Tag: Ali Waheed

Opposition suggests inconsistent policies, while Islamic ministry lecture slams tourism promotion show

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Ali Waheed has suggested that the government’s contradictory religious policies are damaging the nation.

“While the Maldives is celebrating its adherence to Islam, the religious structure of the government is as such – from the right, shows being organised,” said Waheed. “From the left, religious lectures are being convened.”

Waheed’s comments – referring to the New Year’s ‘Tourist Arrival Countdown’ music shows and the Islamic ministry’s ‘The Message’ lecture series – came at the conclusion of a party rally in the capital Malé yesterday.

Later in the day, in the first of ‘The Message’ lectures, Sheikh Adam Shameem condemned the tourism promotion concerts, which were organised and promoted by tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb.

Drugs, sex, and rock and roll will destroy the nation, argued Shameem, suggesting that the government’s role was to lead the youth away from shameful deeds, but that such sinful activities were irresistible when handed down to them “on a platter”.

“What will happen when [they organize] sinful activities and invite the youth? Then, youth cannot be stopped,” he told approximately 1,500 attendees at the Alimas Carnival area in Malé.

The original New Year’s concert was set to feature dancehall singer Sean Paul until an online death threat prompted the artist to cancel the day before the show.

While the government later denounced the threat as a “hoax” designed to create an atmosphere of fear, religious groups united in condemnation of the event.

Islamic NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf called on the government cancel the concert, while Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed described the invitation of foreign performers for such shows as “unnacceptable”.

Minister for tourism Adeeb later explained that the Islamic minister’s words were his own personal opinion, and that the concert had been discussed at cabinet level.

The Islamic minister’s own Adhaalath Party subsequently expressed concern at what it described as “horrifying acts that defy Islamic teachings and social convention” taking place in the country.

After Sean Paul’s cancellation, Indian duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant appeared on December 31, before a second concert was arranged featuring US R&B singer Akon on January 8. Akon himself had previously cancelled a 2010 show in the Maldives after opposition from religious groups.

Sheikh Shameem yesterday described Akon – a practising Muslim – as an “infidel negro”, expressing disappointment than more young persons had attended the music shows rather than attending Ishaa prayers.

Sheikh Shameem first came to public attention following his ‘mega-lecture’ ‘Andalus‘, during the 2013 presidential elections.

Live broadcasts of this lecture were interrupted by authorities for violating state broadcaster’s guideline, while the MDP condemned the lecture accusing Shameem of inciting hatred in order to sway the electorate. More recently, he was invited to speak to police during the celebration of Martyr’s Day last year.

Yesterday’s sermon was titled ‘Our Responsibilities towards the Nation’. The lecture series will also feature Dutch convert Arnoud Van Doorn on February 20.

President Abdulla Yameen – who last night attended to opening of the Maldives’ first fully solar powered resort, Club Med Finolhu Villa – marked the celebration of the country’s conversion to Islam by telling citizens to be wary of outside influences that could weaken the Islamic faith, reported Sun Online.

At the opening of the new resort, Yameen said that it was a combination of tourism and Islam that had taught Maldivians to co-exist with different cultures.

During yesterday’s MDP rally, both Ali Waheed and former President Mohamed Nasheed vowed to change Yameen’s government, with the latter suggesting the country’s troubles’ were partly caused by divisions between Yameen and former President and Progressive Party of Maldives leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

When calling for all-party talks last week, Nasheed made special mention of the former thirty-year ruler.

“I urge President Yameen to hold discussions with President Maumoon, Honourable Gasim, even us and leaders of Adhaalath Party. Also to move away from actions that will push Maldives into chaos,” said Nasheed on Thursday (January 22).

Yesterday’s ‘Maldivians stand to defend the Constitution’ rally saw over more than 1000 people march around the southern half of the capital to protest a series of decisions by the government and the Supreme Court which have been questioned on constitutional grounds.

*The original version of this article incorrectly translated Sheikh Shameem as describing Akon as an “infidel nigger”.

Minivan News would like to apologise for this error and will endeavour to make sure this type of error is not repeated.


Related to this story

Nasheed urges President Yameen to convene all-party talks

Adhaalath Party concerned that concerts are defying Islamic teachings

Jamiyyathul Salaf calls on government to cancel “sinful” Sean Paul concert

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Reeko Moosa appeals to MDP disciplinary committee after dismissal

Deputy Speaker of Parliament MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has appealed against the decision to expel him from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Moosa described the decision as “discriminatory” as the five other MDP MPs who were absent from the vote to dismiss the Supreme Court judges were given lesser penalties, reports Haveeru.

The remaining five MPs had been ordered to issue a public apology after having breached the party’s three-line whip only once, with the party publishing the resulting letters on its website today.

Moosa’s letter is also said to have claimed that the three-line whip issued regarding the judges was in conflict with the interests of MDP’s ordinary members, also describing it as a step taken to defend the interests of a “few influential” people within the party.

The MDP’s disciplinary committee expelled Moosa on December 22 after he repeatedly breached the party’s three-line whips including the vote on the 2015 state budget, amendments to the Judicature Act – which reduced the seven-member Supreme Court bench to five, and the subsequent removal of Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz and Justice Muthasim Adnan.

If Moosa wishes to rejoin the party, he is required to issue a public apology and obtain 50 new members for the party, but he will be barred from standing for any leadership position or contesting in party primaries for five years.

Moosa has previously stated that he does not trust the party’s appeal process, and has said he will request that the Elections Commission review the decision.

Moosa’s mobile phone was switched off at the time of publication, while Ali Waheed said he did not wish to comment on the matter.

The former MDP chairperson Moosa told Minivan News last month that he felt his dismissal had been a deliberate ploy to remove him from the 2018 presidential primaries, labelling party President Mohamed Nasheed a “green dictator”.

Apology letters

Meanwhile Vaikaradhoo MP Mohamed Nazim, Velidhoo MP Abdulla Yamin Rasheed, Mulaku MP Ibrahim Naseer, Felidhoo MP Ahmed Marzooq, and Kurendhoo MP Abdul Bari Abdulla have apologised to the MDP and its members for violating the three-line whip on the removal of Supreme Court judges.

In the letter written by Yamin, he apologised to the party and its members “for not being able to attend, vote & not to followi [sic] whipline of the party”, assuring the “public and party leadership that, I will not repeat the mistake in the future”. The letter provided no reasons for his absence.

MP Bari stated that he was unable to attend the Majlis on the day of the Supreme Court judges removal as he had been in Colombo when the whip was issued, arguing “I have also not received the whip line with sufficient time for me to get back to Male’ to attend the parliament for voting”.

Furthermore Bari’s letter, “congratulated” the disciplinary committee for the “good work done” and stressed the need to take action against MDP MPs who have “consistently and purposely voted against the party whipline”.

Similarly, while apologising to the party and its members, Nazim stated in his letter that he was unable to attend the Majlis on December 14 as he was left with no choice but to travel abroad with his wife who required medical treatment.

While Marzooq’s letter did not provide any reasons for violating the three-line whip, he stated that he respects the decision of the disciplinary committee and that he sincerely apologises for being absent for the vote.

Marzooq also assured the MDP and its members that his decisions in parliament will not in any way damage or distress the party in the future.

In MP Naseer’s brief letter he apologised for the “damage caused to the party due to my absence”.

International reaction

The MDP has said the sudden removal of the two Supreme Court Judges is an attempt to stack the judiciary in President Abdulla Yameen’s favour.

Moosa has argued that the dismissed chief justice had done great harm to the party, not least when swearing in Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed without question following Nasheed’s controversial resignation of the presidency in February 2012.

During Faiz’s tenure, the Supreme Court bench had stripped three MDP MPs of their membership and annulled the first round of presidential elections held in September 2013, he told Minivan News following his dismissal.

Commonwealth groups have described the judges’ removal as unconstitutional, saying it constituted a clear breach of the Commonwealth Principles to which the government of Maldives has subscribed.

The International Commission of Jurists said the Maldivian parliament and executive “have effectively decapitated the country’s judiciary and trampled on the fundamental principles of the rule of law and separation of powers in a democratic State.”


Related to this story

MDP expels MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik

Reeko Moosa condemns MDP expulsion as a move to bar his 2018 presidential candidacy

MDP votes to discipline MPs absent from Supreme Court vote

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MDP rejects MP Shareef’s proposal to reduce Supreme Court bench

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) national executive council has rejected an amendment proposed by MDP MP Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges from the current seven to five.

Speaking to the press today, opposition leader and former President Mohamed Nasheed said the amendments would require reappointment of the Supreme Court bench, and said the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives’ (PPM) majority in the parliament and their refusal to consider the opposition’s concerns would result in a bench biased towards the PPM.

“The current issues within the judicial system does not amount to the number of judges at the Supreme Court. There are bigger issues that require immediate resolution,” he said.

In a speech last night, Nasheed described the amendments as an attempt by the PPM to fit the Supreme Court bench into President Abdulla Yameen’s fist.

The amendments came in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to accept a complaint over “an unconstitutional decision” to reappoint the auditor general, he claimed. The Supreme Court today rejected the complaint.

Shareef defected from the MDP to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) in 2008, but rejoined the MDP during the presidential elections of 2013. Gayoom left the DRP to form PPM in 2011.

Shareef said he believed a seven member Supreme Court to be too large for the Maldives. He has also proposed two three-member High Court benches be established in the North and South.

Meanwhile, MDP Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Mohamed Solih said Shareef had not consulted the party before he submitted amendments.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed said the party’s MPs are now obliged to proceed with the national council’s decision.

Meanwhile, local media reported that Hulhuhenveiru MP and Deputy Speaker ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik had boycotted the council meeting following a heated argument. Speaking to Haveeru afterwards, Manik pledged to support Shareef, even he if he has to do so alone, and claimed MDP members had treated Shareef disrespectfully at today’s meeting.

The Supreme Court – established in 2008 – has been in the midst of numerous controversies in and out of the Court room.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court used a ‘suo moto’ proceeding – allowing the Court to act as both the plaintiff and the judge – against the Elections Comission (EC)’s President Fuwad Thowfeek and Vice President Ahmed Fayaz.

They were charged with contempt of court and disobedience to order and sentenced to six months in jail as a result of testimony given in the People’s Majlis independent commission’s oversight committee.

More recently, the Court employed a similar ‘suo moto’ proceeding against the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) after it criticized the judiciary in its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) sent to the UN.

The Court charged HRCM with undermining the constitution and sovereignty of the Maldives by spreading lies about the judiciary in the UPR while stating that the report – based on a 2013 report by the UN Special Rapporteur for Independence of Judges and Lawyers Gabriela Knau – was ‘poorly researched’, ‘irresponsible’ and ‘dangerous.’

June this year also saw Judge Ali Hameed – a sitting Judge at the Supreme Court – being cleared of a sex tape scandal after three recordings surfaced allegedly showing Ali Hameed engaging in sexual acts with three different woman.

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Government and opposition play blame game over Addu attacks

Government and opposition figures have continued to trade accusations this week after the attacks on the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in Addu last weekend.

Speaking at a public ceremony today, Tourism Minister and Progressive Party of Maldives Vice President Ahmed Adeeb claimed that the opposition leadership was “torching buildings and inciting violence”, reported local media.

President’s Office Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz has also been accused of suggesting the attacks were coordinated by the MDP, prompting an angry response from Addu’s MDP leadership.

Muaz, who was not responding to calls at the time of press, is reported in local media as saying that creating unrest is unacceptable and that damaging property is not the way to win the love of the public.

Friday’s MDP rally in Feydhoo was attacked by masked men before its headquarters in Hithadhoo were set on fire. The incidents followed a series of arson attacks on the party’s offices and the homes of its member, who have also received persistent death threats.

In a press statement on Monday (October 13), president of the MDP’s Addu City branch, Ahmed Adhuham, condemned Muaz’s allegations, calling them irresponsible and unacceptable coming from the President’s Office.

Meanwhile, MDP chairperson Ali Waheed said in a press conference today that the MDP feels the Home Ministry, alongside Maldives Police Service (MPS), is not doing enough to ensure the protection of the party after the clear threats received.

“We have received numerous threats and all of these threats have been reported to the relevant authorities however we have received a letter from the MPS stating that some of the cases relating threats against MDP have been filed without any investigation,” said Waheed.

Waheed also claimed that the attacks are being carried out by a third party which helped the government come to power but is now stronger than the government.

“I do not believe that a government – which has not been able to implement a single project benefiting the public while having majority in the parliament – would have the need to interfere and attack MDP rallies,” said Waheed.

The MDP has filed cases with independent commissions including Police Integrity Commission, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, and the Elections Commission.

Waheed said the party would not hesitate to involve foreign bodies if the threats were not adequately addressed by the MPS and Home Ministry.

Threats and Attacks

The MDP rally in Feydhoo last week was attacked by a group of masked individuals wielding wooden planks and rocks. 16 people were arrested before being released, with police citing a lack of evidence.

The ruling PPM was quick to condemn the attack, expressing concern that “such acts that harm political parties, public property, and lives”.

“All parties should have the opportunity to carry out political activities peacefully,” read a PPM press release.

Speaking in Fuvahmulah the day after the Addu attacks (October 11), MDP leader Mohamed Nasheed accused the PPM or senior government figures of being behind the attack. Nasheed’s residence in Addu was pelted with stones the following night.

The party’s main office in Malé was set on fire on September 25 after attacks on the two previous nights. Attempts were also made to set MDP parliament member Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s house on fire.

MDP members and their families have received a large number of death threats from private numbers, with party spokesperson Imthiyaz Fahmy telling Minivan News last month that the threats had become too frequent to publicise adequately.

On October 5, Nasheed lodged a complaint at the UK Metropolitan Police Service regarding death threats he received while attending the Conservative Party conference.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union has previously described the government’s reaction to threats against elected officials as a test of the country’s democracy.

During a rally held last month in Malé, MDP MP and IPU member Eva Abdulla received a message threatening a suicide attack at the next MDP gathering. The message threatened to kill of MDP members, vowing to ‘fight to the last drop of blood’.

Waheed revealed at the press conference that an MDP rally will be held on October 25 at the carnival area in Malé, saying that MDP will not back down in the face of such threats.

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Teachers’ Black Sunday protest prompts government talks, strike decision pending

Additional reporting by Zaheena Rasheed

The Teachers Association of Maldives (TAM) has completed a timeline with the government to meet the demands of teachers, ahead of a proposed strike this Tuesday

“The government’s decision to sit for talks and compile a timeline is a sign President Yameen himself attended to the teacher’s demands,” TAM President Athif Abdul Hakeem told Minivan News today.

“I am happy. We now have a way forward,” he added following association members again donning black today in what is being termed ‘Black Sunday’.

The Ministry of Education had earlier appeared unwilling to give in to teachers’ demands for higher pay and reform, while the Labor Relations Authority reportedly labelled the proposed strike as ‘not peaceful’.

“We will not increase salaries on request from certain groups. We are working on it not because teachers had demanded so. But teachers do request that it be expedited,” State Minister for Education Adam Shareef told local media.

TAM will now hold consultations with their committee and focal points in the atolls, Athif explained, before holding a meeting tomorrow night to decide whether they will continue or call off the strike.

A statement from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) noted that government was treating the potential strike as illegal.

“This commission has received information that the Labor Relations Authority has decided it cannot deem the strike planned by the Teacher’s Association of Maldives as one that is peaceful and within the parameters of laws and regulations,” said the government workers’ organisation

Black Sunday

Around ninety percent of teachers were reported to have demonstrated again today by wearing black to work after TAM members had pledged late last week to strike on September 23 should the longstanding grievances not be addressed.

A number of issues – which include revised pay, protection of teachers and students, and official recognition of TAM – have been raised repeatedly with the ministry claims the association, and are now said to be part of the agreed timeline.

Minister Shareef today acknowledged that poor communication was to blame for the current situation, but said he expected teachers to attend classes on Tuesday as discussions continued.

“O’ Level exams are to start soon. Parents and students are preparing for it. It will create huge concern if teachers decide to stop work during such a critical time,” he added.

The CSC noted today that the Constitution allowed for work stoppages as a form of protest, but that procedures outlined in the regulations on resolution of conflicts between employers and employees must be followed.

Speaking at a TAM meeting on Thursday evening, association president Athif pledged to strike indefinitely should the government not make adequate use of the talks.

“Once we strike, there is no turning back. The options are death or success. God willing, we will only stop once we have achieved success,” said Athif.

Opposition support

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced its support for the strikes should discussions with the government fail.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed told media today that, although the party did not want to see strikes, it would back a teacher strike should talks again prove fruitless.

“MDP very much wants for government to listen to their concerns and solve the issues through discussions, before this reaches a whole different level. MDP will stand behind all such protests,” said Waheed at a press conference today.

Meanwhile, MDP Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader and former teacher Rozaina Adam also announced her support for the proposed strikes.

“They have been asking for this raise from Maumoon’s administration, through Nasheed’s and Waheed’s administration and now into Yameen’s administration. It is with great sadness that we have to note that everyone has turned on a deaf ear to their pleas,” wrote Rozaina on her personal blog.

The Addu-Meedhoo MP expressed concern at the falling standards of the sector, noting that poor pay and working conditions were forcing good teachers away from the profession.

“I call upon the government as an MP, a parent and as a person who worked in the teaching profession, to hear out the teachers’ demands and find solutions for their problems,” said Rozaina

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MDP warns of a census boycott if authorities fail to find missing journalist

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said it will consider a boycott of the overdue national census if authorities fail to find missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla.

Newly elected Vice President Mohamed Shifaz said the motion would require endorsement by the party’s National Council.

Rilwan – believed to have been abducted – has now been missing for 34 days. The Maldives Police Services has been criticised for its failure to reveal information regarding the investigation.

“President Abdulla Yameen’s government has been negligent towards a Maldivian citizen. We will stand up against that negligence. So we [will ask the National Council] to endorse a boycott of a census held without Rilwan,” Shifaz told the press at a briefing this morning.

“I do want to note the importance of a census. But when we do not know what happens to Maldivians, when citizens have been disappeared, I do not believe we should proceed with a census.”

The census – scheduled to take place between September 20 and 27 – will be the first time such national data has been collected since 2006.

Locals from the island of Vilufushi in Thaa Atoll have also announced that they will be boycotting the census, due to the failure to provide permanent residents for those left homeless after the 2004 tsunami.

Department of National Planning’s Assistant Director Fathimath Riyaza has appealed to all parties to support the census, and called on the public to refrain from connecting the census to Rilwan’s disappearance.

“We, too, are extremely concerned and saddened by the journalist’s disappearance. However, it is not our job to look for and find any particular person. I call on the people to refrain from connecting these two things and to give us information about themselves.”

Accountability

MDP chairperson Ali Waheed said party members had suggested the boycott and said some felt Rilwan’s disappearance was an act of terrorism by the state.

The MDP has remained quiet on the matter following a request by Rilwan’s family not to politicise the issue, but “MDP cannot remain quiet, he is a citizen just like us,” Waheed said.

Criticising President Yameen’s silence on the disappearance, Waheed said the Maldives had “gone off the tracks” since the new government assumed power.

“People are afraid. People are disappearing, and the government does not care. The truth is the government is failing. It’s been a month since a journalist has gone missing, and it does not seem to be a big deal to the government. The truth is we have regressed 30 years,” he said.

Since Yameen’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) holds a majority in the parliament, the president cannot throw off responsibility for the state of the nation, he added.

The government’s actions intimidate the press, he said and criticised the government for its failure to provide security for MPs who have also received death threats.

The MDP will embark on a series of actions to hold the government accountable, starting with a rally at the Alimas Carnival in Malé on Thursday, activating internal party committees on government accountability and preparations for upcoming local council by-elections.

The party has also set up a desk to improve relationship between the MDP leadership and councilors, he said.

Disappearance

Arguing there is room to believe Rilwan has been disappeared, Waheed also appealed to the government to clarify the nature of Rilwan’s disappearance.

“The government’s actions are unlike any other in a case of disappearance. Comments made by senior government officials in press conferences suggest he has been abducted. Instead of commenting directly on the matter, every one is suggested he will be found alive,” he said.

Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim last week said he had hope Rilwan would be found safe and sound.

The PPM dominated parliamentary committee on independent institutions oversight in August rejected a motion to summon and question the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and Police Integrity Commission (PIC) on Rilwan’s disappearance.

MDP MP Rozaina Adam said the party would table the same request once again.

Rilwan’s family has previously submitted a petition to the Majlis with 5000 signatures calling on MPs to find answers to questions as yet unanswered by police. Local NGO Maldives Democracy Network has also released an open letter raising a number of issues regarding the cases’s progress.

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Nasheed elected uncontested to MDP presidency

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has been elected president of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after standing uncontested for the position.

Nasheed had taken over the leadership as acting-president of the part following the resignation of chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik after March’s disappointing Majlis election results.

After the party won just 26 of the 85 seats in the legislature, MP Reeko resigned, urging new leaders to come forward and current leaders to follow his lead in stepping down.

Nasheed received 33,709 votes from a total of 57,203 eligible voters, while former MP Ali Waheed – a losing candidate in the March polls – secured the chairmanship, also uncontested, with 26,033 votes.

Nasheed had called for new leaders to come forward and lead the party immediately following the Majlis polls.

“I want new people to come forward to run the party. But I will not go away from the party, I will always remain in doing party work,” he added.

Senior party members, including Reeko and Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Solih,  suggested that the election setbacks had been a result of internal problems as well as the use of undue influence and bribery by other groups.

The position of both president and the vice president of the party have been vacant since Dr Ibrahim Didi and VP Alhan Fahmy were removed in a no-confidence vote in April 2012.

Former MP Mohamed Shifaz was also elected yesterday as party vice president, receiving 21,052 votes

March’s elections prompted the MDP to form a three-member committee tasked with collecting suggestions and ideas from the public for reforming and restructuring the party.

The suggestions – which include clearer delineation of leadership roles, greater transparency during internal elections, and better engagement with the media – will be considered at the party’s next national council meeting later this year.

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MDP resumes political activities with reopening of haruge

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has resumed political activities with the reopening of a new haruge (meeting hall) in the capital Malé last night (June 11) after a hiatus in the wake of successive electoral defeats.

The main opposition party announced that weekly gatherings will take place on Sunday and Thursday nights at the new haruge in Galolhu Aaras, located near the Television Maldives (TVM) studios.

The meeting hall was officially opened by founding member and artist, Ahmed Abbas, at a ceremony attended by former President Mohamed Nasheed, MDP MPs and city councillors.

Speakers at last night’s rally – the party’s first public gathering since the March 22 parliamentary polls – severely criticised the current administration over alleged failure to fulfil campaign pledges as well as the state of healthcare in the Maldives.

The meeting hall would become an outlet for public opinion and grievances, said MP Ibrahim Shareef, vowing that the party would ensure that fundamental rights and freedoms are protected.

Shareef also contended that the government has not undertaken any significant development projects in the atolls since assuming office in November last year.

In her remarks, Malé City Deputy Mayor Shifa Mohamed referred to the ransacking of the MDP’s previous meeting hall on February 7, 2012, by mutinying riot police, soldiers, and opposition protesters prior to the controversial resignation of President Nasheed.

Shifa said the party had remained quiet in order to see what President Yameen could accomplish with a parliamentary majority and control over other state institutions.

The former education minister contended that the current administration has not introduced new services or launched new social security programmes, noting that universal health insurance and other benefits were introduced by the MDP government.

Shifa also claimed that single parents were not receiving their monthly allowance.

President Yameen’s administration was “top heavy” with an excessive number of political appointees, she argued, while no progress had been made in fulfilling the campaign pledge of creating 94,000 jobs.

The government was holding ceremonies and functions – in lieu of carrying out development projects – to create false headlines and mislead the public, she said.

Meeting halls in the atolls would also be opened in the near future, Shifa continued, inviting members to a maahefun (traditional celebratory feast on the eve of Ramadan) on the night of June 19.

The MDP’s inactivity in recent weeks does not mean that the party accepted defeat in the presidential election, Shifa said, referring to the Supreme Court’s annulment of the first round of the presidential polls last year based on a secret police forensic report.

“Don’t think that we have forgotten all of that,” she said.

The MDP “single handedly” winning over 105,000 votes in the presidential election was testament to the party’s strength, said MP Imthiyaz Fahmy ‘Inthi’, noting that all other political parties were forced to form an alliance to compete against the party.

The MDP’s main task was overcoming the effects of a 30-year dictatorship, Inthi suggested, contending that the MDP was the only hope the Maldivian people had for democracy and good governance.

Former MP Ali Waheed meanwhile advised members to raise awareness and educate and inform their friends, relatives, and associates with renewed resolve to return to power.

He observed that the country has come full circle ten years after former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom launched a democratic reform agenda as the president was once again “an Abdul Gayoom”.

“God willing, the work we are beginning here today will end with the election of the MDP’s presidential candidate as the president of the Maldives,” he said.

The former MDP parliamentary group deputy leader announced his intention to contest for the party’s chairperson post today.

Former President Nasheed also announced his candidacy for the post of party president earlier this month.

Elections for the party’s leadership posts are due to take place on August 29.

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High Court rules that MPs’ police obstruction cases cannot be refiled

The High Court has today overruled a decision made by the Criminal Court to accept a previously withdrawn police obstruction case involving MPs Ali Waheed and Ahmed Mahloof.

The case was first filed in the Criminal Court by the Prosecutor General (PG) on 9 November 2010 before being withdrawn twenty days later.

The public prosecutor had argues that the initial case was only withdrawn temporarily while police investigated a related incident.

After the case was again filed in the Criminal Court, defense lawyers of Ali Waheed – which includes former Attorney General Husnu Suood – invoked procedural issues saying that the case could not be refiled.

According to the High Court, on 12 September 2012 the Criminal Court ruled it would proceed with the case, stating that the PG had full authority under the article 5 of the Prosecutor General’s Act to do so.

Ali Waheed subsequently appealed the decision at the High Court, arguing that the PG did not have the authority to re-submit a case without first bringing changes to it.

The High Court’s ruling stated that there were three situations where the PG could withdraw a case filed at a court: to revise the case, to withdraw a case without specifying any reason, or to withdraw a case after telling the court that that the office did not wish to proceed.

The ruling today said that the PG had sent a letter to the Criminal Court on November 29, 2010, asking it to send all the files concerning the case, and that the PG had not stated that the case was being withdrawn for revision.

The High Court said that PG lawyers had explained the withdrawal was because the PG had asked for police to investigate a case where a group of people stormed into the Civil Service Commission. Both cases were related, but the police had not concluded the investigation when hearings into the first case had started.

Ali Waheed was charged with obstruction of police duty during an anti-government protest he had participated in while a member of the then opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).  Waheed, who has since defected to the Maldivian Democratic Party in May 2011, was charged for breaching article 75 of Maldives Police Services Act.

During the hearings held at the High Court, Assistant Public Prosecutor Hussain Nashid claimed that the charges had only been dropped “temporarily” in a bid to respect the “fairness” of criminal trials.

Nashid also argued that the PG had the discretionary power to decide upon the procedures as to how criminal charges can be filed.

Both Waheed and Mahloof were elected to parliament as representatives of the DRP. However, following the split of the DRP into two factions, both Waheed and Mahloof chose to leave the party.

Mahloof went onto join the Progressive Party of Maldives, the party formed by followers of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

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