Tag: MDP

Former DRP councillor wins Filladhoo council by-election on MDP ticket

Dismissed Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) councillor for Haa Alif Filladhoo, Adam Inaz, regained his seat on a ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) ticket in Saturday’s by-election.

Inaz was dismissed from his post after being expelled from the DRP for voting against the party line in a no-confidence motion against DRP councillor Mohamed Vijan, chair of the Filladhoo island council.

An opposition-sponsored second amendment to the Decentralisation Act passed in December 2010 stipulates that councillors elected on a party ticket must remain a member of the party or be stripped of the seat.

According to provisional results announced by the Elections Commission (EC) last night, Inaz received 331 votes (55.7 percent) to DRP candidate Mohamed Jameel’s 263 votes (44.3 percent). Of 674 eligible voters, 598 cast their ballots.

Saturday’s win secures a majority of the five-member council to the ruling party, which also won by-elections last week for two Shaviyani Milandhoo constituency atoll council seats and one Alif Alif Mathiveri island council seat.

On November 19, MDP won by-elections for a Faafu Bilehdhoo atoll council seat and Alif Alif Himandhoo island council seat while a Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) member won the mid-Fuvahmulah atoll council seat.

Popular mandate

MDP meanwhile celebrated the victory last night with short-eats and the traditional rice pudding at its Haruge headquarters, where President Mohamed Nasheed attended and addressed supporters.

Elections in a democratic system reveal the extent of public approval of the government and its policies, Nasheed said.

In the first multi-party elections of the past four years, Nasheed noted, MDP’s share of the vote in Filladhoo rose from 20 percent in the first round of the presidential election of October 2008 to 46 percent in the local council elections of February 2011.

The MDP candidate for the Kelaa constituency which includes Filladhoo lost by 20 votes in the 2009 parliamentary elections, he continued, of which MDP won 31 percent of the popular vote.

Nasheed went on to lay out the MDP’s election returns in detail: 44,293 votes in the first round in 2008 (25 percent); 51,176 votes in 2009 (31 percent); and 61,661 in 2011 (44 percent).

“In my view, we now have a comfortable majority, a very good majority in a democracy -that is we are now [governing] with the consent of above 55 percent to our party, our government and our policies,” he claimed.

President Nasheed also referred to a protest by a group of Filladhoo islanders during his visit on December 24.

The protest leader addressed the President’s delegation with a megaphone “from the time we arrived till we went to the office,” Nasheed recounted, adding that he was “very pleased after seeing that as it’s been a while since I’ve seen a megaphone.”

While the incident was reported in local media, Nasheed argued that that “the people’s decision” was not “based on news headlines”.

“Two TV stations and two or three newspapers are constantly, relentlessly, criticising the government,” he said. “And sometimes the criticism goes beyond bounds.”

However, he contended, “the receptiveness of the message” on opposition-aligned media is diminished due to glaring contradictions “between what you can see for yourself and what you hear on TV.”

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Coalition condemns government for “not complying with demands and respecting Islamic principles”

The ‘December 23 coalition’ of NGOs and opposition parties has condemned the government for “making a mockery of the demands” and equated its decision to shut down resort spas and massage parlors with  “committing atrocities to defame Maldivians in front of the world.”

In a press statement today, the coalition noted “with surprise and regret” that the government has “not shown any indication either through words or deeds of complying with the demands and respecting Islamic principles.”

On December 23, the coalition rallied thousands of protestors across the island nation in a call to ‘Defend Islam’ in the Maldives.

Five demands were addressed to the government: prohibit Israeli flights from operating in the Maldives, close all massage parlors “and such places where prostitution is practiced”, reverse the decision allowing the sale of alcohol in areas of inhabited islands declared ‘uninhabited’ – such as in Addu City and Fuvahmulah where the government plans to build city hotels – condemn UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay and apologise for her comments against flogging, and remove allegedly “idolatrous” SAARC monuments in Addu City.

The coalition previously set January 5 as the final day for the government to address the demands.

Observing that deadline, the coalition today made notice that participants of the December 23 mass protest “are not enemies of the Maldivian economy and made no calls for any measures that would limit or undermine opportunities provided within the law for tourism or any other economic activity.”
The coalition argued that the government “gave a deaf ear to the demands, insulted principles of religion and mocked the Maldivian people.”
Religious party Adhaalath’s spokesperson Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed was unable to comment on the discussions. Referring to the coalition’s next step, he said the party “will always prefer to solve problems peacefully.”

Speaking in his own capacity, ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Alhan Fahmy predicted that “it looks like another protest.”

Fahmy disagreed with the coalition’s allegations against the government. “The government has been really responsible in this matter, it has made progressive moves to respond to the demands from the coalition and those who supported it,” he said.

Fahmy said MDP leadership had not yet convened to discuss the matter, and he could not comment on behalf of the party.

Following the December 23 demonstration, in the interest of “respecting Islamic principles”, the government adopted an all-or-nothing approach. The Tourism Ministry ordered that spa operations be shut down while the government announced it was considering a nationwide ban on pork and alcohol, two commodities prohibited in Islam.
Parliament’s National Security Committee also passed a resolution advising against licensing of Israeli national airline El Al to operate direct flights to the Maldives.
The government noted that the monuments in Addu fell under the remit of Addu City Council, and added that only Parliament could issue or request a statement against Pillay as it was to that independent body that she made her claim, noting that her visit was organised by the UN office in Male’.
President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday lifted the week-long ban “because the government does not want the economy to suffer any damage during the time Supreme Court takes to come to a decision.”
The government has lately sought a consultative opinion from the Supreme Court over whether operation of spas and the sale of alcohol and pork for tourism purposes within the Muslim nation of Maldives is constitutional.
Tourism is the nation’s leading economic contributor, generating 70 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP) indirectly. Attorney General Abdullah Muiz yesterday pointed out that a substantial amount of the 2012 state budget of Rf14.8 billion (US$959.8 million) relies on expected revenue from the tourism industry.
Although no statistics are currently available, tourism officials have noted that the industry has suffered booking cancellations and “irrevocable damage” since mid-December, when news of Islamic extremism and political unrest began reaching international media.
Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) filed a case against the government at the Civil Court over the spa ban earlier this week.
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Parliament committee votes to register PPM as a party in parliament

Parliament’s General Committee has voted to include Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on the parliament’s political party list, following discussions of it not being registered as a party in the parliament.

Secretary General Ahmed Mohamed has confirmed the decision of the General Committee to the local media and said the issue will be presented to the parliament for a vote when sessions resume in March.

Last Thursday, PPM MP for Fonadhoo constituency Abdulraheem Abdulla said he was going to resign over the registration issue.

PPM MPs are currently recognized by parliament as independent, according to an article in the parliamentary rules of procedure which states that only parties that competed in the May 2009 parliamentary election can be represented in parliament.

The issue was sent to the General Committee for examination after PPM MP and Spokesperson Ahmed Mahlouf proposed an amendment to the rules of procedure.

Ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs have meanwhile given mixed responses to local media.

According to Haveeru, MDP Parliamentary Group Leader MP Ibrahims Mohamed Solih said the General Committee had not discussed the issue or reached a decision.

According to Sun, MDP Parliamentary Group Media Coordinator MP Mohamed Shifaz said the decision was made to maintain current regulation, and that the party would not support the amendment.

Moreover, Shifaz claimed the decision was made before the amendment was proposed.

Shifaz and MDP Parliamentary Group Leader and MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Finance Minister and State Finance Minister resign

Local media has reported that Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz submitted his resignation today following an incident in which he was caught by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists while he was having a meeting with opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP and half-brother of former President, Abdulla Yameen.

The meeting was held inside Yameen’s car in a rarely visited area of Male’. MDP activists surrounded the car, which attempted to leave the area, and requested that Inaz step out because “it was wrong.” He was taken to party headquarters and pressured to resign.

Today Inaz told Minivan News that he would not like to say anything regarding the incident or about the rumors spread since Tuesday that he had resigned.

”Call the Press Secretary, he should tell the press very clearly,” he said when asked to confirm his resignation.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News that Inaz had sent the President a letter but that the President had not read it yet.

”So we cannot confirm if it is a letter of resignation,” Zuhair said, adding that he has not attended since the incident.

Meanwhile, Yameen told the press that the meeting had been called by the Finance Minister to discuss the 2012 state budget, passed by the parliament earlier this week.

However, MDP activists allege that Inaz was plotting with Yameen and making secret deals.

Meanwhile, Adhaalath Party has condemned the action of MDP activists that night as uncivilized and degraded.

Adhaalath party issued a statement following the incident saying it was “regrettable and was against the spirit of the constitution, laws and Islamic Democratic principles.”

Today State Finance Minister Ahmed Naseer has also resigned, although according to Zuhair he did not mentioned the reason of his resignation.

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Chief Judge of the Criminal Court to sue MDP MP

Chief of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed has decided to sue Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ibrahim ‘Bonda’ Rasheed for defamation following comments he made in parliament yesterday.

Speaking at the parliament meeting yesterday Rasheed referred to Judge Abdulla as the ‘’big thief ‘’ who has hijacked the parliament as well as parliament speaker Abdulla Shahid.

Rasheed also said it is time for citizens to come out and demolish the courts.

‘’The citizens do not have justice, the laws were made to provide justice,’’ he said. ‘’The constitution was made to provide justice, but we don’t have it.’’

He also said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and Judicial Administration want to depart on trips abroad as soon as they get the money allocated for them in the annual budget.

Today Judge Abdulla Mohamed told Minivan News that he is currently examining the case in order to sue Rasheed.

‘’I don’t have any further comments to make at this time,’’ he said.

Local media reported that the Judge had told local media that comments MP Rasheed made were against Islamic principles.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that Judge Abdulla said everyone’s good name has to be protected and that he was currently examining the case to sue him.

Speaking at the Parliament Rasheed also accused Jumhoory Party leader and MP ‘Burma’ Gasim Ibrahim of funding terrorists, and called for the accounts of persons doing illegal business to be frozen.

Today in a text message, Rasheed accused Judge Abdulla of bringing islanders from his island for the December 23 ‘Defend Islam’ protest while accusing Gasim of sending money in envelopes.

Rasheed also said he has evidence that Judge Abdulla decided to sue him according to Gasim’s order, adding that he has decided to send a case against Gasim to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

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MDP to hold rally at Haruge as government considers demands

Ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has cancelled its protest, announced during last night’s MDP rally, because no opposition parties have announced plans to hold similar demonstrations.

MDP will instead hold a rally at 8:30 at Haruge this evening.

The MDP protest was announced as party members rallied last night in response to the demands made by leaders of the protest to “Defend Islam”, held yesterday by a coalition of opposition parties and religious NGOs at the Tsunami Monument area.

Demands of the government included removing SAARC monuments in Addu, four of which have been vandalised or stolen; condemning UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay for her comments about flogging as a penal response to extra-marital sex; denying Israeli airlines permission to operate flights to the Maldives; closing down Male’ brothels and reversing the decision to declare of inhabited islands uninhabited in order to permit alcohol sales.

As the night drew to a close, MDP party members issued statements claiming that they would march against the “Defend Islam” protest if it did not end by midnight.

The statement was respected, and aside from one protestor who was hassled as he passed MDP headquarters at Haruge on his way home, no confrontations occurred.

President’s Office Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair has said that although the government is unclear on which legal grounds and by which exact group the demands were made, the large public demonstration in support for these demands has prompted to government to give them due consideration, reports Haveeru.

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Afghanistan’s monument sunk “for political reasons”: Addu councilor

Afghanistan’s monument, given to the Maldives in memorium of the 17th SAARC Summit held in Addu City this November, was broken from its mount and sunk in the sea on Thursday, December 22.

The vandalism was done a day before protests in defense of Islam and in support of moderate Islam were carried out in Male’ and other islands.

The statue has been retrieved, however it “has been broken and it cannot be repaired,” said Addu City Councilor Hussein Hilmee.

The statue was an image of Afghistan’s Jam minaret, which features Qur’anic phrases and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Hilmee was “100% positive” that the act had been done for political reasons tied to the December 23 rallies. “MDP wouldn’t do it,” he claimed.

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Senior MDP figures call on party to reconsider protesting on Friday

Senior figures of the uling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) together with a number of supporters have started signing a petition calling on MDP’s National Council to reconsider an earlier decision to protest on Friday.

Secretary General of MDP Ahmed Shah today confirmed to Minivan News that some “hardcore figures” in the party has started signing the petition.

‘’I do not know who is in charge of this petition or who is taking the lead, but I have had reports that it is going on,’’ said Shah.

Asked about his opinion on the decision to hold a protest in support of moderate Islam at the same time as the opposition and religious NGO-organised ‘Defend Islam’ protest, he said that he and all MDP members were obliged to follow any decision made by the National Council.

He said the petition was expected to reach the National Council sometime this afternoon.

Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair today told Minivan News that a media report about a meeting supposedly held by the President this afternoon to meet with MDP National Council members was correct.

‘’The President has assured that he will go out with the MDP supporters to express support for moderate Islam and oppose extremism,’’ Zuhair said.

On Friday opposition political parties and a coalition of local NGOs have planned to conduct a protest to ‘’protect Islam.’’

Following the announcement of this protest, MDP’s National Council had a meeting and decided to hold a ‘moderate Islam’ protest at the same time as the opposition-NGO coalition protest.

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PIC asks police to “stay within guidelines” when handling protest

The Police Integrity Commission (PIC) has asked the police “not to be biased” in handling the separate protests to be held this Friday by the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and religious organisations and opposition parties.

The PIC statement reminded the police that they are required under law to protect every Maldivian citizen and their property, while maintaining peace and harmony.

“Therefore, the commission reminds the police of its responsibilities in monitoring the protests to be held on December 23 and asks not to be biased in upholding the Maldives constitution and the laws,” the statement read.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said “police are closely monitoring everything related to the protests and will manage the events as necessary. Police will act according to the situation.”

Minivan News observed that the PIC is mandated to investigate complaints regarding the police. However, it was unable to clarify if the body was mandated to issue cautions and requests in advance of an event.

Shiyam said the police did not feel obligated to comply with PIC advance directives. “No, the statement has not altered our operations,” he said.

The commission has also urged protest organisers to preserve the social harmony in the country and protect each others’ rights.

A relatively new independent organisation, the PIC lately reported an increase in public awareness of its services.

Speaking to Minivan News at UNDP’s “Did You Know?” event on November 26, PIC member Dr Hala Hameed said, “We are getting more reports of police misconduct than previously.”

Hameed stressed that the PIC supports the police as well as the community. “We are here to empower the police and ensure that they have the appropriate resources to do their work, as well as oversee their operations.” She explained that the public believed independent bodies were likely to be effective.

The PIC has been involved in the build-up to the protests since November when the Islamic Ministry deemed the Addu SAARC monuments unconstitutional.

Two days prior to the UNDP event religious NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf sent a letter to the PIC demanding it investigate and take action against police for protecting the ‘idolatrous’ SAARC monuments in Addu, which it considered unconstitutional.

A police spokesperson subsequently said police were not protecting any “idols”.

“Those were properties of other nations and police are legally obliged to protect people’s property,’’ he said.

Religious organisations including Adhaalath party are gearing up for a protest to ‘defend Islam’ on Friday, December 23. Ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) currently plans to hold a defensive protest on the same date. Some politicians have requested that MDP step down from its protest to avoid unnecessary clashes.

PIC Director Shahinda Ismail did not respond to inquiries at time of press.

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