Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq has confirmed that Umar Naseer, former Deputy Leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), has now been removed from the opposition party’s membership list, calling his dismissal an “internal dispute”.
”The DRP office requested the commission to remove his name from the party’s membership saying that they have dismissed him,” said Thaufeeq. ”So we removed his name accordingly in respect to the party’s wishes.”
Thaufeeq said that both DRP and Naseer have been informed of the commission’s decision.
”We also considered the letter sent to us by Naseer and we have responded to it,” he said. ”The issue with Umar and the DRP is really an internal issue, it is not the part of the commission to get in to such matters.”
Thaufeeq said that according to the DRP’s charter, anyone declining the decision of a disciplinary committee should turn to the party’s appeal committee. “We informed Mr Naseer that this is the way to resolve his issue,” he added.
Umar Naseer was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.
The DRP last week asked the Elections Commission to remove Naseer’s name from its membership list after the party’s disciplinary committee voted to dismiss him the previous month, leading to a growing war of words between the former deputy and current leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.
The former deputy leader alleged that Thasmeen was purposely attempting to dismiss him after the DRP council voted narrowly to move ahead with a disciplinary hearing.
Tensions have risen within the party between supporters loyal to both Thasmeen and Naseer, leading to some MPs, including the dismissed deputy, flying out to Malaysia to meet with former president and DRP honorary leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Gayoom returned to the Maldives last week in order to try and “reinstate unity” in the DRP along with assisting its local council elections campaign.
Gayoom described the ongoing war of words within the DRP as ‘disputes’ rather than the formation of faction.
Umar Naseer was formerly the leader of Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), which he later abolished after the presidential elections, despite opposition from the party’s deputy leader and some supporters. Afterwards Umar joined DRP and got elected as a deputy leader during the last DRP congress.
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What utter BS by the Election Commission....
Umar Naseer might be the most annoying politician BUT i do not see how he got kicked out of DRP altogether. It is one thing for the Disciplinary Committee of DRP to remove him from the VP position... but to kick him out of the party all together...now that is absurd.
And on top of that the other fools who were clowning around with him did not receive the same judgment as him...people like Mahuloof, Ali Waheed, Ilham...etc...
Fuad's decision is unjust... he has no right to adhere to the whims and fancies of the DRP leader in kicking Umar Naseer from the party altogether...
Although i also believe he is an absolute nuisance and a bloody pain in the ass... his removal from DRP, i think, is unjust...
(Yet, i too hope it is the end of Umar Naseer's arrogant, annoying self...:-))
There are a lot of questions behind the whole Umar saga, since what Umar did, was the exact thing Ilham did. However, Thasmeen decided to remove Umar from the party, pretending Ilham never even existed. Thasmeen is a very corrupt MP, so one has to wonder, how can such a person run for the president? A lot of DRP members already hate this guy, and if Maumoon utters a single word against him, there is no doubt many who are with him are also bound to change sides. I don't see DRP winning the presidential elections with Thasmeen. They should look for an alternative, which shouldn't be Yameen OR Maumoon.
It is reported in some websites that fuad thaufeeg was arrested during maumoons presidency for burning the underwear of his wife who was then a secretary of maumoon. I also heard of that rumor when I was a kid. Maybe its true and this is fuads revenge on maumoon,hehe.
Wow.
This one move raises DRPs average intellectual points by a few dozen points 😉
I once again reiterate my desire to see a more erudite, intellectual class of leaders in the country's largest opposition.
I know DRP has a lot of highly capable leaders, but they seem to be taking a backseat in favor of useless attention whores like Ali Waheed, Mahlouf and whatsisname-Ilham.
Umar is an under cover agent of MDP to stir trouble and weaken drp leadership. He has already succeeded in his mission. He can rest until hired again.
@alibeyya
Umar agent of MDP. No way. He was puppet of Gayoom ordered to create problems in DRP (especially for Thasmeen) so that he could return to save the party. But it seems that move has back-fired for Mumoon and Umar both.
Indian CID played a good role in the DRP problems.. and Umar is their boy.. just a few 100,000 dollors with a warning ..keekekke