The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has raised the possibility of legal action against the Zaeem-DRP (Z-DRP) faction formed by some of its members last month, claiming it had infringed opposition party’s rights to its name and logo and threatened to “confuse” supporters ahead of the 2013 election.
DRP Deputy Leader and spokesperson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef told Minivan News that although he believed the Z-DRP had acted in a manner that would put off voters looking for a change to the current government, he was concerned about possible confusion among voters over the identity of the opposition’s leadership.
He claimed that after repeated requests to try and require party members aligned to the Z-DRP to work within the main party’s constitution and avoid criticising and attacking its leadership, party heads were now considering how to deal with what they see as dissent in the ranks.
Formed amidst an ongoing dispute between serving DRP leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and his predecessor and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Z-DRP aims to represent the former national leader and his supporters. The faction includes serving MPs including Ahmed Mahlouf and dismissed deputy leader Umar Naseer, who led seven days of protests in the capital last week.
The Z-DRP and its supporters have been critical of Thasmeen and his role in opposing the government of President Mohamed Nasheed.
Referring particularly to what he said were party concerns about the by the Z-DRP of the party’s name and imagery, Shareef said he did not rule out the possibility of legal action being taken against registered party members belonging to the faction backing former President Gayoom over allegations they were infringing on the DRP’s image.
“The DRP council has recently met and passed legislation to give authority to the party’s leader [Thasmeen] to deal with the situation and protect the party’s name,” he said. “If it is deemed that matters warrant legal action then we will take it through the courts.”
Umar Naseer and the Z-DRP leadership had not responded to Minivan News at time of press.
After officially beginning work as the Z-DRP last month, Umar Naseer who is a prominent figure in the factional group, was yesterday reported claiming the faction was near to announcing its own presidential candidate for general elections scheduled for 2013, according to the Miadhu newspaper.
Speaking yesterday to assembled journalists, Naseer was reported to have said that the faction represented the “real DRP” for party supporters and had a strong chance of winning the presidential elections in two years time.
Along with working to try and form a parliamentary council under the Z-DRP banner, Naseer claimed that the faction would reveal its presidential candidate following a primary he expected to be held at a congress next year.
Shareef denied that the announcement of a Z-DRP presidential candidate would be a concern to the coutnry’s main opposition party, claiming the public were now becoming used to democratic processes. However, he accepted that there was a danger that some people were becoming confused as to who the DRP’s leader actually was.
“I don’t believe [a Z-DRP presidential candidate] is a concern. After what will be five years of democracy in the country, I believe people are more aware and will not vote for people who are unable to follow their own party’s constitution,” he claimed. “I don’t think we have to fear about the impact of the Z-DRP.”
Speaking earlier this year regarding a possible split between different factions in the DRP, MP Ahmed Nihan, who is among the members of the Z-DRP, said that he had been the designer of the DRP’s sailboat logo and under recently passed intellectual property laws, he held the rights to the image.
“I designed the logo, which received over 700 votes to be adopted as the symbol of the party on 21 July 2005,” he said. “If anyone tries to make a big deal of the issue then we can claim it. They have never paid me for the use of [the logo].”
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If Thasmeen had a miniscule of leadership in his bones he would have dismissed these clowns from DRP. This is an insult to the whole democratic spirit of the country. The joker (Maumoon) is now returning to Male on Saturday merely because MDP said he can't come. This is the level of immaturity in him. I would have thought that at least his offsprings especially Dunya would be more mature to pretend play.
it is highly unlikely that Thasmeen will win a court case on the legality of Z-DRP. My bet is Azima Shukoor will be representing Maumoon group and they will win just like they are winning all the court cases.Sadly Yaameen is the boss of the courts.
It's equally sad that PA's General Secretary Ahmed Shareef is being made the Secretary General of Elections Commission. He and Ismail Habeeb will be in the forefront to rig the votes left, right and center.
nihan can make logos. what a talented MP.
Mr Shareef, I don't think Maldivians are that dumb to confuse between your DRP and Z-DRP. Do you know that many democratic parties in India and Pakistan too have numerous fractions of one political party? Poor villagers from those countries who vote by thumb print never managed to be confused among those fractions,so how on earth can maldivians get confused between just one fraction of DRP and DRP. You are just scared as you know the majority of maldivians will vote for Z-DRP in the next presidential election but not for you guys. Thasneem is nothing without the support from Qayyoom.
@Ziyan. Don't even attempt to compare mature Indian voters with Maldivian voters just because of poverty. It's the Maldives people who are running around like blind bats with their new found democracy.
Thasmeen needs to show leadership and take legal action against Z-DRP. Z-DRP clearly do not have the guts to form their own party and are acting totally outside the legal framework for political parties.
The Z-DRP frontline reads like Kaamineege Private Limited and it's as clear as daylight that this is another attempt by the Family to regain the power they lost after 30 years.
The way this faction is being run with Umar Naseer as its mouth piece shows its true colours. How can any Maldivian who would like a better future for their country even take one look at these clowns?
How can they be trusted with running a democratic country when they cannot even run their own party legally and in a democratic manner?
looks like the dispute over party name is solved. Somebody has registered a business name under Z-DRP. So now this name will belong to him.
Reminds me of the time Maumoon's government registered "Friends of Maldives' with Tony Dhaitha in UK in order to disrupt the work of the actual FOM that was helping MDP. What comes around goes around.
I heard that someone has registered a trade company called Z-DRP. Its the acronym for Zero Deposit Raising Pulse. lol
Yep, Z-DRP is a registered company now and the Zaeem faction is a bit stuffed at the moment. Time to get creative.
I'd suggest registering a COMPANY in the name of Kaamineege Private Ltd and try to win the next general election using that. This way, at least, there is no ambiguity as to the purpose of their bid for Presidency. No one can blame them for not being transparent!
Can Gayoom find something else to stand on. He can form his own party. Why run around DRP. This guy has no balls to think?
OMG: Now it's this lunatic Nihan who owns the DRP logo and not DRP! Ewwww.
This just gets better and better and better. Mundhoo "Yes I am spokesman for the Governmnent and we are the Z-DRPee" there is a Massive demonstration, the sizing of Peshawar taking place against the opposition and they are Islamic extremist people trying to build churches like temple yak yak yak *`/*&^&%*$
z drp or whatever is trying to bring ex president maumoon and his cronies back to power...its thasmeen who would be the next presidential candidate
Wish I kept the notes or remembered the details, but sat in on a Professor giving examples, stats all over the world arguing that most voters do not vote 'reasonably' anywhere. personality, propaganda, religious sentiment, group think, all these things have as much influence as reason according to him... of course stats can be used to back up the opposite argument, but, I don't hold out a lot of hope for Thasmeen unfortunately...
Resources amongst the leaders of the opposition are utilized in destructive ways rather thaninproductive ways, as the priority seems to be power rather than genuine caring. Image, power, 'face' all these aspirations are squashing humanity in the Maldives, in fact in the world, and it hasto be curbed. For example, I was thinking about the Maldivians struggling to survive, how desparately sad that is. There is enough wealth in the Maldives so that no single Maldivian should go without necessities, so if Thasmeen, Maumoon, the opp. etc... really cared, instead of impovereshing the Maldivians more by keeping them up through violent protests so that work and study can't be done, why do not they pool their resources into establishing basic Sadaqah (charity) for any who are absolutely desparate.
Oh, one more point I just thought of which is relevant...
Charity is a form of justice, because in this world, the rich become rich by breaking the backs of the poor, oppressing and crushing the poor, somewhere, in the long run. The Arabic word Sadakah or Zadakah, (charity)comes from Sadaq or Zadok which literally means justice, or righteoussness in ancient Semitic usage. Why is this relevant?
Because, many of the ilthy rich in the Maldives have become so through robbing from the poor, so these, the super rich, they OWE the poor. Therefore, for those Maldivians in need, do not be ashamed to admit so, DEMAND SO, demand your JUST dues from the thieves.
Why do you think that such harsh punishments are in store in Jahannum for those who withold the Zakat (lit. the purifying dues - purifying the rich of their selfishness and greed! i.e. JUSTICE! A black venemous snake will become the wealth that you hoard, you will carry the camel you witheld on your back into the Akhira (after life...) Now, I am no fundamentalist so I don't take these things from a literalist, or Zahirite perspective, yet the imagery is powerful and symbolizes a deep truth that it is not simply meanness to withhold charity, it is INJUSTICE and cruelty.
So, Thasmeen, Maumoon, Umar Naseer, stop injuring your followers and others through protest, forget about power, and CARE for them, give then what is their JUST DUE, start a massive relief campaign for them! It is very cruel, dehumanizing, and exploitative to pray on their desparation and pain to promote your own evil agendas! You are robbing them, deluding them, and impoverishing them, hurting them MORE.
@ben
"So, Thasmeen, Maumoon, Umar Naseer, stop injuring your followers and others through protest, forget about power, and CARE for them, give then what is their JUST DUE, start a massive relief campaign for them!"
This is very good advice. As you very well know, it won't be heeded as the people involved are simply not interested in helping their fellow countrymen.
What you've suggested above is exactly what some parties in the Middle Eastern countries do. For example, Hamas gained so much popularity with the people exactly because of their charitable work, and not because of uprisings or street protests.
Similarly, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and numerous other groups throughout the world capitalise on charitable work, which is a far better and a much longer lasting way of gathering support.
The chariable model in the Maldives is the 1000 year old tradition of begging at the feet of "bodun". This has continued to the present day.
What justification did Gayyoom have in claiming a massive budget for his Palace in the form of "charity"? Thousands of people were forced to write letters begging for help to the Dictator's Palace, which, of course he disregarded. His cronies were well looked after, and these examples are in the Auditor General's report on the Palace!