Fifteen Minutes With Monaza Naeem And The MNC

On 29 April the Maldivian National Congress (MNC) announced itself as a new reformist party with a full page advert in the opposition organ, Minivan Daily.With a media team arranging access to the party’s leader Mohamed (Monaza) Naeem, a website boasting revolutionary icons, and an orange “platform” leaflet, the party seems ready for business.

The party’s platform statement offers up a heady mix of radical democracy and socialist economics, promising “democracy will permeate relationships between people” and “social ownership of the Maldivian natural resources for the benefit of Maldivians.”

But the details of this program are far from worked out. Monaza says the Maldives needs “more privatisation,” before condemning “foreign investors who want short term gains.” And the “non-oppressive relationships within an Islamic framework,” promised in the MNC platform, turn out not to be as radically democratic as they sound.

Yet talking to Monaza, a coherent idea of the MNC does emerge. His idea, put simply, is that the country’s government should be accountable to Maldivians. But rather than the European political rhetoric of the platform, his vision for society springs from his Islamic faith, which, even in a short meeting, it is clear he takes very seriously.

Backstory

“If this party stands for one thing, it is that what happened to my father should never be allowed to happen to anyone else,” Monaza’s son, Muzaffar, the author of the party’s platform says with typical political flair. But with an understanding of Monaza’s personal motive for establishing the MNC, the party dose makes more sense.

Monaza‘s ex-wife Khadeeja Hassan is head of the powerful Maldives Monetary Authority, and a close friend of President Gayoom’s wife, Nashreena.

In 2004, Khadeeja successfully lobbied the Tourism Ministry to hand ownership of the Ranveli resort, joint-owned by herself and Naeem, to Khadeeja outright. The action was taken while Monaza was in Mecca on the Umra pilgrimage and thirteen of his personal and company bank accounts were frozen by the MMA.

Freedom

Unlike the established opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), when Monaza criticises “the holders of abusive political power,” he is more concerned with economic than political freedom.

“This country has no proper economic system,” he says. “The government should privatise and become a government alone, regulators of the economy.”

Instead, Monaza says, the government owns and runs the economy, controlling people through it. “You cannot say they do not know what they are doing. They have these policies which make everyone dependent, begging them for their daily bread.”

And Monaza says this is because, “the people in power feel if the Maldivians are breathing easily, if they have economic freedom and a fruitful life, it is a threat to the people in control.”

He says the problems of the economy are becoming increasingly apparent. On the recent drivers’ strike, Monaza says “the people of this country should recognise it as a first alarm. And soon there will be a blast if people don’t realise the gravity of the situation.”

Foreigners

When challenged on the contradictions between his call for privatisation, and the “social ownership” described in the party’s platform, Monaza reveals a strongly nationalist bent to MNC politics.

“Ultimately our islands are the property of Maldivian people,” Monaza says. But because, “foreigners are made welcome to buy whole islands, the Maldivian fellow becomes a slave to these foreign owners.”

“We do not want Maldivians to suffer anymore,” Monaza explains simply. And when the government stop selling resorts, “for short term economic benefit to just a few people,” he says Maldivians will grow rich off tourism.

“It’s not difficult,” Monaza promises, “all we need is for some experts to come in and overhaul the whole system, and there won’t be any poor men or beggars on the street anymore.”

Faith

Monaza’s Dhivehi pride is married to a strong Islamic faith. Asked whether women should be allowed to be judges, Monaza says, “as a nation practicing Islam for nearly a thousand years, all our positions should follow Muslim rules and regulations.” Indeed, “all the major problems in society are because we are not following religion properly.”

Monaza’s son tells me the day after the interview, “the party’s position on female judges is there should be no restriction. But what cases they can rule on, is a matter to be discussed at a higher level,” cleverly deferring the controversial part of the question to the Islamic Majlis or another body.

But Monaza himself is less guarded and works through the issue of women in society during the interview. “As a real Muslim it is very difficult to comment on this… But every court cannot have a judge as a woman. Women have different duties assigned by God. They have the capacity to take care of the family, home, and society, and it would be too much to ask them to make these decisions too.”

Peaceful Means

Monaza’s reformist zeal is relatively new. “As a senior citizen of this nation,” he confirms he has been regularly asked to join the government’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, and has even attended some parliamentary group meetings, “to hear what President Gayoom has to say.”

“But I was not part of the party at all,” he says. And Monaza is now a critic of the DRP’s status as a ruling party, because no MPs were elected on a party ticket. “We never handed over power to a party called DRP, only to President Gayoom. The government should not be abusing power and setting up DRP as the ruling party, just because it is theirs.”

The MNC does not intend to steal the MDP’s clothes as the party of street protest. “In my mind I do not agree with such actions and things like that,” Monaza says. He hopes to carve out a political reputation by showing “reform can be delivered through the Majlis.”

Monaza was recently made head of the Business Committee of the Special Majlis, the body which has spent three long years agreeing a new constitution for the country.

“There are many things for [the Special Majlis] to do,” admits Monaza. But he says “by overhauling [the business committee] with new rules of procedure,” work on the constitution will accelerate.

According to Monaza, under Aneesa Ahmed, the former DRP chair of the committee, “we only met on the instructions of the [Special Majlis] speaker. Now the speaker must come to me and exchange views before we call a session.”

Yameen Links

The MNC has only officially existed since the Election Commission gave it permission to seek the 3,000 signatures required for registration in March. But in its short life, the party has become closely associated with Abdullah Yameen, the President’s half brother, and his People’s Association (PA).

Although the PA is not formally a political party, it is considered a faction within the People’s and Special Majlis. Monaza is on the governing council of the PA, and follows the PA line in parliament.

“We are not building this party as their house,” Monaza says. And he emphasises, “the party is funded completely by my own business.” Or, as his son points out, “we are not for sale.”

But Monaza does not rule out the possibility of Yameen becoming leader of the party and an MNC presidential candidate, “he has not joined us yet and we would look at the question at that point.”

In the meantime, Monaza confirms he has a close political relationship with Yameen. “Mr Yameen is a good politician and any little things we can do for reform, we will do.”

The combination of Monaza’s faith and his son’s political savvy could make for an interesting new political party. But whether the public take the MNC seriously as a party in its own right may well depend on the development of its political relationship with Yameen and the PA.