Tag: MDP

Transport Minister backs MACL, orders GMR to pay US$8.2 million

The Transport Ministry has said the government is “fully behind” an order given by the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) to India-based infrastructure giant GMR, that it pay the sum of US$8.2 million deducted from concession fees for the first quarter of 2012.

GMR took over the management of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) – then called Male’ International Airport – from the government-owned Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) in September 2010.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Minister of Transport Dr Ahmed Shamheed said the government fully backed an MACL order for GMR to return the US$8.2 million it deducted from concession fees for the quarter.

According to a statement released by the MACL earlier this month, the company said it had only received US$525,355 out of an expected US$8.7 million in concession fees for the first quarter of 2012, after GMR deducted the Airport Development Charge (ADC) and insurance surcharge.

The ADC was intended to be a US$25 fee charged to outgoing passengers from January this year, as stipulated in the contract signed with GMR in 2010. The anticipated US$25 million the charge would raise was to go towards the cost of renovating INIA’s infrastructure.

The deductions were made after the Civil Court blocked the India-based company charging an Airport Development Charge (ADC) last year, on the grounds that it was a tax not approved by parliament. As the ADC was stipulated in the contract former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration had signed with the airport operator, the government at the time agreed that GMR would deduct the charges from the concession fees due the government, pending appeal.

The Civil Court case had been filed against the airport by the former opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) – now part of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s coalition government.

Parliament’s Finance Committee has meanwhile revealed that the Maldives is facing a skyrocketing budget deficit of 27 percent for 2012, and a parallel 24 percent  increase in expenditure.

Last week, GMR released a statement proposing a compromise to the government whereby Maldivian nationals would be excluded paying the ADC when departing the airport.

MACL stance

MACL Managing Director Mohamed Ibrahim told local media today that MACL’s agreement with GMR under the previous government to deduct the ADC payment was “null and void”. Ibrahim told reporters that the deal was no longer relevant as it had been agreed by a former MACL chairman, and that charges could therefore no longer be deducted from GMR’s concession payment.

“We had informed that the letter from the former Chairman of MACL was now invalid and hence must not be followed. In addition we had also informed that no deductions can be made from the concession fee,” he told local newspaper Haveeru.

Ibrahim was not responding at time of press.

The MACL order was announced the same day that President Mohamed Waheed reportedly assured Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the government would uphold its commitments to foreign investors.

“It is only recently that the Maldives began working with large foreign corporations, and hence the Maldives has not much experience in dealing with large companies. That’s why we are currently trying to iron out some of these issues through mutual dialogue,” President Waheed said.

Transport Minister Dr Shamheed however told Minivan News that the President’s pledge would not affect MACL’s decision to order GMR to pay the deducted US$8.2 million.

“As per the concessions agreement, a fee has to be paid to MACL. That is my understanding,” he said.

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Police request EC take action against MDP after “noise complaints”

Police have requested the Elections Commission (EC) take action against the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after claiming to have received noise complaints following the party’s protest held on Wednesday outside the Supreme Court.

Police said the request was made last Thursday in a bid to “avoid such disturbances in the future”.

According to police statement, MDP protesters gathered in the area on Wednesday at about 2:00pm and were using loudspeakers which disturbed people praying at the mosque, people working at private and government offices in the area, and disrupted the work of the Supreme Court.

Police claimed this was against the political party code of ethics, and requested the Elections Commission take action against the MDP under the Political Parties Act.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson and MP, Reeko ‘Moosa’ Manik, and MDP Spokesperson and MP Imthiyaz Fahmy, were not responding at time of press.

According to the party, the MDP gathered in front of Bandaara Mosque near the Supreme Court calling for an end to the prosecution of MDP supporters detained on charges of disobedience to order and obstruction of police duty, charges the party claimed were being used to throttle its freedom of assembly.

According to the party, the Prosecutor General (PG) has filed charges against 60 MDP members for obstruction of police duty during the party’s three-month series of protests.

The Criminal Court last Tuesday held hearings against 10 people charged with obstruction of police duty during an MDP rally on March 1.

Speaking to MDP members on Tuesday night, Nasheed said he was “concerned about the arrest and prosecution of protesters exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.”

He also condemned the charges against “peaceful” protesters while police and military officers who carried out the “coup” continued to remain free.

Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq did not respond at time of press.

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Report “incomplete” without MDP cooperation: Inquiry Commission

The Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) has said their report on the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power on February 7 will be “incomplete” without the ousted Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) cooperation.

New President Mohamed Waheed Hassan charged the CNI to assess the change of leadership following former President Mohamed Nasheed’s allegation that he was ousted in a coup d’état, carried out by mutinous elements of the police and military. Waheed was Nasheed’s Vice President.

However, the MDP has refused to recognise the CNI, claiming the commission is neither independent nor impartial, and has raised concerns over former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Defense Minister Ismail Shafeeu chairing the commission.

The Commonwealth has also warned of “stronger measures” against the Maldives if the government fails to revise the composition and mandate of the CNI by May 16.

However, speaking to the press on Thursday, Shafeeu said it was “not suitable” for him to resign, and has said the matter must be decided between the government, political parties and foreign groups.

Meanwhile, President Waheed has affirmed commitment to the Commonwealth and said he looked “forward to resolve any outstanding issues involving the CMAG” including that of the CNI composition. Waheed’s remarks were sourced from a press release published by PR Newswire on Wednesday, and widely disseminated to world media.

However President’s Office spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza was reported in local newspaper Haveeru today as stating that there was no thought of changing the composition of the commission.

MDP cooperation

CNI member Ali Fawaz Shareef said the commission had interviewed 77 people and “had received some responses from the MDP.”

Two individuals from the MDP requested to give statements had refused, Shareef said, but declined to state whether former President Nasheed was among the two.

Without the MDP’s cooperation, the commission’s report to be published by May 31 “would not be complete,” CNI member Ibrahim Yasir Ahmed said.

“However, we have interviewed many people so far, and we believe we can issue a very good report,” Yasir said.

The CNI faced “difficulties” when parties refused to cooperate with the commission, Shafeeu added.

“This commission will not take legal action against anyone regarding information shared with this commission. The only thing we are doing is gathering information,” he said. The CNI has previously said it would not conduct a criminal investigation.

The report will note missing information and will also include any relevant statements made in the public domain, the commission members said.

President Waheed has met with the CNI on Tuesday to give his account of the transfer of power.

Meanwhile, the MDP has launched its own investigation into the transfer of power, and President Nasheed has given a statement to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) regarding a brutal police crackdown on MDP supporters at a peaceful protest on February 8.

Shafeeu resignation

The CNI has long said the government must authorise any changes in its composition, but President Waheed on April 25 said it was up to the commission to allow new members to join the inquiry.

“We have no role in the reformulation of the commission. They do not have to discuss the matter with us either. The government can reformulate the commission as they see fit,” CNI member Yasir repeated on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Shafeeu said the government, political parties and foreign groups must decide whether to dismiss him from the CNI. “If the outcome of political negotiations is that I must go, it will not be difficult to get me out of here. I will just go home like I do every day when I finish work,” he told reporters.

The MDP has criticised the lack of cross-party consultation in compiling the committee and the lack of international experts on the committee.

“It has been conceived and imposed by those parties allied to Dr Waheed without any consultation with MDP. It does not include any eminent international experts. And the inclusion of individuals who held Cabinet posts during the autocratic government of former President Gayoom, including the appointment of a Chair – Mr Ismail Shafeeu – who had held various ministerial posts under former President Gayoom including the position of Defense Minister at a time of widespread human rights abuses in the country, suggests that no effort has been made to ensure independence and impartiality,” the MDP stated in February.

Local civil society groups have also urged the government to seek cross-party support in formulating the commission.

Commitment to the Commonwealth

As the Commonwealth deadline for CNI review draws near, Dr Waheed said the Maldives government would meet with Special Envoy Sir Don McKinnon on Thursday to affirm the Maldives’ commitment to the Commonwealth and the CMAG and “any outstanding issues since his last visit.”

“The Maldives government wants to make progress with the Commission of National Inquiry following previous discussions with the Commonwealth about its composition,” the statement read.

The statement quoted President Waheed as saying: “I look forward to constructive talks with Sir Don McKinnon. I will be telling Sir Don that as a government, we are completely committed to the Commonwealth and I look forward to resolving any outstanding issues involving CMAG.”

Meanwhile, MP of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Ahmed Ilham, and Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed have submitted a bill to parliament that could see the Maldives withdraw itself from the Commonwealth within 60 days of ratification. Both parties have backed Dr Waheed.

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Police vehicle collides with MDP supporters on Fuvamulah, injures two

A police vehicle collided with a group of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters while it was en-route to a crime scene on Fuvamulah in Gnaviyani Atoll, where a gang had stabbed one man, injured two others and damaged parked motorcycles.

In a statement, police said the vehicle collided with a motorcycle that had turned into Ghaazee Road.

People in the area when the incident occurred vandalised the police vehicle and assaulted police officers in the vehicle, read the police statement.

Police said two persons injured in the accident, as well as the gang attack victim, were admitted to Fuvamulah Hospital.

However online newspaper ‘Kattelhi’, based in Fuvamulah, reported that the  police vehicle was returning from the crime scene at around 9:30pm when it collided with a motorcyclist, causing the driver to lose control and crash into parked motorcycles. The paper alleged the vehicle was travelling at a very high speed.

Immediately following the crash, people gathered in front of the MDP Fuvamulah Office surrounded the police vehicle, broke the glass, and attacked police officers inside the vehicle, Kattelhi reported.

Kattelhi reported that its reporters witnessed some of the officers being admitted to Fuvamulah Hospital.

The paper identified the injured two persons as Ahmed Hassan, 23 and Ali Saeed, 30 both of them Fuvamulah islanders.

According to Kattelhi one man’s head was badly injured and his body bruised, however according to Fuvamulah Hospital no one was seriously injured.

Minivan News understands that the person who received injuries to his head has been brought to Male’ for treatment.

One man suffered bruises and head injuries in the accident

Kattelhi quoted people in the area as saying that the police vehicle was travelling at an unusually high speed and that there was enough space for it in the middle of the road. MDP supporters were on both sides of road attending a meeting.

The paper identified the gang attack victim as 18 year-old Ahmed Juman, who was stabbed in the head but was not seriously injured.

Supporters of government-aligned parties later gathered near Fuvamulah Hospital and Fuvamulah Police Headquarters, claiming that they believed MDP supporters were coming to attack police, according to Kattelhi. The crowd left after police requested them to leave.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said the police statement was issued based on the information police have received so far and that the investigation into the case was ongoing.

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Six arrested during MDP protest against prosecution of party supporters

Police arrested six people during the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) demonstration held on Tuesday evening to protest against ongoing court cases against its supporters.

According to the party, the Prosecutor General (PG) has filed charges against 60 MDP members for obstruction of police duty during the party’s three-month series of protests. If charges are proved, the accused may be jailed for six months or fined up to Rf 12,000 (US$800) each.

The Criminal Court on Tuesday held hearings against 10 people charged with obstruction of police duty during an MDP rally on March 1.

The six arrested on Tuesday were also detained for obstruction of police duty.

The MDP has been campaigning for fresh elections in 2012 after former President Mohamed Nasheed alleged he was deposed in a coup d’état, carried out by mutinous elements of the police and military on February 7.

Speaking to MDP members on Tuesday night, Nasheed said he was “concerned about the arrest and prosecution of protesters exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.”

The MDP continues to rally against prosecution of its supporters with a peaceful demonstration held outside the Supreme Court building at 2:00 pm on Wednesday. At time of press MDP supporters were also gathering outside the Justice Building where the country’s lower courts are housed.

Arrests

Police Spokesperson Hassan Haneef said the six people arrested on Tuesday were detained for obstructing police duty after they broke through police barricades in front of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) building. Five of the six arrested continue to remain in custody.

Haneef also said two police officers had suffered head injuries after protesters threw glass bottles at the officers.

Minivan News observed over a thousand protesters at the MDP rally.

In a statement on Wednesday, the MDP claimed its supporters were pepper-sprayed at close range and beaten with batons on Tuesday night.

Video footage of the protest shows a woman fall to the ground as police officers in riot gear attempt to arrest her.

Court cases

The ten people who appeared in court on Tuesday were arrested during an MDP protest on March 1 which had sought to obstruct new President Mohamed Waheed Hassan from delivering a presidential address at parliament’s opening session on March 1.

According to local media, two policemen gave differing statements on Tuesday’s hearing. One police officer said he had witnessed eight of the 10 men who appeared in court beating police shields, while another policeman said he had only seen five of the ten men beat on police shields during the protest.

The Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office was unable to confirm the exact number of cases filed at court for obstruction of police duty.

However, Deputy PG Hussein Shameem has previously told Minivan News that 116 cases had been filed against demonstrators regarding unrest on February 8. Riots broke out throughout the Maldives following a brutal police crackdown on MDP supporters in Malé. Court buildings and police stations were set on fire and vandalised during the riots.

“We have submitted 116 cases to the criminal court. The charges we have filed regard obstruction of police duty, assault on police officers on duty, and attempt to assault police officers on duty,” Shameem said.

Freedom of assembly

Speaking to MDP supporters, Nasheed said he condemned the charges against “peaceful” protesters while police and military officers who carried out the “coup” continued to remain free.

“Maldivian citizens cannot accept the prosecution of protesters who raised their voices against treasonous police and military, when we continue to see these officers in front of us,” Nasheed said.

“It is essential that we come out in support of those who are being tried. We gain success only when we find courage in each other to overcome fear. It will be difficult to carry out civil disobedience if we neglect those who are arrested from amongst us,” Nasheed added.

Police have also forwarded two different cases against Nasheed over the discovery of alcohol bottles at his former residence Muleeage on February 7 and the controversial arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in January.

Video footage of MDP rally on May 8:

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Foreign Ministry slams “baseless” allegations against Indian High Commissioner

The Foreign Ministry has issued a statement condemning “in strongest words” allegations made by senior Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) officials to India’s Open magazine, among them that Indian High Commissioner Dnyaneshwar M Mulay had failed to pass critical information to the Indian government on February 7.

“The allegations made in the article against the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives are totally baseless and unfounded,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

“The government and the people of the Maldives have the utmost respect for High Commissioner Mulay and his contributions to further strengthening the close bilateral relations between the Maldives and India. While the government of Maldives fails to understand the motives behind such unacceptable allegations made in respect of an esteemed diplomat of Mulay’s caliber, it may be recalled that close aides of President Mohamed Nasheed have in the past leveled similar allegations against President Waheed, the Maldives National Defence Force, the Maldives Police Service and all other political leaders of orchestrating the transfer of power,” it said in a statement.

“The government hopes that MDP will refrain in the future in accusing close allies of the Maldives.”

The MDP maintains that President Waheed’s government is illegitimate following Nasheed’s resignation “under duress” on February 7.

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DRP leader anticipates divergences of opinion within governing coalition

Leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ahmed Thasmeen Ali yesterday said that he expected to see divergences appear within the government’s seven party coalition, local newspaper Haveeru has reported.

Speaking at the opening of the DRP’s new headquarters, Thasmeen said that he expected all parties to field separate candidates in the next presidential elections.

“We believe that different candidates would represent the various political parties of the coalition government in the election. However, we must all agree to sustain the current government till 2013 to ensure that the people are provided with the fundamental services and benefits from a government,” Thasmeen told Haveeru.

Minivan News was unable to reach either Thasmeen or his deputy leaders Ibrahim Shareef or Dr Abdulla Mausoom for comment.

Thasmeen argued that the coalition was formed in an abrupt manner and so differences of opinion were likely to emerge.

Thasmeen’s comments also made mention of the DRP’s motivations for joining the governing coalition. The DRP leader said the main reason the party joined the government was to ensure the protection of services to the public.

“If the functioning of the government was compromised at a time when the provision of services to the people had already been hindered and the system was facing major challenges, the people would be plunged into an increasingly dire situation,” Thasmeen is quoted as saying.

Deputy Leader of the DRP, Ibrahim Shareef previously told Minivan News that the provision of public service was one of the party’s core values which were not to be compromised, even if this meant going against the rest of the coalition.

Thasmeen also took the opportunity yesterday to reassert his party’s opposition to proposals made in the Majlis’s Financial Committee to reform the the Aasandha healthcare scheme which is set to vastly exceed its budget in 2012.

The Financial Committee is currently dominated by parties aligned to the government.

When asked by Minivan News if there were any policies other than opposition to the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that united the ruling coalition, President’s Office spokesman Abbas Adil Riza said he had no comment to make.

Thasmeen last week spoke out against the bill proposed by the MPs Ahmed Ilham of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Riyaz Rasheed of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) to withdraw the Maldives from the Commonwealth.

Thasmeen was reported as being disappointed that the coalition had not been properly consulted before the bill had been submitted and promised “categorically” that his party would not support the bill.

At that time, Abbas said that he was happy that the coalition was strong: “It shows that even on issues on which we disagree, we can work together. That’s what being in a coalition is all about.”

Additionally, Thasmeen said that, within the coalition, it was only his party and the DQP that had specifically pledged to work with one another.

“We have an agreement with Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) that we would function jointly. However, the rest of the political parties in the government do not have such an agreement to work together,” Haveeru reports.

DQP leader Dr Hassan Saeed was not responding at time of press.

The governing coalition currently controls 45 of 77 seats in the People’s Majlis, 15 of which belong to the DRP. The remainder are held by the MDP.

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MDP early election goal better sought through Majlis, not “acts of terrorism”: government

The 50,000-member strong Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said anti-government protests will “intensify” as the country awaits further action from the Commonwealth, while the government has challenged the motives behind ongoing demonstrations.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad claimed the now opposition MDP, led by former President Mohamed Nasheed, is not interested in democratic processes to ensure early elections, preferring instead to opt for protests the government has labelled “terrorism”.

The Maldives was set a four week deadline by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on April 16 to address the impartiality of President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s independent inquiry commission into the controversial transfer of power, or face “stronger measures”.

President Waheed has already pledged to hold “early” elections by July 2013 – the earliest date permitted, under the constitution, Imad told Minivan News.

Any demands for elections earlier than that date – as requested by international bodies such the Commonwealth and EU– should be achieved through parliament. The MDP presently holds 31 elected members in the 77 seat Majlis chamber, following the recent defection of MDP MP Shifag Mufeed to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).

“I don’t see a reason why [former President Mohamed Nasheed] is demonstrating other than to promote his lunatic point of view. He is encouraging hooliganism and acts of terrorism like burning down buildings,” alleged Imad. “We have given them a date for early elections and that is July 2013. That is the earliest we can do.”

The comments were made after a few thousand MDP supporters conducted demonstrations over the weekend near the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) building in Male’. The gathering saw MDP members and supporters holding meetings and criticising the alleged role of mutinous elements in the Maldives’ security forces in bringing President Waheed’s government to power.

Meanwhile, several hundred MDP protesters waving yellow flags mobbed President Waheed’s car during a visit to the island of Kulhudhuffushi over the weekend.

The MDP has alleged that February’s transfer of power, in which Waheed took office after Mohamed Nasheed “resigned” following a mutiny by sections of the police and military, was a “coup d’etat”.  The party has since refused to accept the present executive’s legitimacy. This led to the MDP twice boycotting the President’s inaugural speech to parliament, as well as a vote last week to approve Waheed’s cabinet and vice president appointees.

“Gentleman’s option”

Imad questioned why Nasheed and his supporters were not choosing to take “the gentleman’s option” by pursuing early elections and a constitutional amendment in parliament: “The job could be done right now if [Nasheed] thinks realistically,” he claimed.

“Nasheed himself loves to take the streets and make a nuisance of himself. He believes he defeated Gayoom on his own but he didn’t. Nasheed was hiding in his house while others were out protesting,” Imad said.

He said that rather than protesting, he believed the MDP would have greater success in seeking a vote through the People’s Majlis, where it remains the majority representative.

The MDP presently stands against a government-aligned coalition of rival parties including the PPM and the then-opposition majority party from which in split in 2011, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

Imad also alleged that Nasheed was a “dictatorial” presence in the MDP and did not care for democratic processes, after the passing last week of two no-confidence motions against the party’s president and vice-president by the MDP’s national council.

Nearly 95 percent of those in attendance voted in support of the no-confidence motions against former MDP President Dr Ibrahim Didi and former Vice-President Alhan Fahmy.

Dr Didi has since submitted an official complaint to the Elections Commission (EC) regarding his ouster by the party, alleging that the decision was not in-line with the party’s registered constitution.

Imad said the party’s of the no-confidence motions reflected badly on Nasheed’s own democratic credentials.

“[Nasheed] is now throwing away elected people in his own party. Clearly an election is not important to him,” Imad said. “ Dr Didi and Mr Alhan are elected members of the party.”

Weekend gatherings

Addressing the MDP gathering outside the MMA building over the weekend, party spokesperson Hamid Adbul Ghafoor told Minivan News that protests were likely to increase in number in the coming weeks.

With two weeks until CMAG’s deadline for the government to review the composition and mandate of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) expires, Ghafoor said that protests were expected to “intensify”.

He added that despite the presence of riot police during Friday’s demonstration, demonstrators were able to peacefully hold meetings.

“We have set a precedent where we can speak to security forces peacefully about our grievances. I believe the administration now understand that we are not trying to attempt a coup against them,” he said. “This is even though we believe that a section of the police force in this country took money and turned mercenary to overthrow Nasheed’s government [on February 7],” he alleged.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that a “few incidents” occurred during the demonstration leading to the arrest of six people.

According to local media reports, riot police blocked roads surrounding the MMA gathering. Water cannons and other crowd deterrents were deployed on site, were unused during the demonstration.

Momentum

Minivan News observed around 4000 people taking part in the demonstration outside the MMA building at the peak of the protest.

Two weeks previously, the party claimed that 10,000 people gathered in Male’ to protest. Another protest last week reportedly consisted of around 6000 people.

MDP Women’s Wing spokesperson Aishath Aniya told Minivan News at the time that interest still remained “strong” among party supporters for protests.

The momentum of the protests had not diminished and the numbers of people taking to the streets were consistent, she claimed.

“I don’t see the numbers of protesters decreasing, though [turnout] does depend on the time and place of demonstrations,” she said. “We would obviously get fewer protesters during school hours.”

Aniya claimed that from her experience, during instances where former President Mohamed Nasheed was in attendance, Large numbers of people were attracted to demonstrations when former President Mohamed Nasheed was in attendance, she observed.

There was, she said, “tremendous pressure” among MDP  members to mobilise and demonstrate at events attended by the new president around the country.

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“I’m not a person who worships money”: Shifag defends move from MDP to PPM

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Shifag ‘Histo’ Mufeed yesterday signed for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) during a meeting in his constituency of Fuvamullah.

The meeting was attended by the party’s leader, former President Maumoon Gayoom. Shifag was pictured in local media with the former President, draped with a garland of pink flowers.

Shifag acknowledged that charges of financial gain were likely to be levelled at any MP crossing the parliamentary divide during the political upheaval.

“I’m not a person who worships money. I feel disappointed and embarrassed that such people exist in our party. However, I want to assure you I will do whatever is in my power for you citizens, for your island, for my island, no matter which colour or which party I’ve signed on to,” Shifag said.

Shifag also explained his previous “abusive” criticism of Gayoom as the “words of a young man”who had not had any other president to compare the 30-year autocrat with.

“I was very young and politically naïve. Our history had not been written down very clearly”, he told people at a rally in Fuvahmulah yesterday.

Shifag claimed during the rally that the fall of former President Nasheed had arisen because of the actions of MDP members who had begun to act in a self-serving and dictatorial fashion.

Former Tourism Minister Mariyam Zulfa said the party had been aware that Shifag had been negotiating with other parties.

“Shifag has always been negotiating with other parties for a better deal for himself. We’ve known that he was was not one of the party faifthful, and that behind the scenes he was negotiating,” she said.

The Fuvahmulah MP had become increasingly critical of the MDP’s leadership in recent times. Last week he chose to go against the party line, attending the Majlis session in which the government’s nominees for the Vice-Presidency and the cabinet were confirmed by the coalition parties.

The official position of the MDP is that the February 7 transfer of power was orchestrated through a coup and, therefore, that the current government is illegitimate.

The MDP’s President and Vice President, Dr Ibrahim Didi and Alhan Fahmy, were removed from their posts last week after the party’s National Congress voted in support of no-confidence motions made against them. The primary reason given was the belief that the pair had been making statements in contradiction of the party’s official resolution of February 8.

Assuaging fears of further divisions within the MDP, Zulfa said that the party was “stronger than ever”.

“It is now that we should be dealing with people who are not loyal to the party philosophy. Even [former party leaders, voted out last week] Dr Ibrahim Didi and Alhan Fahmy – the time to deal with that was now. They were creating divisions at a time we need unity. As leaders they should have been uniting the party rather than questioning the way it was doing things,” said Zulfa.

All three of the parliamentary seats in Shifag’s Fuvahmullah constituency are now held by the PPM which, with the signature of Shifag, now has the largest minority representation in the Majlis with 18 members from a total of 77.

The PPM’s group leader Abdulla Yameen was confident that the party would gain more parliamentary converts, though he admitted that the “dynamic” nature of politics makes predictions difficult.

“The MDP will have to make extra efforts, they have an uphill battle to fight. They will have to arrest the movement of MPs to other parties,” he said.

The PPM’s unofficial numbers in the house became officially recognised after the victory of Ahmed Shareef in the Thimarafushi by-election in April. Prior to this, the Majlis’s PPM supporters were technically classed as independents as the party had not won any seats through the polls.

The party was formed in October 2011 after the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) split. Vice-President of the party Umar Naseer yesterday told Minivan News that he was confident the party could replace the MDP as the majority leader in the Majlis.

Unlike the rules governing the party affiliation of council members, members of the Majlis are not required to stand for re-election after changing political parties.

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