country where their support base is entrenched, through years of feudal dependency management.
By getting the man from the Falklands aboard, they hope to increase their support base around these parts. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately for most of us, that's not going to happen. As far as Addu is concerned, Jameel is a "no body". Absolutely worth shit, as the saying goes.
For some reason (which we can guess at), our neighbours, the Falklanders, seem to have a fascination for the Kaaminee clan. That's their own issue. Has Jameel got a chance of becoming the Vice President? Not a fat cat in hell's chance. None whatsoever. "Rational" thought dictates that the revered Mehdi would arrive before that happens.
Jameel retired undefeated.
Go and check MDP fund position and that would prove.
Go and check Nasheed associated bank accounts in Singapore and then it will prove.
Go and check MDP spending and their income sources, it will prove.
If someone has the guts to take Nasheed to take to the court and then if judges had the guts , Nasheed will be found guilty without any probe.
But problem is that Nasheed has his thugs who is going to give life threatening message who ever stands against him.
Well... aahh... I'd sack somebody for supporting Yameen for Presidency too if I was in Waheed's position.
Of course I don't know about the existance and scope of unfair dismissal laws in the Maldives, but, surely tsk tsk is right in terms of Cabinet members being employed at the pleasure of the President. Just as a comparative example, Julia Gillard sacked Cabinet Ministers loyal to Rudd here in Australia, or at least, demoted them to the backbench.