The main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) hosted a rally last night to celebrate its victory in parliament on the decentralisation bill, which was passed yesterday without the model of provinces proposed by the government.
The rally at artificial beach was attended by Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim, leader of the Republican Party, as well as MPs of the People’s Alliance.
DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali said the passage of the bill with 42 votes in favour was “a very good and important signal” as 39 votes would be needed to override a possible presidential veto.
If the bill becomes law, said Thasmeen, elected island and atoll councils will have decision-making powers on resource allocation and development projects.
“The way the bill has been drafted gives no room for provinces,” he said, claiming there was no public support for the model.
The bill on decentralised administration proposed by the government early last year had been delayed due to an intractable dispute over creating seven provincial councils instead of 20 atoll councils.
Thasmeen denied claims by MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that the wholesale changes made to the bill by the opposition would hinder the development of the atolls.
The leader of the opposition called on DRP supporters to “roll their sleeves” to defeat the government’s candidates for the upcoming local councils.
The Republican Benefactor
Speaking at the rally, Gasim addressed speculation that he was disbanding the Republican Party, declaring that he was there to express gratitude for DRP MPs and celebrate “a victory for the Maldivian people”.
Gasim said he believed the support for creating seven provinces was driven by “self-interest” as it was intended to “shape things to the advantage of one party”.
He added the bill passed yesterday would pave the way for “unimaginable levels of development” for the atolls.
Grinding henna
Ali Waheed, DRP vice-president, said it takes “a lot of effort and grinding to bring out colour from henna leaves”.
Although the party “made a blunder” on the motion of no-confidence against Foreign Minister Dr Shaheed last year, said Ali Waheed, “yesterday we brought out colour from henna leaves”.
The MP for Thohdhoo went through the list of MPs who voted in favour of the bill, praising each individually.
“Today what we played was a national team match,” he said. “It wasn’t a New Radiant match today. It wasn’t a Victory match today. We have seen that if you play for the national team in the political arena, Gasim Ibrahim will be there. We have seen that today that when the national team plays, Kulhudhufushi South MP Mohamed Nasheed will be there as well.”
Ali Waheed invited the former legal reform minister to come back to the DRP and relayed a message of congratulations from Nasheed.
The real “mid-term election” would be the upcoming local council elections, said Ali Waheed, calling on all opposition parties to band together to defeat the MDP.
He concluded the speech by praising DRP’s honorary leader: “I would say our Zaeem, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, is with us here tonight. The reason is that there’s a full moon tonight and Maumoon is this party’s full moon.”
“Beginning of the end”
Thulusdhoo MP Rozaina Adam said the behaviour of the party that claimed to have ushered in democracy “whenever there’s a democratic vote” had become “a big joke”.
MDP MPs walked out of yesterday’s sitting in protest when none of the party’s amendments won bipartisan support.
Rozaina joined other DRP MPs to thank Hoarafushi MP Ahmed Rasheed “in the name of democracy” for staying behind “even if he just kept pressing red”.
If the DRP win the local council elections, said Rozaina, the government would be left with “a hollow shell”.
Umar Naseer, DRP vice-president, said the victory in parliament would mark “the beginning of the end for the government” as it was now “on life support”.
He added the law would also spell the end for “the ganja smoking councillors” and state ministers appointed by the president who have been “terrorising” the islands.
“Today we saw the MDP walk out of Majlis,” he said. “Before too late now, we will see the president walk out of the government.”
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The beginning of the end for the government is highly probable, I am not suprised as from day one the government has been making dire mistakes, one blunder after another. Nasheed should get his house, the haruge in order, what a feat on the MDPs part, how many months has it been?
If the Maldivians have not learnt anything from the last 30 years, then no one can help them. What development was achieved by the islands by the best efforts of the DRP and their model? Do you really trust the same crooks that ran the country for the last 30 years to be all of a sudden decent people who will deliver real development in the islands. Wakeup to reality. MDP have made mistakes I agree, but DRP made no mistake when they actively sort and manitained a lower class of citizens in the islands. It was all intentional. If MDP is bad, DRP is worse 1000 folds over any given day. No government will ever attend to your own priorities like you would do yourself. It will be a matter of choosing the lesser evil and the choice is crystal clear to me.
Mr. President.
Please could you revamp MDP government sacking all those "Gundaas" and reducing the number of unnecessary political post. Your administration is no different and may be worser than maumoons 30 years. My friends are jobless and homeless and their childrens are suffering badly and could you please fulfill your promises so that we all could live a prosperous life.
President should believe that he is the president of this country, not a president of MDP,so he must be fair to everyone.He should not do everything what MDP Activist told him to do.He must obey the majority that is what a democracy is so called.
i agree, Nasheed feels the heat, which probably he did not thought of in Haruge..
Electricity tariffs increasing which will increase prices of goods. Nasheed we are are tasting your hithibeys.. and now we have little hope for you.so, its better you prove what you have said soon
MDP is the first ever government formed in the Maldives who are true followers of democracy. Democracy is people power and for the people to feel the democratic value takes time. Some idiotic substandard politician of old regime is still thinking they can exploit people to ruin the democracy. We should not give a chance to flourish this ideology again. Hope Mr. Nasheed’s government can last till the ordinary citizen learn what a democracy is.
Presently I can observe Gasim, the leader of the Republican Party is coalition with main opposition. I thought Gasim's Republican Party is in coalition with ruling MDP.
If Gasim's Republican is not in the MDP Alliance, MDP should dissolve the Alliance, and move ahead independently.
There is no coalition sprit on the part of coalition members, Colition members trying to destry the government...funny democracy ah.
whether MDP are the champions of democracy in this country is irrelevant for most of the population. not surprising since most don't know the value of democracy or what democracy is for that matter. what is wrong here is MDP has really got out of touch with reality. MDP has failed to customize and ease democracy on to the peoples. MDP has become arrogant and over-confident, going into unnecessary confrontations. MDP has failed to unite but successfully partitioned the different political influences. MDP is in delusion and somebody from within needs to wake it up.
What the ordinary people want is a decent living, a piece of mind, an acceptable health care and education. You can call it modern democracy or western democracy or whatever. Its simply not the name its whether the goverment can offer those to the ordinary people. MDP made promises even they themselves cannot afford. The promise was made to believe the people that things will happen immediatley after the new govt. Now its nearly a year and a half an the man on the street has not seen any change insted all he can feel is higher inflation and living. More crime and unsafe to live. So I urge goverment to take things more seriousely than wait till few months before next election and start jumping like always do.
MDP forgot the simple maths behind their election during the first day in office..
Maumoon - 43%
Anni - 25%.
Now this is for real that the Coalition Governement has failed.. Qasim is 15% or more..
So all those who are power hungry and are hypocrites will now move to DRP... Lets wait and see.. My best bet is even Jabir will move to DRP around 2011 or 2012. And then I would not be surprised is Ibr Husein Zaki moves..
What a failed state we are in.
HassanK,
It was these ignorant, stupid, good for nothing Maldivians that gave majority to DRP/PA when President Nasheed was constantly reminding them that candidates of his party can win in any election in any where in the "WORLD" Now we ignorants are stamping out foot on our own balls.(men only) we women I dont know....
@ HassanK
It seems that you are oblivious of the reality of poor Maldivians out there. They dont ask government for large sums of money. All they are expecting is fair and effective administration or a system, which can
- Implement a minimum wage so that no one works day and night for a single penny
- Implement an effective system that could stimulate better jobs to Maldivians by discouraging foreign labours
- Offer quality education in school by restricting what those foreign teachers are exploiting from expensive tuition fees for our children.
- Provide an effective credit system in our banking system so that new businesses can be formed by people by discouraging people who defaults of loans.
- Increase competition in our banking system so that more instruments from bank can be available to our businessmen who could diversify their business
The list goes on and on.... and this is how people live life around the world.Go out there and check the reality. Do you realize how much social problems are arising in our society due to our inefficient system? It seems you are too indoctrinated by the MDP propaganda and may still have misinformed about DRP's capability.
Finally, We are seeing the true color of Buruma Gasim.
Drill Gasim, should form a political party with Mavota Shareef and Imaadhu Solih.
I see you have just joined their club of hypocracy and as far as I am concerned I am out of Quaumy Party.
Good bye Gasim, You do not have an iota of feeling towards the well being of Maldivian people all you want is a free ride.
MDP is ANNI and ANNI is MDP that is the main problem. Mr. Nasheed has his own set of ideas and MDP members should either follow them or leave. He does not listen to others and decide on the advice given to him by others. He is arrogant though he pretend otherwise, he is dictatorial though he portrays himself as democratic, he is stubborn though he shows himself as receptive.
Mr. Nasheed wants to be the champion of democracy in the Maldives and he wants Maldivians as well as the outside world to recognise him as such. In reality he is just one individual among many who are the champions of democracy in the Maldives, however, I would not yet say democracy but rather those who over threw the Qayooms rule.
MDP only had a few individuals capable of runing a smooth administration but they have all left MDP because it was impossible for them to function in various organs of MDP. Like Qayoom Mr. Nasheed cannot tolerate any other to become popular or be recognised by members of MDP. People like Dr. Didi, Afeef, Maria, Zaki to an extent Reeko, the Aslam Shakir character, the MDP parlimentarians and few others who hero worship Nasheed is now in the MDP administration. Mr. Nasheeds rule is very similar to Qayoom, he is trying to build a cult just like Qayoom, but in this age it will be very difficult for him to build it. Its very likely he will be over thrown soon but the opposition may not want it to happen as it would create a very unhealthy precedent threatening the survival of future governments.
@ Adam
"It seems that you are oblivious of the reality of poor Maldivians out there. They dont ask government for large sums of money. All they are expecting is fair and effective administration or a system, which can ..."
Its so funny that you raised these points to refute what HassanK said.
You obviously forgot that Gayyoom could not see any validity in any of your points during 30 years of his regime even though your list is so long that it can go on and on as you said.
In effect, I think you agree with HassanK.
You agree that there are still poor Maldivians out there who are waiting for their savior.
You agree that they are asking not for anything else but for a fair and just system.
You agree that we have a lot of social problems due to an inefficient system.
What HassanK is saying is that why are you ignoring that a government that ruled for 30 years and could not do anything to improve on any of these things would suddenly be so nice that they will work to improve these things now.
I am now wondering who is indoctrinated and who is not.
"Its very likely he will be over thrown soon but the opposition may not want it to happen as it would create a very unhealthy precedent threatening the survival of future governments."
This is the impression I am getting too.
Why then are the MDP members so adamant that they are calling for the resignation of those who do nto agree with them?
I guess they think they are strong and if they are unbeatable.
"but the opposition may not want it to happen as it would create a very unhealthy precedent threatening the survival of future governments"
People are more hungry for power than to be considerate of what will happen to Maldivian politics I would say.
I rather think president Nasheed actually does not give a damn about being popular. He has taken the task of getting the countries finance in order making himself highly unpopular among those who refuse to look past their own comfort.
What Nasheed has brought to this country can never be taken back now, i also realized it recently. The freedom to voice what we want. Yes MDP members like Reeko need to tone it down a bit, they are not helping their party by talking like that.
And DRP really needs to stop this maumoon worship and work for the country instead of trying to constantly get an elected government down.
Have patience DRP in three years is election, the airwaves the TV is all yours, you have the platform to campaign that even President Nasheed didn't have.
As for Buruma, he was against maumoon, for maumoon and than against to bring him down, and now participating in a party which worships Maumoon.
I'd love to see how all of them tear each other to pieces come next election.
President Nasheed might win or not in the comming election, but his legacy to this country will live on.
And hopefully he can get rid of the useless portion of civil servants, get the countrys finance in order and get maldivians to easier living conditions within the next three years.
Meanwhile i for one am willing to give him time, cause he is doing something that is sorely needed.
Just that MDP needs to listen more to the people and work with them.
lets just hope VP does not join the bandwagon, that will be it, joining a party that worships the man who tortured his family and who to this day claims he has never harmed any maldivian
The decentralization bill is finally complete. It is worth celebrating. However, all MPs including DRP members Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, Ali Waheed and Rozaina Adam and Qasim Ibrahim had failed to uphold their vow of protecting the Constitution.
To strengthen the democracy MDP must form its socio economic policies. Unless there is a dramatic change, people will not feel the changes that are taking place and the freedom will bring negative development. MDP seems not much keen on regulatory system to establish a good economic foundation. Banking and foreign currency is main economic factor in the Maldives which is out of control. Foreign currencies are not banked instead converted in the black market and this is hampering on the economy of the country. Also Resorts own by anti government people deliberately do not put their foreign currency in the banks and destroying the economy and the Government keep their hands tied and do nothing
The most important thing in a democracy is how the economy in regulated. There should be strict regulatory system to control finance and distribution of money. Once this system is established, the jobs will open and people will get in to jobs and start making money and there will be no chance for corrupt politics to surface
This gov sucks, in golhaas 30 years i was paying rf 500 or 600 for electrcity, now its rf 1200, and no subsidy for me...
@Rocket
First of all majority of Maldivians no longer want to listen to these pejorative words - 30 years, regime.. any more and they've understood what the reality is and its just few MDP zealots like you who doesn't want to accept the fact and let me just prove you in figures
- The GDP in 1978 was USD 200 by 2008 its USD 3000
- There were 15 schools in 1978 and by 2008 it has 349 and student population has doubled
- There were only 65 University graduates in 1978 and in 2008 we have over 3000
- In 1985 there were only 28 doctors and 74 nurses by 2008 550 doctors, 1200 nurses 600 medical personal, 800 community health workers were trained
And again the list goes on and on. No one with a knowledge of economics would accept that Maldives had an incredible development. There are many countries around the world which are deteriorated over these 30 years. The condition in Maldives have changed dramatically and therefore dramatic revamp needs to our economy and social condition and that doesn't imply that Maumoon's presidential term is wrong.
I can see what happens when people (like MDP) vows to deliver too many high promises to its people. Have they delivered it? Do they have capability to deliver it? I guess its more worser now.
MDP's success and failures are because of President Nasheed himself, as a observer from out side ever since he has been elected, I was hoping him to give a speech for all Maldivians to reconcile and work for the nation, he never did, he always give either to polarize or sarcastic speeches for few audiences. Now MDP and its followers are going to face the reality. Its very easy to talk about democracy but to practice democracy is not that easy, as Ghandi ,to a reporters question said "Britsih have good ideas" but he was not sure whether thats good for India when he was having non violent protest
@ Adam
Just one bit to add.
Number of Druggies on the streets in 1978 and the same by 2008.
When you take the ownership of the successes have the balls to take the responsibility for this as well
@ Adam
"First of all majority of Maldivians no longer want to listen to these pejorative words – 30 years, "
Are you embarrassed that Gayyoom ruled for 30 years?
"No one with a knowledge of economics would accept that Maldives had an incredible development. There are many countries around the world which are deteriorated over these 30 years. "
Incredible development????????
I must learn what incredible development is.
You did not give the stats of crimes.
I would like to see the numbers of murders, the numbers of drug addicts, numbers of drug related offences, numbers of political activists jailed, etc, etc.
Do you have the stats of these?
Yes the country could have been worse. But any worse than what we are would not have seen Gayyoom as the president for 30 years.
Our economy was kept at the minimun level at which Gayyoom could survive for 30 years as president. Everything was done to make him stay there.
Have a look at the islands. How many islands have a proper sanitation system? How many islands have safe drinking water? How many islanders earn even Rf 1000 per month?
Just because we did not fall into an anarchic state, that does not mean Gayyoom did a fantastic job. I will always blame Gayyoom for keeping our islanders in such a poor state.
It’s easy to talk about what 30 years has achieved. But these achievements are without any results. So many doctors and nurses are produced but still the number of people seeking medical assistance from abroad has increased, for all professional jobs in the most vibrant industry Tourism are imported expatriates. Maldivians do not get a nickel from payroll of professional categories.
What we have seen in the 30 years was evolutionary development rather than a visionary development
The verdict of the people is ringing loud in the country. The people do not want to experience "wills and pledges" anymore. Only a few cronies of the Mentally Deranged Paranoids aka MDP will rally to the cause of the "wills and pledges". Wake-up MDP, don't you see your elite and intellect going to waste, just by giving hoodlums like IHZ and Reeeee-ko-ko-ko-koh the reings of the government and more, the reins of the Party.
How many citizens have been told what exactly the “unimaginable levels of development” will be for every atoll. Could one request Minivan news please to bring some perspective into the decentralization bill.
Lets put it this way, i will never ever vote for anyone who even says Maumoon was a good leader who never did any harm to this country.
likewise i will also never ever vote for anyone who forms any link with DRP as long as they maintain that their Zaeem for life is their sun moon and what not.
And i know a lot of people who feel this way. The day anyone be it from DRP or an independent like Kutti Nasheed turns around and acknowledges what Maumoon did to this country i will consider voting for them.
I will take electricity prices going up for a while as long as there is hope on the horizon, to that of keeping my electricity bill low, while my fellow citizens are tortured and raped in jail marely for daring to criticize the government.
To live a life of fear pretending that everything is all right as long as we keep our head down and not criticize the government, i will not ever vote for anyone who wants to drag us back to those days or even pretends we never went through that.
Interesting indeed. Some of Leela and Aicha's comments above seem to capture many of my thoughts. 'Those days' really were days of actions, attitudes, beliefs, mindsets that we should not return to, if we are to progress as a people, as a nation. These days, on the other hand, we see a leadership that, despite blunders and quite a few aspects that need improvement, have proven that they have the will to take this nation to that much needed different paradigm on several fronts. And as is commonly said, where there is a will, there is a way. May we see better days ahead with a common endeavour among all to put both the short and long term interests of the nation first.