DRP Official Backs “Limited” Freedom of Assembly

The coordinator for the ruling Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP) and presidential appointee to the Special Majlis, Ibrahim Shafiu, has said restrictions on freedom of assembly are needed to ensure public safety and accelerate the reform process.

In an interview with Minivan News this week, Shafiu strongly condemned recent protests held by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), calling the participants “petty criminals” who should be “removed from the streets.”

“We are a peaceful and peace-loving nation. We are not used to people on the streets trying to intimidate the institutions of state,” he said.

“And these people who are demonstrating have been responsible for some sort of corruption or trying to manipulate the system in the past. Now they are trying to bring the system down.”

“Children have been hospitalized [by these protests]. These activities are frightening and disturbing and they put people in danger.”

Shafiu said the limitations to peaceful protest imposed by a presidential decree in May were necessary to prevent mass protests causing “havoc”:

“Now we have regulations under the presidential decree. They allow the opposition to demonstrate on any issue. They allocate where demonstrations can be held. The government accepts that they can demonstrate… the presidential decree only narrows the right [to freedom of assembly]; you can’t just come onto the streets whenever you like and shout,” he said.

Shafiu said that “the majority of Maldivians” were not prepared to accept mass rallies similar to those often witnessed in Paris, where protests effectively close down much of the city for weeks:

“The space in Male’ is limited. You can’t have people on the streets like you see in French demonstrations. A kind of limited demonstration is needed in the Maldives, where you can voice opposition but in a controlled environment and where people can go and safely participate. But when they [the MDP] cross this line and go onto the streets, they upset the majority of the public who are happy with our political system.”

The police arrested almost 200 MDP supporters in May as they attempted to quash a series of opposition rallies in the capital. The European Union and the United Nations expressed concern over the arrests. However, Shafiu denied that the police overreacted:

“Even for a minute I don’t think so. Maafanu Park – this is an area for children to go and enjoy. These MDP people started to take over that park. They were shouting their political nonsense and children were frightened to go there. They were told not to gather there but they did. They had their rice pudding feasts and they were shouting on megaphones. Children shouldn’t have to hear that. For ten days there were warned by the police. But it got out of hand. There was a confrontation with locals and the police had to intervene. They [the MDP] are the ones on the streets creating havoc.”

More people were arrested in the week following the May demonstrations than at any other period in President Gayoom’s 28 year rule. But Shafiu denied that the arrests undermined public confidence in the democratic reform process.

“These people who were arrested are 80% petty criminals. They were going out creating violence in the streets. These were not random people [who were arrested.] If you look at the files of these people, you’ll see that. Most people are happy that the government will not tolerate disorder on the streets. Most people are in favour of the government action to remove these people from the streets,” he said.

“I am a member of the Special Majlis and I was unable to attend the Majlis without being called names and harassed. Now, after the arrests, attendance in parliament has improved. So, the speed of reform has increased now that these people have been removed. Since the presidential decree, this trouble has stopped and I’m much happier about that.”

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