External Pressure On Gayoom Forced My Release – Anni

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) has dismissed the possibility that the ‘New Maldives’ ministers played any significant part in ensuring his release.

Instead, the opposition figurehead suggested that street protests by party supporters, coupled with pressure from foreign governments, forced President Gayoom to free him from house arrest.

Anni was released on Thursday after 13 ½ months’ detention. His release was a product of the British-mediated Westminster House talks between the government and the MDP.

“There was a certain amount of pressure on the government that forced them to relent. It was mainly because of the direct action on the streets, which bought attention to the whole issue, which in turn led to more robust international action,” Anni told Minivan News on Friday.

“My release also indicates that the government is bankrupt. You will probably find that there is some amount of dollars linked to this,” he said.

But Anni did not give any credit to ‘New Maldivians’ Hassan Saeed and Dr Shaheed, who negotiated on behalf of the government during Westminster House:

“There are reformists with the government. But that doesn’t really matter. What matters is what Gayoom thinks. When he wants to act like a reformist, he brings in the reformists and gets them to do his bidding. When he doesn’t want to reform, he’ll fire the likes of Hassan Saeed.”

“Gayoom is not dependent on the reformists’ views. Hassan Saeed and Dr Shaheed were there, and Gayoom got them to help him out. But Gayoom decided the course of action. If Gayoom wanted to build a new, draconian jail, he has someone else at hand who will be very dutiful and help him. There are lots of different types of people in this regime and one thing that Gayoom has mastered is divide and rule,” Anni said.

However, Anni added that the cracks within the regime – between the reform-minded ‘New Maldives’ ministers and their hardline colleagues – are significant and have served to further weaken Gayoom’s already ailing dictatorship.

Anni stated his contention that it is “simply a matter of time” before Gayoom is removed from office.

Regarding his immediate plans, Anni said he would be “making trips to the Atolls and building the party up to a formidable level.”

“At the same time we will direct a lot of energy to get the constitution done. We don’t want that dragged out. We will use all available means to have that process speeded up,” he added.

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