Leaders of the religious conservative Adhaalath Party have claimed legislation passed by parliament last week requiring political parties to have a minimum of 10,000 registered members was a direct attempt to dissolve the party.
If the political parties bill passed on Thursday is signed into law, parties without 10,000 members would have three months to reach the legally required number or face being dissolved.
At a press conference on Saturday, Adhaalath Party Leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla said he suspected that “black money” from Indian infrastructure company GMR was behind the decision to insert the clause requiring 10,000 members.
Imran said the bill was intended to “eradicate” Islamic ideology from Maldivian politics and “defeat” the party’s efforts to oppose alleged attempts to secularise the country.
Imran claimed that “a person with a brain would not deny” that the decision by parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee to raise the prerequisite to 10,000 members from 5,000 at a late stage was made “because Adhaalath Party would be disqualified at that number.”
He further contended that the party’s recent campaigns to “reclaim the airport” from the GMR-led consortium and “reform parliament” was also “connected to passing that bill.”
“This is a big political and legal challenge [they] placed before Adhaalath Party. The way the political sphere in the country is shaped today, it is very important for a political party like Adhaalath Party to exist,” he said.
Imran also argued that the bill also violated the constitutional principle of equality.
Following preliminary debate in early 2010, the political parties bill was reviewed and finalised by the Independent Institutions Committee on December 10, 2012.
Writing in his personal blog (Dhivehi) in October, Independent Institutions Committee Chair MP Mohamed ‘Kutti’ Nasheed revealed that “a clear majority” voted in favour of requiring parties to gain 5000 members before it can be officially registered, and 10,000 members before becoming eligible for state funds.
“When the law is passed, the current registered parties with less than 5,000 members would be given a six month period to reach the figure. If a party fails to reach that figure by the end of the period, the particular party would be dissolved,” Nasheed explained.
However, the minimum number of members was later raised to 10,000 and the period shortened to three months before the draft legislation was presented to the Majlis floor for Thursday’s vote.
The political parties bill was passed with 64 votes in favour and four against.
According to figures from the Elections Commission (EC), Adhaalath Party has 5,881 as of December 27. In October 2011, the party had 6,140 members.
Only four parties out of 16 registered in the country have more than 10,000 members, including the formerly ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and Jumhooree Party (JP).
Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, Islamic Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, chief spokesperson of the party, dismissed the notion that the minimum requirement of 10,000 members was approved for economic reasons as political parties were provided funds from the state budget.
Shaheem criticised provisions in recently-passed legislation on MPs’ privileges guaranteeing retirement pensions after one term as well as overseas medical treatment for MPs’ family members as untenable expenses by the state.
“When a MP serves a five-year term, the state has to pay him till he goes to the grave. And [the state] has to take care of him and his family,” Shaheem said.
If state funding for small political parties was too costly, Shaheem argued that a monthly pay of more than MVR 12,000 for island councillors was excessive as well.
Five-member councils in islands with very small populations had “nothing at all to do,” he claimed.
Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz meanwhile said that the membership clause was intended to get rid of the religious conservative party due to its efforts “on behalf of Islam” in recent years.
Muiz referred to the Adhaalath Party’s successful campaign against proposed regulations to authorise sale of alcohol in city hotels as well as its opposition to making Dhivehi and Islam non-compulsory subjects in higher secondary education. He claimed that the party also put a stop to former President Mohamed Nasheed’s attempts to strengthen ties with Israel and “bring Jews” to allow them to “exert influence in the country”.
Muiz, who also serves as the Adhaalath Party’s secretary general, called on “all citizens who love Islam” to sign up for the party.
Sheikh Ilyas Hussain, head of the party’s religious scholars council, meanwhile claimed that efforts to get rid of Adhaalath Party were intended to “erase” Islam from the Maldives and “spread secular activities in society.”
Following the parliament’s vote on the political parties bill, Adhaalath Party Sheikh Mohamed Iyash wrote on the party’s website last week that it was “essential for religious people to have political power given the state of the Maldives.”
“Religion and politics cannot be separated. Calls by some secular individuals to separate religion and politics are dangerous,” he wrote in response to a purported question regarding the “Shariah judgment” on signing for Adhaalath Party.
“Their [secular individuals’] intention is for religious scholars to not criticise any affairs of state and just stay in mosques praying and giving religious advice,” he wrote, adding that it was compulsory upon all Muslims to “enjoin good and forbid evil.”
A “religious political party” in the Maldives was therefore “necessary and obligatory,” he contended.
“Adhaalath Party is the only party formed to protect religion in the country. To say that all other political parties were formed for worldly purposes would not be demeaning them,” he added.
Sheikh Iyash wrote that it was “a big responsibility of every Maldivian citizen to find a way to maintain Adhaalath Party in existence.”
The Adhaalath Party has announced that it would hold a rally on Thursday night to launch a recruitment drive to increase membership.
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Oh my God! Finally.
Eradication of the hyprocites on the horizon. Thank you God! Alhamdhulillahi!!!!
Please get rid of these no-good hyprocrites. May they suffer for using the good religion for their own vile purposes. May they be punished for leading astray the gullible Maldivians.
Alhamdhullilahi. Destroy Adhaalath. Completely!!!
Hello Imran
If people subscribed to your portrait of Islam your party would not have had to worry about the 10k threshold. The fact that you cannot achieve that target indicates that though people value the tenets of Islam they are not in line with the way you go about (mis)using it.
Its a sign of kufr to get extremely angry against muslims, muslim leaders, muslim books, preachers etc. This is especially so when the ulema are attacked. Its the classic Iblis' way of attacking the messenger. The messenger in this age are the inheritors of the ilm, so when you ridicule the ulema you are infact being very predictable. Quruan mentions the rage of kuffar at the very mention of islam and this is a fulfilled prophesy.
May god , please get rid of all these political parties who taking millions of rufiyaa from public funds and these money are getting ended up in few people in the senior level of each party.
We do not need any political party and we only need good leader to manage and run this country for the benefit of its people.
Adaalath part seriously needs to learn how to manipulate, lie, deceive, commit fraud, embezzle, deal in drugs, alcohol. etc. if yu wish to have a party with more members.
You got to be real hypocrites.
Imran adhaalath party is also power hungry. Imran says that he is representing the peoples wishes,, now its time to show how many people u represent.
if you are less than 10000 then it means you are less than 3 percent of our citizens. Think hard when you says its the people wish,
Imran you have been used all these days,, thats politics,
@A Fahmee on Sun, 30th Dec 2012 1:18 PM
You talk about hatred?
Just step back a little, and then compare both the psyche of Maldesh Muslims view of 'Other' religions and say Budhist view of Muslims.
Who hates who more?
@A Fahmee on Sun, 30th Dec 2012 1:18 PM
You talk about hatred?
Just step back a little, and then compare both the psyche of Maldesh Muslims view of 'Other' religions and say Budhist view of Muslims.
Who hates who more?
And you talk of Prophecy? If it is raining, at some point you are bound to talk about wet season. If there is corruption, and oppression, at some stage, people will start whispering about the underhand deals. It does not need a rosy prophecy for the people to realize the junk that gets shoved down the throats, but it does take courage and guts to call the shots as they are.
Let them go back to there caves and plot how to destroy the world. We do not want them in our world, they have been given far too much media air time and space.
If Adaltah is eradicated in Maldives, it is a good beginning for the survival of democracy. However it is very unlikely that the Maladivian totally disagree with adalathist ideology, Adalth is is true representative of Islam, the only troble with dalatha to det good support is due to Maldives being a Maldivian style Islamic nation all in its history. The Adalthtisht style wich is true Islam has always been ridiculed in Maldives. Adalath has got on her feet with some charismatic Adalth preachers who had influenced some uneducated Maldivian by showing their fluencies of Quranic translation by attributing Quranic verses to every aspect in the lives of people. However, what these high pitch preaches have achieved seems slowly fading due to some political influences in adaltha who started meddling with politics with different aim to destroy Maldivian culture which is peaceful in nature, xenophobic but friendly with foreign things with some reservation, and living along with contemporary world, with modernity who love fashion, KFC, Coca Cola Nike, and all western brands. Good Luck Adaltha ... you are in odd and your task is to take people in to dark age from cyber world,
Its Not Islam They are spreading,so call faithless in Pakistan that I cant understand why they need a Political Party to spread Islamic Awareness in Maldives,
These radicals are planing a terror mission to attack India when NATO Leave Afghanistan on 2014,and the main reason they break in to G,M.R Air port is bring the Airport under them to attack India using the Air port over Indian Kashmir.
Pissed at the fact that they are making it sound as if anyone who opposes them opposes Islam,
really? whats wrong with them.
They arent as perfect as they think they are. all judgemental, self righteous..
“Religion and politics cannot be separated. Calls by some secular individuals to separate religion and politics are dangerous”
Nice if you know the exact opposite is true:
"religion and politics should never be mixed. Calls by some extremist religious individuals to mix religion and politics are dangerous."
@saleem
for a budhist view of muslims look no further than burma where they are ethnic cleansing muslims already. yes i know their religion says a lot about the need not to kill flies, but its ok to kill humans.
@A Fahmee on Sun, 30th Dec 2012 4:55 PM
True. They have their faults. But... they should right? afterall they are a false constitution without any form of guidance.
But whats our excuse?
Not surprised of the greedy, alcohol addicted parliament members at this attempt on trying to eradicate Adhaalath.(although dislike Imran for shouting from his lungs all the time!!Not the way of our prophet when dealing with dire situations)
What Shaheem has said on the MPs are very true and dumb Maldivians who says they are coming out of stone age will have their future robbed because of these flea ridden obese MPs who's salary is getting fatter and fatter each day!! no wonder the dumb Ape brained Maldivians who agrees with Darwin's Ape evolution theory support the Mps probably their brain has developed to that extent.
oh wait, i thought the western style maldivians have come out of the stone age but still see them and the west supporting donkey sex, alcohol, drugs and corruption which all existed in the stone age and which Islam came to eradicate!!
Adaalath party will never be eradicated in Maldives and no matter how much Nasheed and his friends hate them?
The extremists are within Nasheed party and Nahseed one man who is behind all these hatred towards Maldivian.
If they are so powerful, why would they have to worry about being "eradicated"? Of course, classic trick of using Islam for their own survival has never been a problem for them.
Their Sheikh's will now proclaim that it's a duty of every Muslim to join their party, in order to save Islam.
May Allah help us in disbanding these idiots who use Islam as a weapon.
@mody
Adaalath party is not a personification of Islam, even if they think they are.
The party is made of human beings and all human beings make mistakes. They are not holymen. And its not only Nasheeds looney friends who dislike him. many others do as well.
Maldives is a 100% Muslim country, and Islam has been established here for well over 800 years. As far as I know Adhaalath is not even 10 years old. Whether Adhaalath goes extinct, or not, there is no danger of Islam diminishing in the Maldives after over 8 centuries.
Moreover, the Maldivian Constitution is bigger than any party manifesto, and that guarantees Islam as the religion of Maldives. All political parties, whether it be MDP, PPM or Gasim's boys have a key pledge to protect Islam and there are Islamic scholars in all these parties.
So, Adhaalath, please wipe out yourselves from our faces, if you don't have the balls to gather enough supporters.
@mody
Shut your mouth you currupt idiot.
If they can't gather 10,00 people in the only religion based party in a 100% Muslim country, then may be they are so out of touch with the true religion and therefore does not deserve to have party status.
There was a time when I felt very uncomfortable knowing that wahhabi sect might one day come to the front line and play a major role in politics. That would have led to a serious set back and the tendency would be to rewind all the western like developments (such as western education, western tourism business) back to the ways of old arab way of life way back when. But I marvel at the way the iththihaadh have used adhaalath to play a side kick role and in the process, very cleverly dishonored the political party from the core. The end result of all this protesting, Islamic unity being used by a pro islamic party to throw out foreign investor and now attacking parliament is totally against the goodwill of those who rEally value their religion. As i result i believe majority of voters now hate these guys and can willfully discredit them in pulic out in the open. prior to this, adhaalath was a stronger movement being a silent political party at most calling for the protection of islam. but now its crossed the line when it started using religion to overthrow foreign direct investment. haha haha. And it is so all too clever to see that right after the overthrow of gmr, a bill is passed to consider adhaalath a non existent party. I just want to thank those who are in charge of planning this out! I just wonder if the people in adhaalath knew this was coming. Fellas wake up n smell it.
A politician should accept not more than salary (only have expenses paid) and live in a way he or she is meeting or contact with others would be public, no secret meetings, no private life for the length of their "job" at the service of the public. If someone is uncomfortable with that, he doesn't have to go for for the job. People vote in their leaders and are sorely disappointed not too long after.
Because they would like to vote for someone honest and they are disappointed and worried when they do not meet the expectation of what they vote for! What character traits should they be looking for in a politician who will govern their affaires? The only worthy politician is the one who sees himself as a servant to the lowest in society while checking the power of the highest. He needs to remind himself that he is not King but instead holds the office of the aggregate of the will of the voters. They the” voters” are not interested in any "character traits" other than integrity, real world "work experience", and an ability to be humble to those he/she represents. If you want to be a great politician who wants to serve the nation selflessly and looking for there constituents love and trust they should try the following
o Know why you are opted. Because Allah SW has given you opportunity to test you.
o Be dedicated to what you are trying to accomplish. If you aren't willing to apply all your efforts to your goal, you won't succeed. You also need to prove to your constituents that you have the drive and motivation to press on when you are feeling less than capable.
o Know why you are serving. Serve the public, not yourself. Government is to be organized and helpful. It is up to you to decide which ways you see fit to serve, as long as they are constitutional. This is not about you.
o
o Practice your public speaking skills. Speak at organized events, such as city meetings. Also, speak to the people you meet daily, like at the grocery store and people that are next to you in long lines. Just practice speaking to strangers, and your anxiety level will go down.
o
o Make connections in your community with all kinds of people, especially those in a position to help you in your bid for public office. Like in Step 1, talk to strangers. Not necessarily every single person you see, but people you encounter in long lines, etc.
o Keep up with current events. This includes local, state, national and international news. National-level politicians need to stay informed about what's going on in the world. Look up news in the web and always read newspapers.
o Learn from the past. If history isn't your favorite subject, national and international politics may not be for you. The best public servants have a firm understanding of the trials, mistakes, failures and successes of their country's previous leaders.
o Acquire new skills. Join and pursue activities that will help you develop the art of diplomacy and learn the skill of the conversation.
o Learn from those who have succeeded. Read autobiographies written by Presidents and other successful high officials to give you an idea of where your opinions and beliefs may fit and to learn more about the political process. They have won the elections and know what it takes to be successful at that level.
o Start small. Run for local offices, then Congress or state-level positions. Another route is to enter the military and become a respected officer. If you are still in school, run for class office. Talk to your peers and find out their concerns. This can be followed by running in local elections. This is all about experience.
o Take part in the contests frequently, because you should challenge yourself to go to stage courageously. The more you challenge yourself, the more you will learn.
o Be courageous and candid always
Adalath Party's website was recently hacked and defaced...from the cyberworld. Now imran and his AP are going into OBLIVION also called as a POLITICAL BLACKHOLE. Ranting and raving that GMR is still pulling political strings is a case of SOUR GRAPES...he he he ho!
shahid. who are you tell me to shut my mouth?
This is basic problem with people like you and gnashed supporter. You have no tolerance to digest anything which you do like.
Yes You can not eradicated Adaalth Party in the Maldives and they will continue to engage in Maldives politics whether you like or not.
Do not under estimate other people and Nasheed is not only the man who can be the president of this country and there are many people who are much better than your cult leader.
Nasheed will never be able to come back to power.
1. Not one single Muslim country lives in peace and democracy. In contrary, in the name of the same religion and the same god, they chase and kill each other.
2. No one else but 'Muslim' countries use religion in politics.
3. In a all-Muslims country : why do we need a Ministry for Islam Affairs ?? To summon Dr. A. and more moderate scholars to be threatened ?
4. If people like to be Muslim that much, why then it needs no be forced and compulsory by law ?
Faith, belief, religion is between God and you. No need to force us to sing Arabic from preschool. We better would spend that time for studies of sciences and other.
@A Fahmee
Next time you want to whine about the muslims getting butchered in Burma, go and ask them why they are getting massacred.
They will tell you that because one of them raped a woman of a different faith, and that they defended the rapist and murdered the policemen who came to arrest the rapist.
Such is the punishment upon the rapist, and all who protect him.
@ mody
I think ppm is being more treacherous to Adhaalath than MDP for the last few weeks. The coming military government will make sure Adhaalath disappears more surely than MDP. The democratic platform provided by Nasheed actually enabled the development of Adhaalath, even though their speech is indeed unsavory to any rational thinking individual. Think again.
Democratic environment is not provided by Nasheed and he had in fact narrow down and tried to move away from democratic values while our constitution warrant us the democracy.
We got the democracy because of the people and we fought for it and it was not any single person who had done this.
The real change had happened and the turning point was the "evan naseem incidence" and when this happened, Nasheed was in UK ?
the true leaders were the people who had the guts to stand against Gayyoom on that day and not the guy who had stayed and was hiding in UK.
That was the litmus test for the democracy ! that day was the day that had changed our history.
The true heroes were the people who had the guts to stand against Gayyoom and our constitution. Since the constitution had given so much power to Gayyoom during that time, but those barvement and women had the guts to stood against any odd.
Spectator" people like you who may praised Nahseed for the change but i will not.
Nasheed ruled this country on a constitution which had given all freedom but he ruled this country like dictators.
mody, mody, mody.
No one should tolerate liars, thieves and criminals that your ithihaadists are.
Look at you, backstabbing each other for nothing more than base greed!