Documents detailing an alleged tapped conversation between President Mohamed Waheed, his daughter Widhadh Waheed and her California-based husband, former Yahoo! executive Jeremy Goodrich, are circulating on Maldivian social media networks.
The documents (page 1, page 2), attributed to the UK’s electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ, are stamped ‘TOP SECRET STRAP 1’ and conform to the format of similar documents leaked during the recent NSA/GCHQ Edward Snowden scandal.
Official verification of the documents is impossible given the British government’s policy of not commenting on leaked classified material. A spokesperson for the British High Commission in Colombo stated “we do not comment on intelligence matters”. A spokesperson for GCHQ likewise told Minivan News, “in line with longstanding practice we never comment on intelligence matters.”
The document refers to the ‘Maldives June 2013 crisis’, and summarises an alleged 230 minute conversation between Waheed, his daughter and son-in-law, apparently intercepted on June 12.
According to the summary:
Mr Goodrich proposes concession to Adalath party in terms of allowing more Sharia law in addition to proposed punishments
Mr Goodrich suggests temporary martial law enforced from Aug 2013 to end of Dec 2013
Mr Goodrich advises the president on a number of campaign strategies, including addition of alien workers as temporary wards for voting purposes
Mr Goodrich advises on smear campaign against President Mohamed Nasheed and PPM party candidate Mr Yameen A Gayoom
Mrs Goodrich [Waheed’s daughter] suggest using social networks with marketing firm Rooster to “astroturf” a new “massive grassroot” support structure aimed at “winning hearts” of Maldivian citizens
Mr Goodrich suggests such efforts have failed previously and suggests exercising executive power
Mrs Goodrich and Mr Goodrich discuss pros and cons of both systems and come to conclusion on a hybrid system – as need arise
Dr Waheed states other coalition partners might be leaving, including DQP Party Leader Dr Hassan Saeed
Mr Goodrich asks if concessions could be given to DQP
Mrs Goodrich informs that DQP is not a long term risk and could be seen as collateral.
Dr Waheed states Adalath might join either PPM or JP
Mr Goodrich clarifies Adalath strength and suggests launching campaign to weaken leadership
Various discussion of proposed temporary martial law followed, ending with funding discussion followed by ‘NRTR’ discussions.
The document refers to an “embedded” source in the Maldives, whose identity is blacked out: “Malunet continues to furnish with highly detailed, high-value, sensitive reports on target and power structure and variances in a timely manner.”
According to the report, the “key focus has been on [the] President’s immediate power distribution and structure”. It highlights as of secondary concern a “flow of funds” to Norway via Italy.
“Funds transferred via IC/42 were intercepted at control point in Italy and further in Norway. A sum of USD 2,500,000.00 was noted in metadata. Later deposited into CHASE Bank, California, with IF: 4201840-22 and IC: 401-CHASE,” the report notes.
Response, context
The reference to ‘Rooster’ possibly refers to Rooster Creative Public Relations Ltd, which Waheed’s new government engaged in March 2012 to combat widespread negative headlines in the wake of the previous month’s power transfer, protests and police violence.
This attempt did receive some coverage in the British Media, with prominent columnist for the Daily Telegraph, Oliver Smith, writing, “The moral implications of visiting the Maldives have been called into question following the downfall of Mr Nasheed.”
The apparent leak of the GCHQ document meanwhile follows the departure last week of both the Adhaalath Party and Dr Hassan Saeed’s DQP from Waheed’s ‘Forward with the nation’ coalition.
Saeed, who was appointed Waheed’s Special Advisor following February 7 2012’s controversial transfer of power, resigned and joined Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (JP) in what one coalition source described as a sudden and unexpected departure.
Saeed meanwhile in a statement accused Waheed of failing to take advice from coalition partners in favour of “family members and expatriates”.
President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told Minivan News he was unaware of any leaked documents or such a conversation, but dismissed the suggestion that President Waheed would take advice from his children “on political matters” over his own views and those of First Lady Ilham Hussain.
Masood questioned the credibility of the documents, describing their publication on social media as being “one of those things” and comparing it to spurious pre-2008 election allegations raised against former President Nasheed, which alleged he was conspiring with Salisbury Cathedral in the UK to blow up the Islamic Centre and build a ‘victory church’.
Son-in-law
Minivan News has contacted Jeremy Goodrich seeking to confirm whether the conversation occurred and clarify the context of his suggestions to President Waheed, and was awaiting a response at time of press.
According to his twitter profile, the former Global (Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Leader for tech giant Yahoo! describes himself as a “bestselling self published author and digital mercenary” who is “passionately interested in a better tomorrow” and works “at the junction of social good and business profit.”
On professional networking website LinkedIn, he notes that his career highlights so far “include winning and or being nominated for prestigious marketing awards at large companies, being quoted in the Wall Street Journal on behalf of a startup I co-founded and being able to semi-retire to the tropics, travel and reflect on my career for more than a year.”
Goodrich has also self-published a 70-page novella on Amazon, illustrated by his wife Widhadh Waheed, titled ‘The Vampire Hangover’, about a martial artist who “starts his morning in a duel with a master swordsman. Afterwards he gets attacked by vampires, abused and beaten.”
A prospective sequel, ‘Ninja Vampire Hunter’, promises to include “a vampire, a djinni and a ninja, not to mention a cat fight filled with side splitting, ironically crafted innuendo.”
Read the leaked documents: Page 1, Page 2
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He sounds like the world's biggest wan**r trying to play his hand at James Bond.
But for Waheed the implication is more serious: why is he talking about imposing Martial law. Is he planning to run a military dictatorship?
Also, my thanks for posting some of his link data. This will make identification and capture much easier.
Firstly, lets clarify a few fundamentals (no pun intended) here. Waheed claims his daughter is a Muslim. If so, is her husband, Mr Goodrich a Muslim? Can we see the evidence? If not, why not? No, faith is not a personal matter in Islam; it's very much in the public interest!
Ooooh minivan just got personal
Hate the fact that a vision-less corrupt man is running the country right now,
but "journalism" pieces involving personal attacks like this shouldn't have its place anywhere because it undermines democratic movements integrity.
Please mr JJ go back to dailymail or tmz or whatever
This drama just keeps getting weirder and weirder. The writers of the batman script couldn't have introduced a more weird character. A guy who writes books about ninja vampires, professes to believe in social justice, wants to impose shariah law on maldivians and thinks he can instruct maldivians on how to do dirty politics?? There just may be someone as weird and out of place in this Maldivian web as I am after all.
@ K
Are you a patriotic Maldivian? I doubt.
Why shouldn't we get personal when Waheed, his family and his foreign links have already hijacked Maldives? Goodrich passes off as a vampire intent on sucking the blood out of Maldivians.
Good exposure, Minivan.
K, If democracy allows foreign mercenaries to enforce adhaalath party law by stealing millions of dollars from us, then f*** democracy in the ***, ******, and **********.
You want to turn the other cheek while we're starving here, mr. K, then that's your business.
This is war. Not fun and games. When people do bad things, they deserve to be exposed. People like you are why victims are persecuted, and criminals go free.
The selfish elite would do anything to stay in power. This is an excellent example of how they use religion to control the masses. Just like Saudi Barbaria got help from colonial Britain to establish a theocracy or Taliban was propped up by Amreeka, Waheed plans to use Adhaalath and Sharia to stay in power. Meanwhile he and his family makes no pretense of following the Shariah they wish to impose. Dhivehistanis, no politician who talks about religion is sincere. Get that into your mercury addled fish brains.
I say, give no concession to Adhaalath party because they do not understand that Allah is mercy, and Islam is all about the revival of the dignity of the poor, the sick, the orphan, the slave and all the oppressed because that is the nature of mercy.
According to Maldivian style Islam, religion is a system designed to frighten the hell out of the poor, the sick and oppressed so that they are slaves to the sadistic needs of the powerful. If shariah law does not serve the cause of the oppressed for justice, dignity, freedom from fear, peace and empowerment it is a violation of the merciful cause of Mohammed saw who, despite the atrocities he committed, was ultimately driven by the raging fire of divine mercy and gave equality, freedom, justice too many of the oppressed and charged us with the duty to further the divine cause of liberty and mercy for all.
Instead we follow the later creation of shariah law constructed under power brokers whose motives are power and therefore we defy true Islam by using it as a weapon to keep the masses in a state of terror so they are too afraid to resist our hedonistic aggression. T
The way we use Islam to gratify our need to derive pleasure from the mental torture and fear of the poor makes us the enemies of true Islam. The way we use the fear of Allah to render the poor the slaves of our greed, by exploiting them is the most evil sacrilege there is. The rich, the gangsters, will be punished severely for making the poor and the weak their slaves, as Allah is the only master.
Prophet lived in the pain of hunger in a hut so that the poor could eat. He fought with and bled for the slaves, the orphans, the baby girls buried alive, he was wounded in battle to create a society of mercy.
Yes, he also did some evil things as he was not a god himself. For example he massacred all the menfolk of a Jewish tribe. But the society he lived in was a brutal world, and no human being could have evaded being made brutal by such an enviro ent. But his vision for justice for all makes him the enemy of Maldivian Islam. O
One day, the tyrants of the Maldives will be reduced to slavery of the just will of Allah, and they will scream in agony because of the cruelty they have done. Never will their punishment be lightened until they learn empathy. This is the divine will, we are all slaves to this truth, lest we forget.
Above correct one, still can' t use this I pod properly been to long in backwards bloody down under west aus
to K
Those who remain neutral when wrongs are committed, are accomplices to the crime.
$2.5 MILLION!!!?
where the heck is all this going?
Hassan Saeed for once, seems to be right!
Too much family and foreign interventions in his affairs!
The daughter and son-in-law are keen taking us into warpath!
Martial law from next month on to December!
aya, its going here.
http://about.intuit.com/about_intuit/profile/
GAAP Net Income: $792 million
Operating Income: $1,177 million
Non-GAAP Net Income: $906 million
Operating Income: $1,404 million
2.5 million is chicken feed for these guys.
@Ben
"Yes, he also did some evil things as he was not a god himself. For example he massacred all the menfolk of a Jewish tribe. ..."
This traitorous tribe lost the war with muslims and asked their case be tried by one of their own. Saud(ra) was one of them and he sat on judgement on them. The prophet did not order their massacre. Their punishment for their crime warrants death, so they got death. It was not a massacre. If it was then any death penalty anywhere would be murder. But do ppl call such?
Kuribe, where are you? You, the great supporter of Waheed, should be here defending his wonderful honesty and patriotism. You, more than anyone else should surprise us with one of you insightful comments. Surely, now is the time.
also to 'k'.
This war became personal on Feb 7, when armed mercenaries attacked our fellow countrymen and elected representatives with clear intent to kill.
It is the latest update of when the Maldives is expected to sink and disappear?
@Human being: Sukrun, Jazkallah Khaira for your feedback.
In the understanding of Islam I have been lead to develop, it is wrong to give the Death penalty for EVERY combatant soldier who lost a war to you?
I believe, you don't kill every man in a whole army because they lost a war in other environments, even if they were traitors. One example: Germany broke a treaty with the rest of the world when they waged the second world war, but the English and the Americans did not kill EVERY German soldier after the war. Yes, you go after the generals, the leaders, the war criminals, which they did, but the regular foot soldiers, no way! THAT would be barbaric!
Other tribes which resisted Prophet (SAW), from further away, were often enslaved. One could see that as the tribal environment equivalent of the imposition of an externally imposed constitution, such as the post war constitution imposed on the Japanese.
The point is, you can't apply rulings, procedures, actions, which were necessary to secure order in tribal Arabia, to modern contexts.
It could be argued that in such a close knit tribal environment, where you had to kill or be killed, or even, kill to save lives being that the options of enslaving a whole Jewish tribe or banishing them would not work due to the fact that they came from such close range to yourself, there were no other options for securing social peace other than killing all the male combatants.
THIS illustrates my point. The barbaric things which were done by Prophet Mohammed (SALLALAHUALAHIWASALLAAM) cannot be ripped out of context and applied in this day and age.
You have to take, as your starting point in all rulings, that the supreme attribute of ALLAH and the source of EVERY decision you should make should be MERCY - and the practical application of Mercy in the understanding I have been lead to develop is Maslahah.
To argue my point with evidence, please reflect on all of those Rasul'Allah (SAW) forgave after war. Reflect on how extravagent our Nabi's generosity was towards the Qureysh when he finally took Mecca. That extravegent MERCY occurrred EVEN though they tried to KILL the Prophet (PBUH) and the believers through many treacherous methods and betrayals.
Does that sound like he would rule that any beaten combatants should be killed?
NO! ONLY those whose threatening ways could not be contained by any other means! You don't kill for any other reason other than as a last resort to save life when NOTHINg else will work to save life!
@ Ben
Thanks for the kind reply. Your reply led me to read more on the issue and it appears that this whole story of massacre is not even true! Thanks for helping me learn Ben.
here is a link:
http://www.haqq.com.au/~salam/misc/qurayza.html
I want to hammer this one last point out. During the years of our Nabi's Da'wah in mecca, he suffered immensely in his efforts to bring the Message to his people. He suffered for them, in many ways, was persecuted, tortured, bullied, made to bleed. He went through all this because he was so desparate to rescue his people from evil, you see, THAT is the definition of extreme MERCY! On one occassion through all of this, he even shed tears remembering the words of one of the Prophets who asked ALLAH (SWT) to forgive those who hurt Him, persecuted him, because they HAD NO KNOWLEDGE.
Taking all of this into account, I must say it is outrageous sacrilege the way Maldivians use Islam, this SACRED EXPRESSION OF DIVINE MERCY, as a weapon against each other. It enrages me the MERCIFUL WAY of Islam is degraded and abused by being used as a vehicle of hatred, as a vehicle with which to express vengeance, as a vehicle with which to acquire power!
Waheed probably has a death wish.
Martial law will swallow him and his family.
Another white Man trying to suck Maldiveans blood.
@Angagatha Mithuru on Sun, 21st Jul 2013 4:28 AM.
Been asking myself if I were missing something?
You seem to have prodded just at the right time!
@Kuribee is either in hibernation, or is chucked out of business because his foolish and silly comments could not muster any support for his plum!
Ben would make the Islamic world a better place.
Let's be honest, it is very sad right now, the sheep following the lead of power hungry people using Islam as a tool to keep the sheep mindless, without opinion, with as goal to secure their power.
It's actually even worse.. Many Islamic leaders these days are mindless themselves, they actually believe they do the right thing. We'll need a lot of Ben Plewright's to heal the Islamic world from it current state.
Read the news today.. Raped Norwegian girl sentenced to prison for 15 months in Dubai. Her mistake was to file a complaint with the police while there weren't 4 male witnesses. In other words: rape away guys!
Ben Said: "kill to save lives being that the options of enslaving a whole Jewish tribe or banishing them would not work"
What does a Jewish tribe look like? Ever heard of civilization and living in a civilized environment? So you leave Australia as a normal person to go be a Maldivian due to love, while so doing endorsing barbaric practices against humans. Good to see you have your S%$%#^t together. How would you feel if your misses got 100 public lashings because you had a shag when, when she was in a civilized environment.
Why the f***k does Waheed keep coming back to Addu? Read my lips: "You won't get a single vote from Addu".
Waheed, you can pull the wool over the eyes of poor Maldivians. The GCHQ knows your every move, you dumb fool.
This daughter of Waheed has obviously lived far too long in the United States and thinks that she can win the minds of Maldivians via Facebook. Time for a reality check.
Maldivians may be backward, uneducated and poor, but we can smell shit, no matter how you wrap it up. Waheed is like a dung beetle; can't get rid of the bloody pest.
so anni was building a temple or church in place of a mosque, yameen was trading oil and heroin with burma and now waheed's son in law is making plans to take over this country.
look up the meanings of conspiracies and rumors and hearsay, people.
Perhaps Minivan News might like to point out that there are valid grounds to question the authenticity of this alleged "edited" summary. I would like to think that GCHQ can spell "hybrid" correctly and that it would not abandon the international alphabet just to please Adalat party by adding an "h" at the end. I would also like to think that editorial standards at GCHQ will require consistency-- so that president either has a simple or capital "p", but not both. It is interesting to see that the GCHQ writer believes that there is some such thing as Chase Bank, California; this would be like looking for The Barclays bank, Essex! By the way "the embedded" should have warned GCHQ that there are no provisions for martial law in the Maldives! This is a bit like Yameen's self-leaked HSBC bank statement.
Bill Thompson: Thankyou for standing up for what is right and for condemning lashing. I might point out that I was arguing AGAINST murder, and have condemned floggings, lashings MANY times. Read the rest of my view points, and read what I have written above in its context.
Bill, I am happy that you are passionate in your struggle against what is wrong. The world needs more people like yourself, full of humanity and courage. You remind me of myself in that you react as soon as you read, hear or see something with such passion, but, as a consequence you may jump to the wrong conclusions and make false accusations sometimes. I am slowly learning to step back and get the full picture first, perhaps you should try it, its helping save me from a lot of trouble.
This whole post is full of lies. The author would have known that Ms. Waheed (Waheed's first daughter) did not take her husband's name. You can already tell from that fact that the author of this post was completely incompetent and should have "sucked eggs" instead of writing this post.
Independent news my ass!
Win this election Raees Waheed!