Tag: coup

Comment: Appeal for help

On the 7th of February, 2012 the lawfully elected Government of Maldives was overthrown by a mutiny carried out by joint factions of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the Maldives Police Service. Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed was forced at gunpoint to write a letter of resignation addressed to the Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid.

Using the above mentioned letter that was processed under duress, was used as a pretext to usher in the then Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik to the President’s chair. Soon thereafter, Dr. Waheed appointed a new Home Minister, a new Defense Minister and a new Police Commissioner. It has now been revealed that these new posts are taken up by the leaders of the coup.

The self-claimed government of Dr Waheed is using the military and the police force to beat and arrest MPs and others loyal to the former government. This large scale crackdown on the members of Parliament and supporters of President Nasheed is continuing.

At the moment, the UN, Commonwealth and other bodies are trying to diffuse the situation.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the coup including Dr Waheed are using their newly assumed powers to suppress free media, conduct extra-judicial arrests and utilise the Criminal Court in issuing court orders for the arrest of President Nasheed and his supporters. We believe they are trying to wipe out the democracy movement by destroying the Maldivian Democratic Party.

As indicated by the popular uprising in the aftermath of the coup, a great majority of the Maldivian people do not accept the newly established government in power.

President Nasheed won the Election in 2008, after 30 years of autocratic rule by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. New President Waheed named ministers on Sunday who are almost all veterans of the government of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Maldives for 30 years until Nasheed beat him in 2008 in a presidential election.

We believe that despite counter claims of Dr. Waheed, his move up from vice president to the head of state did not follow constitutional procedures after Nasheed was forced to resign.

We call upon citizens of all democratic countries to condemn this coup and to demand from the government of Dr. Waheed to hand over power to the Speaker of Parliament in accordance with the Maldives Constitution, until a free and fair election can be held. We also demand from the international community to conduct an independent inquiry of the process that lead to the forcible removal of President Mohamed Nasheed from office.

Help us save this young democracy, before the coup leaders and the mutinous military and police take back our democratic rights.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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Tourists barely put down cocktails: Reuters

Tourists enjoying the sun and sand at the Maldives’ luxury island resorts have barely put down their cocktails during the political crisis rocking Asia’s newest democracy, oblivious to behind-the-scenes links of tourism to the tumult, writes Bryson Hull for Reuters.

Just a 10-minute boat ride from the capital island of Male, site of a police mutiny that led to ex-president Mohamed Nasheed’s departure last week and ensuing clashes, lies the paradise most visitors associate with the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Step off the 15-metre (50-foot) power boat, replete with an air-conditioned cabin and leather seats, that whisks you to the dock at Kurumba resort on Vihamanafushi, and you are immediately in a land of luxury, water sports and relaxation.

The political turmoil, as far as American literature professor Jerzy Sobieraj was concerned, was an ocean away across the glassine turquoise waters at his feet.

“We are having a great time. We heard about the coup, but it doesn’t matter to us. It hasn’t affected us at all,” Sobieraj told Reuters, sipping a glass of white wine alongside his wife, lawyer Ewa Korzan-Sobieraj, on a chaise longue.

Full story

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Comment: I am for democracy too

A coup is a coup. Much of what transpired at MNDF headquarters the morning of February 7 remains unclear, but several key facts have come to light, and placed in the context of Maldivian politics, leave no doubt in my mind that President Nasheed was ousted in a cleverly executed coup.

Following Nasheed’s forced resignation, the entire country burned. Key law enforcement institutions became Enemy Number One overnight. In contrast to the relative professional and non-violent reaction to protests against Judge Abdulla’s arbitrary detention, police used brutal force and violently targeted key MDP officials on February 8. Controversial appointments to key posts in Dr Waheed’s government, particularly the Minister of Defence and the Commissioner of Police, who served as the main interlocutors with President Nasheed at MNDF HQ, with no legitimacy whatsoever, further deteriorate MDP supporters’ faith in the police and the MNDF.

In an atmosphere so emotionally charged and tense, it is an elephantine task to remain rational, to stick to facts, and to make decisions that will save our democracy in the long run. It is even harder to do so when media channels, on either side of the political divide, are biased and resorting to propaganda. Nasheed and his supporters have unleashed a deluge of hyperbole to rile up crowds and chip away whatever is left of the public’s trust in the police and the armed forces.

Nasheed showed Waheed’s government and the international community his ammunition when he led his supporters into a direct, violent confrontation with the police and armed forces on Wednesday. He is using the threat of violence to force elections in two months, when it is very clear that an election in two months will not be free and fair. In the meantime, Waheed has come out to say he will not hold elections until 2013. What has been lacking in our democracy since 2008 stands in the way of restoring democracy today. Democracy is about compromise. Nasheed and Waheed need to meet each other half way so that our democracy is not flushed down the drains of history.

Even if Waheed’s government is illegitimate, what is done is done. And protracted civil unrest and violence in small communities, which may take generations to heal, is not the way forward. At a time when people are divided and emotional, we need strong leaders who place the good of the nation above personal gain. Waheed must have the balls to ensure that his government does not go after senior leaders in the MDP in the run up to elections in six months. In return to agreeing for elections in six months, Nasheed and his co must be given guarantees by Waheed’s government that the MDP leadership and supporters will not be made political prisoners. In my mind, there is really no other way forward and if people have suggestions, it is time we start a national debate on how to overcome this impasse in a conciliatory manner.

You say a liberal?

That said, the coup d’etat of February 7 is also a window of opportunity for the people to demand more and better from of our political leadership. One person had written on facebook that we might have been too tolerant of President Nasheed’s runaway administration. True, opposition political parties under Nasheed’s administration did not play by the same lofty rules we set for the government. But with more power comes more responsibility. Nasheed was in power, the opposition parties were not, hence the double standards in expectations. With our civil society so weak from 30 years of authoritarian rule, the political leadership had a massive responsibility. Nasheed had the power to write the story of our democracy differently. He may have lost elections in 2013 if he did, but he would have been a mighty hero in my mind had he focused on strengthening our democratic institutions over forcing and bypassing democratic institutions to ensure the fulfillment of the MDP’s five key pledges.

A 30-year dictatorship left a legacy: an uneven playing field; a weak civil society; a small and toothless middle class; a dearth of self-thinking peoples; and a biased media. The vestiges of dictatorship remain and they matter. History matters. But it only directs, it does not determine. The many constitutional crises, the political posturing, and the name-calling we see today are not inevitable results of a 30-year dictatorship. It is the combined result of a 30-year dictatorship, and a conscious choice by the Nasheed administration to play power politics instead of fostering the slow, painful and perhaps, in the short run, self-defeating, democratic reforms that would have strengthened our democracy.

When Nasheed came to power in 2008, he inherited not only a massive budget deficit, but also a political system that operated on political patronage. Nasheed did not try to change this informal system. He adopted masters of such politicking, including Ibrahim Hussein Zaki and Hassan Afeef into his administration, indicating that political realism would provide Nasheed government’s ideological grounding. To outwit Gayoom et al, Nasheed decided to play the power game instead of democracy. In doing so he acted like an astute politician, not a liberal democrat. Those who expected the latter, mostly liberals, are deeply disappointed with the Nasheed administration. The handful of young and educated who were convinced that an MDP defeat in 2013 would spell out the end of democracy, and those who foresaw an end to their innings with the end of Nasheed’s government, were glad that he played the part of a clever politician. But then the coup happened.

In a very real way, Nasheed himself is to blame for presenting coup planners with ample fodder and opportunity. Arbitrarily detaining Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed for nearly 20 days, in spite of the arrest’s unconstitutionality, in spite of continued street protests that often turned violent, and in spite of escalating police fatigue, Nasheed defended the arrest to the last minutes of his administration and continues to defend it today. But to this day, Nasheed has not explained the precise national security threat that justified the military detention of Abdulla Mohamed. By commanding the MNDF to arbitrarily arrest Abdulla Mohamed and detain him on their training camp, Nasheed unnecessarily plunged one of Maldives’ few professional institutions into disarray and opened it up to politicisation. Presidents who are concerned with consolidating democracy do not issue such orders. They do not think in “either or” terms. Creativity and compromise are fundamental characteristics of a strong democratic leadership.

You say a revolution in 2008?

History matters. Those who were rich and powerful under Gayoom, remain rich and powerful today. In short, our democratic “revolution” in 2008 failed to change the status quo. The aristocrats and merchants who own the tourism, fishing, construction, and shipping industries act like an oligarchy. They have the means to ensure that they maintain their monopolies and deflect any harm that come their way. Take for example what happened with the penalties for tax evasion. And where is the minimum wage bill? What happened to workers’ right to strike? When democratic institutions, such as the parliament, become monopolised by aristocrats and merchants, and when the main rule of law institution, that is the court system, remains dominated by unlearned persons who are easily manipulated by the aristocrats and merchants, the middle class that is the key to democratic consolidation, has no representation and no space to assert itself.

To his credit, Nasheed did attempt to foster a middle class. He implemented a long overdue taxation system that forced tourism tycoons to pay their fair share for state bills. His policies sought to improve access to basic services. And he faced huge challenges. But in playing power politics, he also ensured that the rich and powerful remained so, and nurtured a new group of rich and powerful people who would ostensibly protect his presidency and candidacy in 2013. To that end, a number of development projects continued to fall into the hands of those affiliated with the MDP, and sometimes those hands were not the most capable and able. And the lease of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport is anything but transparent. If justice is fairness, Nasheed government’s corrupt activities fell short of delivering justice, and served to exacerbate the already existing crisis in the judiciary.

Way Forward

The way forward is in compromise and learning from mistakes. It is not in taking sides and refusing to budge. Peace is not a platitude. To characterise peace, conciliation, and negotiation as platitudes and “bullshit” is to reject the essence of democracy. And being “colorless”, and withholding blind support for the MDP or any other political party is not a wholesale rejection of democracy. Restoring Nasheed, whichever way possible, will not restore democracy.

No to street violence, No to political witch hunts, No to destroying the social fabric of our small nation, and No to politicising our armed forces and the police. But Yes to elections in six months. The current government is illegitimate and the nation cannot afford to wait until 2013 for presidential elections. At the same time, MDP supporters will risk the nation by going out on to the streets. The political leadership of this country should go to the negotiation table fast if we are to restore democracy. And people of this country should step back from pledging blind support to leaders. Learn from mistakes. Pledge your support to democratic processes. Pledge your support to negotiations and elections, not in two months when an election would be impossible, but in six months, when it has a better chance of translating your vote freely and fairly.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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Thousands rally as diplomats meet with press

United States’ Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake has encouraged the coalition of “former opposition” political parties affiliated with the new government to “work with all parties to reform and improve the capacity of the judiciary, the police and the election commission to ensure the election can be held in an orderly and peaceful manner.”

Large crowds gathered at MDP rally

Meeting the press this afternoon in the National Art Gallery, Blake said that “a number of good ideas” were being explored to “try and bring former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) into the national unity government.”

Blake’s suggestion follows that of new President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, who said on Saturday morning that he hoped some cabinet posts would be taken by the MDP: “I hope MDP will be part of my cabinet, and I will keep posts vacant for them.”

Nasheed’s supporters have criticised the legitimacy of Dr Waheed’s government and have refused to participate in his proposed ‘national unity’ government.

Challenged by a foreign journalist as to the legality of the transition, Blake said that US commitment was to the new government of the Maldives.

““The United states remains committed to working with all Maldivian people to ensure democratic and prosperous future for this important friend of the United States,” Blake said.

However he added said that there were “some questions regarding the transfer of power” and suggested that some sort of independent Maldivian commission be formed to investigate the issue, before arriving at conclusions.

As per the constitution, the Vice President is next in line for the presidency and the speaker of the parliament “has already said that the transfer of the power was constitutional.”

“Some people say it was a coup, some people say it was a peaceful and constitutional transfer of. power. That not for the US to decide, that is for Maldivians,” Blake said.

He did express concern over the “anti-semetic commentary” and strongly condemned it, and also praised Nasheed’s government “for working to improve [the country’s] relationship with Israel and show themselves as a modern and progressive government.”

Nasheed and his party supporters gathered in their thousands at the Artificial Beach in Male’, where they were shown a chronology of videos leading up the change of government. Crowd control police or military were nowhere to be seen, and the crowd eventually dispersed peacefully.

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Comment: A mutiny against democracy

When retired Colonel Mohamed Nazim addressed the press for the first time following his appointment as the country’s new Defence Minister, he strongly asserted that there was no pressure from the armed forces on President Nasheed to resign.

He further claimed in front of journalists that the armed personnel gave no indication either way even when the President had asked them for advice.

However, in a video broadcast afterwards on RaajjeTV, the retired colonel is seen addressing the mutinous security forces at the Republican square on the morning of seventh February. In the video, he is seen coming out of the MNDF barracks, and telling the assembled forces over a loud speaker that he has conveyed their demands, which included the President’s ‘unconditional resignation’.

Clearly, the new Defense Minister needs to rethink this statement, and be more forthcoming about the day’s events.

Furthermore, why the new Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz – who had been sacked earlier – was seen carrying the President’s resignation letter is another question worth asking.

How Nazim and the Abdulla Riyaz, both civilians at the time, were allowed to freely walk into the MNDF barracks and closely accompany the President remains a mystery.

What is clear is that when the President is forced by the armed forces to resign under the threat of violence, held in military detention, brutally beaten up on the streets along with his supporters by the police, has an arrest warrant against him within a day of his resignation, and all the appointments made by his successor are known allies and associates of the former dictatorship that have been hostile to his presidency, then it is time to acknowledge the incident for what it is – a coup d’etat.

A puppet government

To be absolutely clear, Dr Waheed is a admirable man. He is an articulate and accomplished person, with a ton of experience and is eminently worthy of handling the responsibilities of the Presidency – arguably much more so than any candidate the main opposition parties has to offer.

However, the circumstances leading to his acquisition of power are vague, and the little that is known is corrosive to the country’s democratic ambitions.

Noteworthy among them is that the main opposition parties had publicly called upon the armed forces and the police to plead allegiance to the Vice President a week before the police mutiny even happened.

In a democracy, the transfer of power has to absolutely remain the sole prerogative of the people, exercised through the ballot box. This is a sacred writ of democracy that cannot – and should not – ever change.

A few hundred policemen should not be able to forcibly execute a regime change.

There is an ongoing effort by the opposition parties to portray the coup d’etat as a ‘popular’ uprising. But thankfully, it is trivial to discredit this assertion.

While there were 20 days of sustained protests by several opposition parties in the days leading up to the coup d’etat, the sparse attendance at these rallies – considering the sheer number of political parties behind it – proves that it wasn’t representative of the general public will.

Furthermore, Dr Waheed’s appointment brings with it greater portents.

Dr Waheed has little political influence or grassroots support to implement any independent decision. His fledgling political party hasn’t a single elected member in either the Parliament or a local council.

He is, thus, in a poor position to enforce or carry out the mandate of the people. Without the backing of the MDP, it is likely that the only policies he can realistically achieve are opposition demands that, again, have no electoral mandate.

“Rule of law”

Dr Waheed has also failed to strongly condemn the excessive police brutality against civilians on February 8, the day President Nasheed was released.

Despite having repeatedly vowed to uphold the ‘rule of law’, people were beaten unconscious, the ousted President was roughed up, and at least one senior member of Parliament was beaten mercilessly by the police under his watch.

His failure to reassure the people might have very well contributed to the arson and violence in the southern atolls, as supporters of President Nasheed torched police buildings and courts in response to the heavy-handed police crackdown.

The silence of the new President was only matched by the apalling insensitivity of the newly appointed Commissioner of Police who, when asked to respond to the excessive use of force by the police, insisted that the police always used ‘minimum force’ – and that he would leave it to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) and the Human Rights Commission HRCM) to judge if they had stepped out of line.

On the other hand, the armed forces forcibly took control the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation State media, renamed the station to ‘TVM’, as it was known during the Gayoom dictatorship.

The station is now a police propaganda outlet, and refuses to cover massive MDP rallies around the country, or the police brutality that has attracted condemnation from Amnesty International and other bodies:

A photo circulating on Facebook apparently showing defected police and MNDF celebrating in the courtyard of the state broadcaster, after taking it over on Tuesday.

Unity government

Dr Waheed has also said that he’s looking forward to forming a “unity government” and find common ground.

However, his appointment of Dr Mohamed Jameel as his new Home Minister puts a dark cloud over the sincerity of this effort.

By all measures, Jameel is a hawk. He led a strong, high rhetoric Islamist charge against the government when he was in opposition. His responses during his initial press conference were politically charged and combative, instead of the conciliatory tone Dr Waheed promised his government would have.

Jameel has vowed to raise terrorism charges against “those involved” – including President Nasheed. To his credit, Dr Waheed has called the comments “unwelcome”. However, if he is sincere about building peace, perhaps he needs to rethink his cabinet appointments.

The string of appointments of Gayoom regime loyalists and apologists to the cabinet and as heads of armed forces does nothing to quell the charges of political conspiracy.

When the legitimacy of the government is in doubt, and its willingness and capacity to deliver on the people’s electoral verdict is in doubt, and when these factors have created an atmosphere of extreme volatility, then the solution seems to be rather obvious.

An immediate election would restore the mandate of the people, and grant legitimacy and authority to an elected party, which would bring back some much needed order.

However, key foreign governments like India and the United States have failed to advocate this position, choosing instead to recognise the legitimacy of the newly installed government, backed by Gayoom regime forces, tainted business interests, and Islamists.

This decision has the potential to permanently reverse the democratic gains made by the country since the democratic uprising.

Dr Waheed himself argues that the political climate of the country is not conducive to elections – whatever that means.

Perhaps more likely is the contrary view that the conditions in the country are not suitable for the present government to continue, nor is it advisable for another – much larger – reason.

Setting a precedent

Other countries in the region, such as Pakistan, have experimented with letting the armed forces dictate the rulers of the country. And in the bargain, Pakistan has become a failed democracy mired in chaos and conflict.

It is therefore tragic that the Maldives is all set to follow in Pakistan’s footsteps, without even having experienced two election cycles.

Could future political parties in the Maldives come to power simply by winning influence in the police and armed forces? Will the demands of a few hundred uniformed personnel strip 300,000 people of their democratic verdict?

If the currently installed government is granted legitimacy, what would stop the country’s defense forces from pointing a gun at future elected governments?

The Maldivian constitution says that the ultimate power rests with the people, and the people alone. This is the central tenet of the constitution – the one line that decides that we the people are in charge of our democracy.

However, if this coup – this travesty – is allowed to take place unopposed, then we would have set the unwelcome precedent that a few men with guns can override the mandate of the people.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

Inside the MNDF base during Nasheed’s last moments in power:

Translation (provided by the MDP, Minivan News is currently verifying accuracy).

0:00-00:07 Moosa Jaleel: avahah, avahah, avahah {fast, fast,fast}

President Nasheed: Nikumey, nikumey, nikumey {Go out, Go out, Go out}

00:10 – 00:13 Nasheed: Anekahves…..alhe mee {Not again……..then this}

00:14-00:17 Nasheed: Nikan Kameh kobbala, Nikah kameh kohbala ,kaleymen {Please do something, please do something, you guys}

00:29-00:42 Nasheed: Nilaam, Nilaam ………gossa nikumey…. mulhi rajje halaaku kuranee kaleymen thibegen….Nukunashey. {Nilaam,Nilaam…..get out there…the whole of Maldives is being destroyed, by your inaction}

Unkown: Nukumeveytha? {Is it possible to get out?}

01:00-1:03 Unknown: Mariyamen rulhi aiss gen Male thalhaalanee. {Mariya and them has gotten angry and destroying Male.’}

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“We call on the police and the army to pledge allegiance to the Vice President”: Umar Naseer, Jan 31

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has circulated a video of an opposition press conference held early on January 31, following an early morning meeting between former Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan and opposition leaders.

The meeting with Dr Waheed included President of the Adhaalath Party Sheikh Imran, Vice President of former President Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer, and Vice President of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef.

Nasheed and the MDP contend that his resignation following an attack by opposition protesters on the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters on Tuesday February 7 – in which element of the police and a smaller number of MNDF officers participated – was made under duress.

Dr Waheed’s government has maintained that the events of the day, including the takeover and rebranding of the state broadcaster, were spontaneous, and has praised the “sacrifices” of the security forces who participated.

“What happened (on Tuesday) was the culmination of a long process of political conflict and undermining of the judiciary,” President Waheed told foreign media during a press conference the morning after the alleged coup, which followed three weeks of 200-400 people protesting over the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed.

“I think it is unfair for anyone to accuse me of joining the opposition. I will continue this government in the spirit of coalition,” Dr Waheed said.

In the video of the opposition press conference eight days earlier, Umar Naseer claimed that President Nasheed had pledged “not to hold elections in 2013”.

“Hence, the December 23rd Coalition, all the different stakeholders of the coalition and all the opposition political parties are calling out to the police and the army to come out and pledge allegiance to Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, and not to implement any order given by Mohmed Nasheed,” Naseer said.

The coalition of opposition parties was formed following a well-attended ‘Defend Islam’ rally on December 23. Opposition leaders at the protest had criticised Nasheed’s Islamic credentials, accusing him of “building churches”, defending the Addu City ‘idols’ (SAARC monuments) and failing to condemn United Nations Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay for her suggestion that flogging be abolished as a punishment for extra-marital sex.

“We the Coalition of 23rd December has decided that from right this moment onwards, to step up the work we have been doing until today, to move things into the second phase,” said Sheikh Imran Abdulla, President of the religiously conservative Adhaalath Party, at the meeting on January 31.

“All of us in the Coalition have decided to pledge allegiance to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik,” Naseer said.

At the press conference, DRP Vice Presdient Shareef said President Nasheed was a “huge threat to Maldivians”, and had “to be stopped immediately.”

“We believe Mohamed Nasheed has no legal standing to be the President of the Maldives. He has undermined the power of the courts, and completely abolished law and order in Maldives.

“He has tarnished the sanctity of the Supreme Court of the Maldives, and by giving illegal orders to the security forces, started injuring citizens.

“So before we go to a scarier, more dangerous blood shed, we have asked the Vice President to save this nation. I would like to call upon the security forces [to accept that] since the Vice President is a person elected by Maldivians, and should the President be incapacitated to perform his legal duties, the Vice President must assume the duties of the President.”

Recording of the January 31 press conference:

Transcript

Sheikh Imran, President of the Adhaalath Party:

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most beneficent.

We had to meet at this late hour because the Government is acting out
of the boundaries of the constitution to destroy the judiciary and disenfranchise the citizens of the country, and because President Nasheed has indicated to us, clearly, that the 2013 elections will not be held.

(And so) we the Coalition of 23rd December has decided that from right this moment onwards, to step up the work we have been doing until today, to move things into the second phase.

The steering committee of the 23rd December Coalition has met and decided, unanimously, that we have to take things to the second phase.

(And so) we went to meet the Vice President, and having met him, we wanted to convey our decisions to the beloved citizens of the Republic of Maldives.

Hence we are meeting at this late hour. Umar will convey what we desire and the decisions we have taken.

Umar Naseer Vice President, Progressive Party of the Maldives:

Thank you very much. As you would know President Nasheed has, beyond doubt, contradicted the Constitution, and he himself has said that, he has stepped out of the chart.

And that he will not hold presidential elections in 2013.

Hence, the December 23rd Coalition, all the different stakeholders of the coalition and all the opposition political parties are calling out to the police and the army to come out and pledge allegiance to Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and not to implement any order given by Mohmed Nasheed.

And all of us in the Coalition have decided to pledge allegiance to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

So on behalf of this coalition we are calling on the security forces, to immediately pledge their allegiance to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

As you know Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was elected by a direct vote of Maldivians, and has not acted contrary to the Constitution.

But Mohamed Nasheed has contradicted the constitution, gone outside the chart and has said he will not hold elections in 2013.

Hence we cannot say that Mohamed Nasheed is the legal ruler of Maldives.

This is the decision of the Coalition.

Mohamed ‘Mavota’ Shareef, Vice President, Dhivehi Rayithunge Party:

In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful.

We had met tonight with the Vice President on behalf of the Coalition to let him know what we think.

We have let the Vice President know what our parties had decided.

As you might know President Nasheed is a huge threat to Maldivians.

If what President Nasheed is doing is not stopped immediately, like what has happened in other countries, we fear that this country might plunge into a civil conflict.

So we requested the Vice President to take over the government, and we call upon the security forces to immediately start obeying the orders of the Vice President

That is because President Nasheed is not the President of the Maldives anymore.

He could have only stayed on as President, as long as he had not contradicted the constitution and does not contradict the law. He is trying to sideline the constitution.

He is contradicting the constitution knowingly, and on purpose.

Hence, as Umar and our Sheikh Imran has already stated, and as we have repeatedly stated, Nasheed who was holding the post of President, is not the President of this country anymore.

We believe Kenereege Mohamed Nasheed has no legal standing to be the president of the Maldives.

He has undermined the power of the courts, and completely abolished law and order in Maldives.

He has tarnished the sanctity of the supreme court of the Maldives, and by giving illegal orders to the security forces, started injuring citizens.

So before we go to a scarier, more dangerous blood shed, we have asked the Vice President to save this nation.

In conclusion, I would like to call upon the security forces, (to accept that) since the Vice President is a person elected by Maldivians, and should the president be incapacitated to perform his legal duties, the Vice President must assume the duties of the President. (And so) we have decided that he has to start performing these duties.

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Germany calls for Dr Waheed’s govt to “consolidate legitimacy” with “independent inquiry”

Germany has called for Dr Waheed’s government to “consolidate its national and international legitimacy” by holding an “independent inquiry” into the circumstances around Nasheed’s resignation this week.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed “deep concern about recent developments in the Maldives, particularly the violent attacks against elected officials and supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).”

Germany has taken note of President Waheed’s intention to form a government of “national unity”.

“The participation of all major parties represented in Parliament will be a decisive precondition to its political authority,” Westerwelle said, calling on the new leadership “to uphold the principles and norms of democracy and the rule of law and guarantee the right to peaceful demonstrations.”

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Maldives for 30 years prior to Mohamed Nasheed’s victory in the country’s first democratic election in 2008, meanwhile hit out at international media in an interview with AFP, calling them “biased for depicting this as a coup or something illegal”.

“Mr Waheed is the democratically elected president of the Maldives, according to our constitution. I called him and congratulated him,” Gayoom told AFP over the phone from Malaysia.

He denied personal involvement in what Nasheed’s side has termed a coup d’état after “200 police officers and 80 Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officers” sided with opposition protesters on Tuesday.

“No, I had no involvement at all. I had no personal involvement in anything like a coup organised by myself,” AFP reported Gayoom as saying. “He (Nasheed) resigned on his own.”

Gayoom said he would return home “within days”, and did not rule out a bid to reclaim the presidency.

“I haven’t decided yet. You can say I am keeping my options open. I don’t think I will but I cannot rule it out. It depends on the circumstances,” he told AFP.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is meanwhile sending his special envoy M Ganapathi to assess the situation in the Maldives. High level delegations from the UN and Commonwealth are active in the capital, while US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake is due to arrive tomorrow.

Male’ remains calm this evening. But meanwhile, far from the diplomats and international media thronging in Male’, MDP supporters in the southern-most city of Addu are alleging that a brutal police and PPM crackdown against the former ruling party is taking place in retaliation for the destruction of court and police buildings on Wednesday evening.

An MDP member told Minivan News this evening that he was dragged from his house, cuffed, and thrown into a pickup “like a dog.” He was taken to Gan with 33 others where the station had been burned by Nasheed supporters on Wednesday evening.

“They poured petrol around us and said: “We will burn you, we can do anything because no one knows where are you are and no one will come to save you,” he said.

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“We will burn you, we can do anything because no one knows where are you are and no one will come to save you”

Police and military are “ransacking Addu City”, former President Mohamed Nasheed claimed in a meeting with press today, in retaliation for the destruction of police and court buildings on the islands on Wednesday night.

Addu is a stronghold of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and is the second most populated area in the Maldives, after Male’. Together, both cities make up 50 percent of the country’s population, and councilors at both were unanimously voted in on MDP tickets in last year’s local council elections.

Today, Nasheed claimed members of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) are “dragging people out from their homes and asking them if they are MDP or PPM. If they say MDP, they are spraying them with pepper, beating them and arresting them.”

Nasheed claimed that individuals in Addu have been stripped and handcuffed. Other sources in Addu claimed said that those arrested were being on Coast Guard vessels following the destruction of police and court buildings in the wake of the police crackdown on Wednesday afternoon. Fishermen reportedly claimed to have heard the sound of weeping coming from the moored vessels.

Minivan News was contacted by a man, identifying himself as an MDP supporter, who claimed to have been “arrested and beaten” yesterday on Hithadhoo in Addu City, at 1:30pm. He said he was released on Thursday night at 7:30pm.

He believes he was targeted because the Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) in Addu sent a list of people who had participated in protests to the police.

He was taken from his house with his family: “They threw my sister like a dog, and said all kinds of very bad words to my parents.”

He said he was dragged from his house and trodden on by the military, then cuffed and thrown into their pickup “like a dog.”

He was taken to Gan with 33 others where the station had been burned.

“They poured petrol around us and said: “We will burn you, we can do anything because no one knows where are you are and no one will come to save you.”

The military and police members allegedly removed some peoples’ clothes, sprayed them with pepper spray, and made them all “dance like dolls. They were doing it for their own entertainment, smiling and laughing.”

He was released at 7:30pm last night. “They said ‘Tell no one I’ve seen this kind of thing or you will never see your family again.'”

He reported that the military and police were still searching for people on Friday evening. Mayor Abdul Sodig was said to be in hiding.

Military and police officials are going around with members of the opposition, the MDP supporter claimed. He also said those who attacked him had told his family at his house: “Now this is our government. We can do anything we want.”

Similar events were occurring in Thinadhoo and Fuvahmulah, also in the country’s south, former President Nasheed said: “We are losing a country as we speak.”

Minivan News was today informed that Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail, former member of the Special Majlis and the committee responsible for drafting the new Constitution, had flown to Addu with several lawyers to assess the situation in the remote island. The team was reportedly attacked, beaten and had their phones taken.

Several media outlets, including some foreign outlets, were scheduled to fly to Addu this evening with MDP representatives, but the trip was called off after organisers claimed that the violence had spread and they were unable to guarantee reporters’ safety at night.

Police statement

Police Spokesman Ahmed Shiyam said any arrests made by police would be conducted legally. Approximately 70 people were being questioned, he said, and noted that court warrants had been issued for the arrest of several others. He said he had no knowledge of people being held on boats.

Meanwhile new Commissioner of Police Abdhulla Riyaz has in a statement requested that the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) and Human Rights Commission of the Maldives closely monitor the treatment of all those who are brought into police custody related to the investigation of disturbances on the evening of February 8, which he said had “caused severe damage and harm to government and public property and as well as police personnel.”

“During these disturbances that occured in Male as well as other regions of the Maldives, several police stations and the police traning school in Addu was torched and severely damaged,” the statement read.

“The Commissioner of Police has instructed all police officials who are involved in this investigation to protect the rights of the detainees including the right to an attorney, right to food and other entitled human rights. The police commssioner also assured that all individuals who will be arrested with regard to the above disturbances will only be arrested in accordance with the constitution, rules and regulations of Maldives.”

During his meeting today, former President Nasheed said “I believe that what the people of this country want is clear from what is happening on the streets. We can bring the government to our terms by demonstrating on the streets, but I fear it is not the best course of action.”

He noted that the opposition “was only able to gather 300 to 400 people” each night during three weeks of protests against the detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed.

On Thursday morning the Criminal Court issued a warrant for Nasheed’s arrest, however police had not complied with it by Friday evening.

International support

Nasheed said that his party was not depending on the international community to bring fresh elections to the Maldives, and was relying on the Maldivian people to make their feelings felt: “In the absence of international support, we will have to go back to the streets and demonstrate”, Nasheed said. “We cannot join this government as we believe it is illegal.”

A Vice President, Nasheed contended, was expected to carry out the policies of the government were he to replace the sitting President: “He is not supposed to find a new cabinet or new policies.”

Nasheed also commented that he had been “aware for some time” that Dr Waheed had met with opposition leaders in his home, and in the last month “it was obvious” that he had leanings towards the opposition. He added that Dr Waheed’s party “hasn’t a single seat” in Parliament, and said he could “not see how would get a cabinet approved. How can he have control? He would have to rely on his masters.”

A foreign journalist asked Nasheed as to the identity of those “masters”. Nasheed speculated that Gayoom’s half-brother Abdulla Yameen and Jumhoree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim were involved “because I have seen them at it. I am very sure it is the old order.”

Nasheed had met with the Indian High Commissioner Dynaneshwar Mulay prior to the press conference. A journalist asked if he “felt India has let you down”.

“I’m sure India with its ideals and policies will find the most amicable set of policies in the Maldives,” Nasheed responded.

Addressing the matter of international influence in the Indian Ocean, Nasheed said his government had always been clear on its friendship with the neighboring country, however the “present government has not been clear on its stance with regards to India and China”, adding that “there’s always room for maneuvering.”

“My policy on international relations is very simple – find a friend and be good to that friend,” he said.

The United States today recognised the government of Dr Waheed, and expressed hope that the Maldives would resolve the current issue internally, according to media reports.

US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Washington “recognised the new government of President Mohammed Waheed Hassan as legitimate”, but clarified that it was collecting more information.

US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake is due to arrive in the Maldives tomorrow. High-level delegations from the UN and Commonwealth are currently active in the Maldives and meeting all parties.

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Nasheed calls for Dr Waheed to step down, hold elections in two months

Political unrest continues in the Maldives following the issuing of a warrant for the arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed by the Criminal Court on Thursday morning.

The unrest was sparked three weeks ago after the military took Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed, into custody on the military training island of Girifushi – the same island used to hold Nasheed’s underwater cabinet meeting.

Nasheed’s government had accused the Chief Judge of political bias, among other allegations going back to 2005 under Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s administration. The judicial watchdog body – the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) – had concluded an investigation into allegations of political bias, however the judge sought an injunction from the Civil Court against his investigation. The JSC complied with the Civil Court order.

A warrant was also issued for the arrest of former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim.

Minivan News is currently attempting to confirm the charges against the pair with the Criminal Court.

Nasheed resigned in dramatic circumstances on Tuesday, handing power to Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan, after elements of the police sided with opposition protesters. The group had attacked the main military base in Male’, and then took over the state broadcaster, rebranding it ‘Television Maldives’ (TVM), its name under Gayoom’s government.

President Dr Waheed then held a press conference on Wednesday morning in which he pledged to create a “national unity government”, and praised the police defectors for their “great sacrifices in upholding the constitution”. He denied there had been a coup when challenged by reporters: “Do I look like someone who is attempting a coup?” Dr Waheed replied.

That afternoon former President Nasheed rallied Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters in Male’, announcing to his party and foreign media that he had been forced to resign under duress, declaring Dr Waheed’s government illegitimate and calling for elections.

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) last night denied using force against Nasheed prior to his resignation.

Thousands of MDP supporters, including many women, took to the streets for what the party claimed was a “peaceful” protest walk around Male’. A brutal police crackdown, in which Nasheed was beaten and 50 people were hospitalised, including MDP Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa, sparked a wave of violence and vandalism across the country’s islands directed at police buildings, courts and other public buildings. Dramatic footage of the protests and the injured was shared on social media networks.

Protests spread, police and courts damaged

At 11:00pm last night police released details of the damage caused to police property during public protests on the islands.

  • Protestors on Gaaf Dhaalu Atoll Thinadhoo set fire to the police station, magistrate court, atoll council office, and all police vehicles. Nine policeman were attacked and subsequently treated at the Thinadhoo Regional Hospital. Police officials have declared the area unsafe for local policemen as “MDP supporters have threatened to attack the residences of policemen.”
  • Similarly, on Faresmaathodaa island of the same atoll, protesters close down the police station and forced those officers on duty to return home.
  • In Addu City, which is synonymous with Addu Atoll and which hosted the 2011 SAARC Summit, protesters torched police stations in Hithadhoo and Gan islands, as well as the Addu Police Training School and all police vehicles. The buildings have been destroyed beyond repair, and criminals held in those police stations have been released by protesters.
  • In Raa Atoll Dhuveaafaru and Alifushi islands, MDP supporters marched into police stations, halted police operations and closed down the building with police officers inside.
  • In Shaviyani Atoll Milandhoo island, protesters forced themselves into the police station where they set two police motorbikes and a vehicle on fire. Following threats, all island police officers have been transferred to Funadhoo island in the same atoll.
  • On Gnaviyani Atoll Fuvahmulah island, protestors threw stones at police after they were prevented from closing down the station. Some police officers have been injured, and station windows have been smashed.
  • In Haa Alifu Atoll Dhidhoo island MDP supporters walked into the local police stations, halted operations and closed down the building, forcing the policemen off the island. Criminals held in the station were released.

Several governments have issued travel advisories urging tourists to avoid travel to the capital city of Male. Resorts and the airport island remain calm.

Controversial appointments

Meanwhile, President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has made appointed several members of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s government to key posts.

Last night Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed of minority opposition Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP) was appointed Minister of Home Affairs.

Dr Jameel previously served as Minister of Justice under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and briefly as Minister of Civil Aviation and Communication former President Mohamed Nasheed. Dr Jameel was also involved in a controversial pamphlet published by his party, the DQP, accusing the Nasheed government of conspiring with Jewish and Christian figures to “spread vice” among the Maldivan public.

The President also appointed Mohamed Nazim as Minister of Defence and National Security. Nazim previously served in the National Security Service under Gayoom, and in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) under Nasheed.

Ilyas Hussein Ibrahim has been appointed as Immigration Controller, a position he held under Gayoom. He served as Director of the Center for Disaster Management under Nasheed.

Today, the President appointed Masood Imad as President’s Office Media Secretary. Imad previously worked as Gayoom’s presidential campaign manager in 2008, and has served as director of Maldives Airports Company Ltd. (MACL).

Foreign media informed Minivan News that Gayoom’s spokesman Mohamed ‘Mundhu’ Shareef was serving as acting spokesman for Dr Waheed’s government.

LIVE FEED – Refresh for updates

12:15pm – MDP Chairperson and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik is being examined by doctors. He remains in a serious condition, a party spokesperson has said.

12:30pm – The Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Mohammed Nasheed, as well as former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim. Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed was released from military detention after Nasheed resigned at 1:00pm on Tuesday, February 7, and following the swearing-in of then Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

12:35pm – Security forces were reported as on their way to Nasheed’s home at Keneryge to arrest him.

1:49pm – Nasheed is reportedly giving a press conference inside his home of Keneryge, to both local and foreign media. He has reportedly claimed that the current government is illegitimate.

2:10pm – Nasheed’s wife Laila and his two daughters are currently in Sri Lanka, Solih has said. At Nasheed’s Male home Keneryge, the party says it is still unaware of the charges against Nasheed.

2:11pm – Minivan News has been informed by the UN in Male’ that UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, will arrive in Male’ this evening.

2:26pm – President Nasheed addressed reporters in Keneryge, his family home in Male’:

“200 or so police and 80 military officers helped the opposition change the government. Police and military were very brutal; they beat me very badly. We all fear for our safety.

“The Maldives is in a very serious situation. The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) said the judge [Abdulla Mohamed] is not fit to sit on the bench. All we wanted to do by arresting the judge was to implement the JSC’s ruling that he was not fit to sit on the bench.

“I never fought and I don’t want a war. When police come with a warrant we will go with them.

“I cannot believe that the Vice President hasn’t participated in the whole thing. Military officers very clearly told me that if I did not resign in an hour they would use arms.

“We went to [Republic Square?] at 5:00am [on Tuesday]. Police officers sitting there defied my orders. MNDF (military) officer told me that they wanted to have me gone. MNDF officers on my side then begged me to open the weapons vault. I refused.

“I went to the President’s office and wrote the resignation letter as I was instructed by the MNDF. I tried to hand the letter to my secretary but the MNDF grabbed the letter and took it to parliament.

“My advice to MDP and to citizens is not to do anything unwise. And keep all actions within the laws. I regret that I have heard nothing from the Prosecutor General about all this.”

“I have a team of lawyers and I think they will consider filing a case in the Supreme Court.”

2:55pm – Nasheed has gone upstairs into the building with former Special Envoy Ibrahim Zaki.

3:02pm – Laamu Atoll Gan island was without Dhiraagu internet services as of 8:00 this morning, following a public demonstration last night. Sources report that several have been arrested in the atoll.

Dhiraagu has said the outage, which had affected islands in Laamu Atoll, Gaaf Dhaal Atoll, Gaaf Alif Atoll, Thaa Atoll and Naviyani Atoll, was due to a likely lightning strike on the northern side of Meemu Atoll on Kolhufushi Island. Company Manager of Marketing Communications and Public Relations Mohamed Mirshan Hassan said the outage was not related to the social unrest.

As of 11:00am today, services had been restored to islands including Fares in Gaaf Dhaal, Herethere, South Feydhoo, Kolamaafushi and parts of South Hithadhoo, Hassan said.

3:07pm – A petition calling for the security of Mohamed Nasheed, his staff and the Maldivian people organised by environmental NGO 350.org has received 30,000 signatures.

“President Nasheed has been one of the strongest, most outspoken leaders on climate change willing to both state the truth and lead with action commensurate with his words. We need more leaders like him around the world, and for now we are doing what we can to assist in ensuring his safety and the restoration of peace and democracy in the Maldives,” writes founding member William Bates. He adds that the organisation hopes to convey their message to US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake before his upcoming visit to the Maldives, as well as other diplomatic envoys.

3:15pm – Major General Ahmed Shiyam has been appointed as Chief of Defence Force, after Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel respectfully retired from the position today.

4:10pm – Local newspaper Haveeru has reported newly appointed Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz as saying that he does not consider the court order to detain former President Nasheed and former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim as an arrest warrant, and that he will only implement the order after looking into the legal bounds for making such an arrest. “However I never said I will not make the arrest,” he told Haveeru.

Riyaz would not give a comment on his intentions to follow or dismiss the court order.

4:30pm – There are several hundred MDP supporters outside Mohamed Nasheed’s house. Police were earlier seen in the area, but left. The atmosphere is one of a stalemate. Storms and bad weather have kept many people indoors today.

7:00pm – Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodig has confirmed reports that members of various opposition parties are leading the police to MDP members and supporters in Addu and beating them before the police arrest them. Approximately 100 individuals including minors have been beaten and arrested, and arrest warrants are said to have been issued for members of the city council.

Sodig sustained injuries during a targeted attack at the City Council yesterday, including a wrist fracture and head injuries; he said he is unsure if there has been damage to his brain as he is still in need of a CAT scan. He is currently “hiding in a safe place”. His family is also hiding in different places, he said.

8:11pm – UK Conservative Party MP and Chairman of the party’s Human Rights Commission expressed “deep concern” for the “severe setback for democracy and human rights in the past three days.”

“We understand that President Nasheed was forced to resign at gunpoint, was subsequently detained, and that when he addressed supporters of his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), he was beaten and gassed by police, along with other MDP members.

“Today, we have learned that a warrant has been issued for his arrest. We condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms, and urge the Maldivian Government to return to the path of democracy and human rights, to guarantee the safety, security and freedom of Mohamed Nasheed and his supporters. We also urge the Government to ensure that the MDP and other political parties and activists can engage in the political process free from fear and repression, and to hold new free and fair elections as soon as possible, which Mohamed Nasheed and his party can contest.

“We encourage the British Government, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the international community to do everything possible to support the protection and promotion of democracy and human rights in the Maldives, and to seek guarantees for the freedom and security of Mohamed Nasheed.”

8:18pm – UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has “registered our concern about developments in particular the reports of attacks on members and supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party.”

“It is for the new leadership to establish its legitimacy with its own people and with the international community with an independent review of the circumstances leading to what has happened earlier this week, and we hope that the new leadership will demonstrate its respect for the rule of law, including peaceful demonstrations.  I welcome the call for calm and order from the former President Nasheed to all his supporters,” Hague said.

9:30pm – MDP members and supporters have gathered at Dharubaruge for a meeting.

10:55pm – British MPs John Glen (Salisbury) and Karen Lumley (Redditch) have called for an end to the “coup d’etat” in the Maldives, saying “the international community needs to condemn the violence and recognise the truth behind what has happened.”

“It now seems very likely that the new ‘President’ – Nasheed’s former deputy Mohamed Waheed – was working quietly behind the scenes with the military and police to orchestrate an apparent legitimate handover of power for the world’s media, when the truth is that it is a coup d’etat by those who were beginning to have their interests threatened,” they jointly wrote on a political blog today.

11:01pm – A man has been brutally beaten in Addu Gan by police forces, who have reportedly been beating and arresting MDP supporters since this morning. An islander said the man’s son, a police officer, was in the police-occupied van at the time. “He was beaten over and over, he couldn’t stand up or sit down. He is a supporter of Nasheed,” said the islander, who requested anonymity.

11:05pm – Independent daily global news hour Democracy Now! has today aired a conversation with US-based environmental NGO 350.org founder Bill McKibben, “The Island President” director Jon Shenk, and former advisor to Nasheed Paul Roberts.

Calling Nasheed the ‘Mandela of the Indian Ocean,’ McKibben said Nasheed, “was a thorn in the side [of the U.S.] because he kept bringing up the topic of climate change, a topic they’re not that keen on. On the other hand, he — almost to a fault — was cooperative with U.S. efforts about climate change. The State Department owes him and I hope that they take this seriously.”

11:10pm – MDP meeting at Dharubaruge has concluded and people have left the area.

11:21pm – “MDP is a boat fit for every ocean. The boat won’t sink. The party will not fade away,” said Nasheed during tonight’s rally, which filled Dharubaruge as well as the road outside of the convention building. “I don’t believe that my strength has been weakened. We get strength from one another,” he told the crowd.

11:27pm – “We want to serve the people with kindness, and also a clean living. MDP has not come to power to enjoy the luxury and respect of a ruler. MDP has come to power to serve the Maldivians,” said Nasheed.

11:30pm – Citing MDP’s five key pledges (affordable living costs, housing and quality health care,  nationwide transport, and prevention of narcotics and drug trafficking) Nasheed said, “Maldivians would not believe that their countrymen were tortured or assaulted and left in pain. The Maldivian Democratic Party came with their activities after [the former regime] killed Evan Naseem, and the party’s main purpose is to bring proper justice to the Maldivians.”

11:40pm – “It wasn’t 24 hours since our government was toppled before [the new government] had put 500 people in prison without justice. There are almost 30 people now in the hospital for intensive care. Many Maldivian citizens have been disturbed and many are suffering pain and great loss,” said Nasheed. “I am out here again to bring back kind leadership to the Maldivians. I am not going home unless we achieve that for the Maldivians.”

11:45pm – “My main purpose is to bring democracy,” Nasheed told those gathered, reiterating that the party’s main target is a proper justice system.

11:46pm – He said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has evidence against Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed, who was released from military detention following Nasheed’s resignation on Tuesday. Nasheed called on the body to take action against the judge.

11:48pm – “Abdulla Mohamed is a person against whom the JSC has filed several cases regarding his disciplinary actions. He is not capable as a chief judge. If he is the chief judge, then the whole Maldives’ justice system would be ruined, I have observed.”

11:50 – Nasheed maintained his request that the JSC take action against Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed and reform the courts to align with the Maldives’ constitution, adding that the methods used to appoint the judges to the lower courts were against the constitution. “I have requested to re-order the court’s again according to the constitution,” he said.

11:52pm – Judges in the Maldivian court system must be educated to modern standards, Nasheed explained. He added that the constitution was drafted to ensure “a proper, lawful leadership.”

11:54pm – “Without proper justice, it is not possible to have a lawful government. And as we have seen in the last few days, that is not an easy thing to achieve.”

11:56pm – “As a president of Maldives, I do not regret any step I have taken. Whatever step I have taken, I have taken to benefit Maldivians and according to the constitution,” Nasheed continued.”I repeat: I will take those steps necessary to reform the Maldives’ justice system.”

12:02am – Stating that the Maldives’ justice system was for 30 years designed for people to hide their behavior, Nasheed described the Maldives courts as an arena maintained by businessmen to serve their own needs. “For the past 3 years, we [MDP] have been ashamed that the Maldives businessmen have taken advantage of the courts for their own purposes. ‘My resort, my island, my building, my land, my factory’-they’ve been using the courts to follow their own needs.”

12:05am –“The 30 year-old regime has been changed. The pain they gave to the people, we have stood and protested against it. The pain the Maldivians have seen during those days by the police and the army- those forces are not independent. Many Maldivians are angry because of the way police mistreat people.

“The police station has been co-opted by the businessmen to bring a coup to fulfill their needs. If that happens, we cannot bring the changes and development we want,” Nasheed said, stating that the police had to be friendly with the Maldivians to enact positive change. He further stated that the police had to be loved by the people as well.

“The Police is not a department of which people have to be afraid,” he said.

12:20am – Nasheed has said those who orchestrated the coup must be investigated and punished, however MDP does not seek control per se. “From what I know, the coup that has taken place in the Maldives has to be properly investigated. And the people who have been ruling the government unlawfully will know it. The international community will only accept the government after the government investigates the coup,” he said, adding that it was important for Dr Waheed to step down from his post. “I repeat, we are not looking to be the rulers of the country. What we need is the development of Maldives.”

12:25am – Observing that the constitution only offers two means  of changing the presidency (short of death)- by completion of the term or parliamentary vote- Nasheed insisted that a vice president could not take office by any other means.

12:38am – President Dr Waheed’s press secretary Ibrahim Hood has announced his resignation. He has worked for Dr Waheed since he first became Vice President in 2008.

12:46am – Saying he is not sad to have been ousted from the presidency, Nasheed said “when I go home tonight and sit on my swing, I will still be very happy. Being president of Maldives is not the only reason I ran for the presidency.”

He added that it is important for Dr Waheed to step down, but before that, “please free those who have been arrested.”

“Until those prisoners are free, we will not come to any discussion table,” he stated.

12:57am – Nasheed noted that if Dr Waheed steps down from the presidency, the Speaker of the Parliament must hold elections within two months, during which time the Parliamentary leader serve as national leader. “We request to have that election within two months,” he declared, adding that the party had been discussing holding mid-term elections before he resigned on Tuesday due to the difficulty of completing a five year term.

However, he continued that mid-term elections would disturb the political and social stability of the country. “But now, we are looking for an election.”

1:01am – During the two months prior to an election, Nasheed said the Parliament Speaker would be tasked with investigating the police actions of the last few days and reforming the courts. “These two months would be the most important days of the  Maldivian history.”

Nasheed said the party would support and respect the Speaker’s leadership in the event that Dr Waheed stepped down from office.

2:00am – UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, met journalists at the airport earlier this evening after he arrived in the capital. His purpose, he said, was to meet everyone, “not to investigate”.

“The investigation or clarification of what took place is primarily the responsibility of the judiciary and the parliament,” he said.

“We are concerned about the safety of the former President [Nasheed],” he added, stating that it was important he be treated with due respect to human rights and due process “like all Maldivians”.
“I would personally urge all actors to end the resorting to violence,” Fernandez-Taranco said.

“It should be clear that any solution to this crisis must be generated by national actors. There can be no externally generated solution to something that can be solved by Maldivians themselves.”

2:05am – Minivan News has been informed that arrest warrants have been issued by Meedhoo Court for the arrest of all Addu City Councilors. Two councilors are already in police custody, a source claimed. As in Male’, 100 percent of Addu City councillors were elected during the most recent local council elections on MDP tickets.

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