President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan told local television station Villa TV (VTV) he would resign and reinstate ousted President Mohamed Nasheed if an independent inquiry established the February 7 transfer of power was illegitimate.
Nasheed has claimed he resigned under duress and was deposed in a coup d’état. Since then, thousands of people have demonstrated throughout the Maldives questioning Dr Waheed’s legitimacy and have called for early elections.
Speaking on Dhivehi Sakhshiyyath’s (Maldivian Personality) debut program, Dr Waheed said, “If it wasn’t a legitimate transfer of power, if it was unlawful, what should happen is the former president should be reinstated. If that is established, I will resign. If not, then this is a legitimate transfer of power.”
Although Dr Waheed’s government seemed amenable to early polls upon taking office, it now appears to be increasingly resistant to the call. The government now claims constitutional amendments are necessary for an early general election.
“I have already said I am ready to hold an election within the law, within the constitution, only in the country’s interest, since a major political party is creating unrest in the city,” Dr Waheed said.
Dr Waheed has instituted a three member Committee of National Inquiry (CNI) to look into the legality and legitimacy of the transfer of presidential power. However, Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has questioned the committee’s independence as the committee is chaired by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s defence minister Ismail Shafeeu.
The MDP, international bodies and NGOs have urged the inclusion of international experts in the CNI. Presidential Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza said the government would seek UN assistance rather than that of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group had supported MDP’s call for early elections.
Like furniture
In his interview, Dr Waheed also aired grievances against Nasheed dating from the MDP’s founding.
“I left MDP because Nasheed’s influence in MDP was such that he refused to give responsibility to anyone who is elected within the party. It was like that from first day, and I think continues to be that way,” he said.
Dr Waheed had campaigned to be the MDP’s first president. He alleges Nasheed ran MDP as “his property” and said Nasheed’s approach “has always been to settle problems through street action, rather than political dialogue.”
As Nasheed’s vice-president, Waheed claimed he was “sidelined and isolated”.
“Nasheed decided the vice-presidency was a symbolic position,” he said.
When asked if Nasheed ever pressured for his resignation, Waheed said, “I do not think Nasheed thought it too important for me to resign. As long as I stood aside, quietly, like the furniture at President’s Office, he did not think it to be an issue.”
He called on all political parties to work together to resolve the current political crisis: “The current unrest is because we haven’t been able to work together,” he said.
Waheed also said he believed only a candidate fronted by a coalition of parties would win the next presidential election.
“I do not believe now that any one party can win a presidential election. I am almost certain that only a coalition of two or more parties will win the next election again,” he said.
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This really is a presidential material! All ingredients are there! Thank god that we've got a president who is willing to unite this tiny! Leaving aside all personal interests
The Pin Head , im so glad you live up to the name you have written, only a PIN HEAD will give this comment after reading the above. i am a foreigner who has visited maldives several times. This puppet president of Maldives is nothing but a front to that dictator Gayoom , nASHEED IS TOO GOOD FOR YOUR COUNTRY ! IDIOTS like you pinhead do not deserves him
TAXI,FOR WAHEED!!!!
So that bastard Nasheed sidelined the esteemed Phd from Stanford? What his feelings were hurt?
So he goes ahead and commits high treason to show Nasheed who is boss eh?
What a petty loser! And what brainless dolts are those fools rallying around this loser.
The pin head- Sadly you won't comprehend the catastrophe this is, what will transpire in the future because of this. A contemptible level of ignorance and arrogance make you a smug participant in the deprivation of all our rights. The coup perpetrators would not stand a chance but for the likes of you existing in this country.
This guy is just pretty confident that the investigation won't be able to prove that it was a coup. These people have grabbed the power with Lion claws, and will try to bribe anyone.
Or baby Waheed can't take it any longer and would genuinely wanted to resign, even if they proved it was a coup or not.
The confident coup leader shows is a sign the investigation is partial and will be in his favor.The coup should be investigated by international experts and must include a panel. The panel should not include Maldivians and people from SAARC countries.
''I will resign if the investigation (by CNI) concludes that the transfer of power was illegal'' – Dr Waheed
''We have not been asked to conduct such an ivestigation''-CNI
@Kalum
Thank you for visiting Maldives. For you Nasheed may be too good. Most Maldivians regard him lower than scum. He is creating chaos in the Maldives to feed his hunger for power. This is what we see from Nasheed and anyone he knows. Arrogance. Thats what you have just represent yourself as.
Waheed is throwing a serious challenge to Anni now. Now is the time to come clean MDP. Prove the coup and then rule ever after!
He was arrogant during the first few days of presidency! Now when he face preassure from international community he is thinking of resigning which was the best option then! Well,now who will be accountable for the police brutality after his resignation? Dr.Jameel? Dr.Hassan?Defence Minister Nazim?Buruma? The list is long... Defence mininster Nazim is a nice character spoiled by Maumoon and bodu vagu Yameen.. And hey there was an unexpected increment of salary for everyone in MNDF this month.. I wonder whats happening to my country!!
Baagee Waheed, we all know you do not have a choice but to be President and you say you will let go of your presidency only because you now know the independent inquiry will no longer be independent. I think you have stolen from the cookie jar and CCTV caught you in the act, but the evidence is with Corruption extraordinaire Yameen, Apeman Gasim, or pantyman nazim and they have you by "your precious" so tight it is hard to say a word without their approving nod. is this the presidency you so dearly want to hold onto. i know you are holding onto it thinking its for the good for the country. but perhaps what is good for the country right now is for you to have some guts and call an early election because even if the independent inquiry says it wasn't a coup, people won't believe anymore, much like an election if you manage to win!
Anni
You are wrong this time. Almost all Maldivians regard Mr.Nasheed as President and Maumoon as scum.. Your comment is misleading
He have seen the coffers going empty. the rogue MNDF and Police have been asking more money. they have exhausted their budgets in 7 weeks sighting "coup payments" and overtime and cost of holding detainees. Waheed leave this place with grace or you will become an international criminal.
Thanks Waheed, Dear Excellency, you will have no choice but to leave the chair if proven the case as a coup. However,given the status quo of our beloved nation,I would urge you not to resign the post like Nasheed did for the welfare and betterment of the nation and its people. simply because, your resignation at this stage will pave ways for proven dictators like Maumoon and Nasheed to reenter. If you get a chance to hang on until 2013 election, we will most probably have a very good president.
International members on the panel are fundamental, otherwise it would be like asking Korea to unite. This is the only way it can be impartial and fair. The sooner the better for the sake of he nation.
I am bewildered... Why did the all knowing PhD Waheed accepted the role of the deputy to President Nasheed as his running mate. If he knew all this should he not have said sorry no will not stand to be your running mate. Or was the vice-presidential opportunity to attend the many opening ceremonies in the clean and crisp suite just too tempting...? Even when he knew he was accepting to work with someone proven to be unworkable with in the past...?
I Think its a very honest statement by Dr Waheed.He might be quite right.Anni seems to be a street Man.
Waheed doesn’t seems looking for an exit with face saving policy, instead trying to find anything that can constitute for him to dig in to hold sudden unexpected chair he has be dreaming , to be the president of the teeny-weeny country of the most stupid and silly people.
Maldives is much better off without Nasheed who was only a president of the Yelloe People. We need a people's president. I am glad he is gone. He may b smart I know and he is good at media stunts. He has got a good team of classmates working on his image. That explains his standing in the international community. But for ordinary Maldivians it was such a relief that he is gone! He will have to roam around Male' for the rest of his life as long as he goes with his style.
Bandit Waheed. Baaqee means Bandit. You will always be named Bandit.`Anni and Maumoon can live in the Maldives without being killed or made an invalid. But, this Bandit would surely have to hide. Even if he hides he will be found. Maldivians are Indians (coming from the Indian origin). Indian history is our history.
Indira Gandhi was killed by his own bodyguards.
Do you think the majority of the people(the MDP) would ever forgive you for what you did.
People voted for Anni. You have no right to elect your won cabinet without consulting MDP. You doubled crossed the people of Maldives. They will never forgive you for this!!
Do you think the majority of people of the Maldives would leave you without taking revenge???
Maumoon is left to come out to the people because Anni has said, "How we deal with him would tell about us". Anni wanted to forgive him on the first day. SO PEOPLE left him alone.
But, you Bandit Waheed, people would definetely take revenge. Indira Gandhi and history repeats. Being careful wouldn't help.
President Waheed has the quality of a statesman unlike Nasheed, humble , abilty to listen and be responsive. People can call names but our new president is will not go on the street to challenge those mindless people.
Now former President Nasheed why are you not submitting your claim to Supreme Court. That will also prove your claim legitimate or not.
Nasheed is simply calling for an election because he thinks he can win an election which is wrong. He is not fit at this time to lead our country.
He is suffering from Antisocial personality disorder and needs to recover from this first.
Check this link and you will Nasheed's darker side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hdH2PO7D_k
Nasheed's was a government of the people, by the people and for the people where as Waheed's is a government of the coup, by the coup and for the coup.
Nasheeds group is a group of uneducated rowdies and thugs whose life is based on streets.
Even if you remove them from streets still wants to go back to streets because they belong to streets.