The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party’s (DRP) has appointed Villingili MP Mohamed Ramiz as the party’s Deputy Leader following the defection of Ali Waheed to the ruling MDP.
Local media had reported that Ramiz was considering following Waheed to the ruling party; however Ramiz dismissed the rumours.
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(0)Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said that a “very special rally” will be held on Saturday night at the Artificial Beach, where the party will give everyone ‘’a big surprise again.’’
The party did not give much detail about the ‘’surprise’’, but suggested that it would be similar to events such as the recent signing of opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader and MP Ali Waheed and DRP MP Abdu-Raheem.
Former MDP Spokesperson Ahmed Haleem said Saturday night would be “historic”.
‘’The whole Maldives will change this night,’’ Haleem said. ‘’I can’t tell you the details of this event.’’
Queried whether a high profile politician might join the party that night he confirmed that some ‘’political figures’’ are to join.
Haleem said on Saturday people “will know which political party has the most support.”
Recently DRP MP Waheed, DRP MP Abdulla Abdu-Raheem and DRP Sports Wing head Haasan Shuaju, and well known football player Ahmed Assad ‘Adubarey’ joined MDP.
President’s Spokesperson Mohamed Zuhair and MDP Parliamentary Group’s Media Coordinator Mohamed Shifaz did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid today announced that parliament’s majority leader was now ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, leader of the MDP Parliamentary group.
Currently MDP has a total oof 35 MPs, however, DRP’s former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer has predicted that “very soon MDP will lose two MPs.”
Umar claimed that MDP MP Mohamed Muthafa and MDP MP Hassan Adil would lose their seats. Both MPs have cases pending in court, the former regarding corruption, the later charges of child molestation.
(0)Dislikes(0)Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Mahlouf, of the faction led by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, today accused the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of “misleading the public over the extent of their support” and “attempting to lure more citizens to the party.”
”In all the elections held so far, be they Local Councils Elections or Parliamentary Elections, the citizens have said they oppose the current government and its party MDP,” Mahlouf claimed. ”So today what MDP do is gather all the supporters they have all around the Maldives and buy MPs, trying to show the rest of the country that they have more support than the opposition.”
Mahlouf alleged that MDP was attempting to “psychologically play with the minds of the citizens.”
”They do have some supporters in Male’, and what they do is gather all their supporters to one place, take pictures and show them to the other citizens, trying to make them feel that MDP has more support than it does,” he said. ”In the Local Council Elections MDP won only 379,494 votes while the opposition won 565,919 votes.”
Mahlouf claimed the MDP would not have won the Presidential elections “without the help of Jumhoory Party (JP) leader MP ‘Burma’ Gasim Ibrahim, Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Hussein Rasheed and Dhivehi Qaumy Party (DQP) leader Dr Hassan Saeed.”
”But they all have turned their backs against this government now – they all want to change this administration,” said Mahlouf. ”It is really a foregone conclusion that MDP will not win the next presidential election in 2013.”
Mahlouf’s comments followed the defection of two DRP MPs, Ali Waheed and Abdu-Raheem, to the ruling MDP, granting the party the largest voting bloc in the Majlis.
MDP MP Mohamed Shifaz said that both Mahlouf and the DRP had “failed”.
”It is regrettable that someone as young as Mahlouf declined to accept democracy and rather decided to follow a single person,” said Shifaz. ”The entire party failed because some among them wanted to follow this one person.”
Shifaz said that regardless of Mahlouf’s figures, 75 percent of the Maldivian population supported the MDP.
”There are unregistered persons who support the idea of MDP,” he said. ”All the MPs who joined MDP, only joined because they wanted to do so.”
(0)Dislikes(0)Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Mahlouf has hit out at opposition politicians switching their allegiances for financial gain, claiming he too was offered a bribe to defect.
Mahlouf claimed that he had been “personally told” that Ali Waheed would be switching his political allegiance for money, and further alleged that he had himself been offered US$2 million to join and vote in favour of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
“I don’t believe selling myself is a choice, but ever since I have known some of these MPs they have always wanted money,” he said.
Mahlouf alleged that it was only Ali Waheed who had taken money to join the MDP – a move he claimed was a coup for the country’s governing party.
“[Waheed] was loved by the DRP, but now that he’s gone he is nobody,” Mahlouf said. “President Nasheed will have the same feeling, so this is a good deal.”
Mahouf said that although the defections, which come as a number of DRP parliamentarians have switched sides in parliament, was a sad development for opposition supporters. However he said he believed it was on the other hand a positive development in regards to the loyalty of the remaining politicians.
The DRP MP’s allegations of bribes being used to entice opposition politicians to switch parties were refuted by MDP spokesperson Ahmed Haleem, who claimed that Ali Waheed’s defection reflected political ambition and not financial concern.
Haleem added that although it remains essential for the MDP to obtain a political majority in parliament to pass a reform agenda blocked by partisan opposition majority, recent defections by MPs including the former DRP Deputy Leader were made on political principal and not bribes.
“Ali Waheed and Abdu Raheem – these are young ambitious people that are not part of the Gayoom regime. The MDP is the country’s only true democratic party, unlike the DRP which is more like a family organisation,” he claimed. “Waheed has a future in politics in this country and I believe he is a clean guy. So while we need a parliamentary majority for the MDP, we do not want to be spending money we don’t have to get it. This is politics, not a football transfer market.”
Questioned over whether some MDP supporters would be sceptical of the intentions of a former opposition MP like Ali Waheed, who in his first speech as an MDP member last week accepted he had been “critical” of President Nasheed and his government in the past, Haleem said he believed members were overall happy at the defection.
“I think all MDP supporters will be very happy, our members are determined in that they want change in this country,” he said.
The DRP has attracted significant local media attention in recent months with factional infighting between supporters of serving leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and his predecessor Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. One reason for the strife, according to Mahlouf, was division over how to respond to the government’s financial reform program and decision to devalue the rufiyaa against the US dollar.
Speaking at rallies and gatherings held this week against government economic reforms, following a week of protests earlier this month in Male’, Mahlouf, who is linked to the Z-DRP faction of the party, said that the so-called “youth movement” behind the protests had decided to give the government time to try and address financial concerns before resuming demonstrations.
Haleem meanwhile claimed that while the protests had lost momentum due to a growing public acceptance and understanding of the need for economic changes bought forward by President Mohamed Nasheed, as well as the “weakening” of the DRP.
“I think you will find that 99 percent of people are fed up with the DRP, even three of the party’s members have [defected],” Haleem said. “People are accepting that financial changes are needed and the president has been stating these aims more clearly. We are a civilised country and we need direct taxation – such as the tourism general service tax (TGST) – the President is not just changing the political but also the economic situation in the Maldives.”
Speaking last night during a rally held at the artificial beach area of Male’, Mahlouf claimed that demonstrations held over the last few days had been organised by Thasmeen’s supporters and a number of local NGOs rather than the “youth movement” that had instigated protests earlier in the month.
“We need to be responsible politicians right now and protesting every night is not the only solution to the economic issues,” he said. “We did a good job supporting the protesters, but it’s time to give some time to the government to try and make changes before we consider more protests.”
Addressing crowds of DRP supporters during last night’s gathering, which he said had drawn “huge crowds”, Mahlouf used his speech to attack the recent defection of a number of DRP politicians such as Ali Waheed to the MDP cause, as the party of President Nasheed seeks to entrench its long-sought parliamentary majority.
(0)Dislikes(0)Former opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Abdulla Abdu Raheem has signed with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after resigning from his previous party earlier this week.
Raheem marked his signing at an MDP rally yesterday with a speech in which he called for the government to resolve the country’s currency crisis by “getting rid of Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) Governor, Fazeel Najeeb.”
”Instead of giving high priority to his responsibilities in that position, he gives priority to other things in life,” Raheem claimed.
Raheem’s joining the MDP follows in the footsteps of the former DRP Deputy Leader Ali Waheed, DRP Sports Wing head Hassan Shujau and deputy head Assad ‘Adubarey’ Ali, and leaves the MDP one vote behind the allied opposition parties.
With Raheem the MDP’s parliamentary group controls 35 votes, including MP ‘Redwave’ Saleem who has signed a coalition agreement to vote with the party.
The alliance of opposition parties, including the DRP, Jumhoree Party (JP), Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and the People’s Alliance (PA) control 36 votes, although given the present hostility between Gayoom’s faction of the DRP and that of Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, this tally is less than assured.
Neither the MDP or the opposition parties control a brute voting majority of 39 in the 77 member Majlis, a situation with the potential to give the balance of power to the six independents: Ismail Abdul Hameed, Ahmed ‘Sun’ Shiyam Mohamed, Ahmed Amir, Ibrahim Riza and Mohamed Zubair.
Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed predicted that closely-fought bills – such as the government’s proposed income tax on those earning over Rf 30,000 – could potentially be swung by the independent votes.
“Since the parliament is going to be nearly equally divided between government and opposition, come June my inclination is that in matters where a clear parliamentary majority of 39 votes is required, responsible decision making from the independents will be crucial,” Nasheed told Minivan News.
MDP MP Eva Abdulla said the party was starting the next session of parliament “with an entire legislative package to implement the government’s economic policy, including a number of amendments as well as new bills, mainly taxation. “
While a number of MPs had already expressed opposition to the income tax bill, “these bills have been widely discussed with stakeholders and we feel the opposition is coming by and large from those still adamant on defending their own vested financial interests,” she said. “This is what they have done in parliament for the last two years.”
“We are confident that with the new majority not only can we pursue the legislative requirements of the government’s economic policy more smoothly, but also reverse some of the laws they had previously disfigured,” she said.
(0)Dislikes(0)The High Court has issued a statement regarding condemning comments made by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group Leader and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, concerning its decision to order the release of former chief prison warden ‘Isthafa’ Ibrahim Mohamed Manik following his arrest in a torture inquiry.
The High Court accused Moosa of falsely stating that the court had ruled that Manik was innocent, in an attempt to mislead the public.
High Court said it had only ruled on a case filed in the court claiming that the court warrant issued by Maafushi Court, in Kaafu Atoll Maafushi, to extend Manik’s detention was unlawful.
‘’He was released by the court as there was no witness or evidence presented to the court that the court could weight in favor of keeping him in detention, and the court finds that the warrant issued by Maafushi court was against the Supreme Court’s procedures followed in such situations,” said the High Court.
The High Court also stated that the court wanted to make it clear to the public that the trial was not conducted to determine whether Manik was guilty of a crime or not, and asked for the public to respect its rulings.
Moosa made his remarks during a special rally held last night, where former opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Abdulla Abdu-Raheem signed with the MDP.
Speaking at the rally, Moosa said the day that MDP won a majority in parliament would be a day “that members of the independent commission members and judiciary should bear in mind.”
The High Court bench, consisting five judges, was appointed by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in March this year.
The five judges included the lawyer of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Abbas Shareef, former Juvenile Court Chief Judge Shuaib Hussein Zakariya, former Law Commission member Dr Azmiralda Zahir, Former Civil Court registrar Abdu Rauf Ibrahim, and Former Civil Court Chief Judge Ali Sameer.
(0)Dislikes(0)Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Abdulla Abdu Raheem has resigned from the party, following similar pattern to MP Ali Waheed who defected to the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) after resigning from the party over the weekend.
As with Waheed, Raheem did not immediately state that he would be joining the MDP, however journalists reported witnessing Raheem leaving President Mohamed Nasheed’s residence of Muleeage yesterday afternoon.
The Maafannu-West MP told local media he had left the DRP on the urging of his constituents, and because “a few tycoons [in parliament] are opposing taxation”. Ali Waheed’s home constitutency of Thoddu also backed the MDP in the recent council election.
Raheem narrow defeated the Councillor for Maafanu West, Mohamed Falah, in the 2009 parliamentary election by a mere eight votes, after Maldives National Shipping Ltd Chairman and MDP member Mohamed ‘Sanco’ Shareef, who lost in the primary, competed as an independent and split the MDP vote.
Should Raheem follow in Waheed’s footsteps and join the ruling party, the MDP will establish itself as the largest single voting bloc in parliament with 34 members (35 including coalition signatory ‘Redwave’ Saleem).
This will exceed the opposition DRP-PA coalition’s 32 members (25 DRP, 7 PA).
However with the cooperation of allied parties including Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (3 MPs) and Dr Hassan Saeed’s Dhivehi Qaumee Party (1 MP), the opposition still control a narrow majority with 36 votes.
For an outright voting majority, either party needs to control 39 votes – giving great sway to the seven independents; six if Raheem join the MDP. Of Independent MPs Mohamed Nasheed, Ahmed ‘Sun’ Shiyam Mohamed, Ismail Mohamed Hameed, Ahmed Amir, Ibrahim Riza and Mohamed Zubair, Riza and Zubair have a voting history backing the DRP and MDP respectively, further increasing the sway of the other four.
Speaking at an MDP rally held on the weekend in honour of Waheed’s signing, President Mohamed Nasheed confidently proclaimed a parliamentary majority for the party and instructed the MPs to use it responsibly. However to obtain that majority, two more MPs would need to defect.
Local media has speculated that other MPs in the opposition may be considering crossing the floor, focusing on Yousuf Naeem, Mohamed Ramiz who has publicly denied the rumours, and Ali Mohamed who’s absence from the chamber notably and narrowly secured parliamentary endorsement of Home Minister Hassan Afeef.
Parliament sessions resume next month.
Shifting loyalties
DRP-PA Coalition: 32
Jumhoree Party (JP): 3
Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP): 1
Total: 36
Total: 34
(0)Dislikes(0)Just a day after resigning from the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), MP Ali Waheed was last night welcomed to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) by President Mohamed Nasheed, who claimed Waheed’s decision had handed the party a parliamentary majority and the capability to push ahead with proposed reforms.
Waheed, a former DRP deputy leader, yesterday signed up the party alongside Ahmed Assad ‘Adubarey’ and DRP Sports Wing Head, Hassan Shujau.
A senior MDP source told Minivan News that additional members of the party were talking with the MDP about signing, but were reluctant to abandon the troubled party in such a large group.
The opposition figures followed in the wake of former opposition MP Alhan Fahmy in an exodus to the other side of the country’s political divide.
DRP MPs including Ahmed Nihan, currently working closely alongside the Z-DRP faction of the opposition critical of party leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, claimed that the MPs were switching sides solely for financial payoffs, though an MDP official insisted no such transactions had taken place.
However, dismissed DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer has submitted a case to the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) accusing the MDP of bribing opposition MPs to join the party.
Speaking during the rally held at Male’s artificial beach last night, Waheed reportedly accepted that he had criticised the president and the MDP in the past, but said that he now stood with them nonetheless.
“I was one of the strongest critics of President Nasheed,” he was reported as saying in newspaper Haveeru. “But I am right here at this podium; being able to criticise everyone is one of the fundamental aspects of democracy.”
Addressing the crowds afterwards, President Nasheed reportedly said that Ali Waheed would be welcomed to the party and could potentially take a senior position within the party following his switch.
Nasheed talked of the significance of having a political majority for the MDP and claimed that the party’s influence on parliament would need to be used responsibly and with respect to others in the Majlis.
Waheed along with DRP spokesperson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef and opposition leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali were unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News this morning.
Shareef has previously acknowledged that Waheed had served as a rising star in the DRP, and his loss would be a “great blow”.
Changing political landscape
The recent election of another former opposition MP – Alhan Fahmy – to the deputy leadership of the ruling party may be a key factor in luring ambitious MPs from the troubled opposition. However if rumours of money changing hands proved true, several MDP members have privately expressed concern that this risked unsettling grassroots members loyal to the ruling party from the beginning.
Further discontent is likely on the islands among those constituents who voted for a party, rather than the MP.
The MDP also risks importing potential skeletons into the party along with the MP, such as the case with former Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Hassan Adhil who is currently under house arrest and facing charges of child molestation.
Furthermore, the departure of MPs loyal to Thasmeen’s faction will place further pressure on the more prosaic side of the opposition, limiting its ability to resist the leadership ambitions of Gayoom’s far less compromising ‘Z-Faction’ and risks greater destabilisation of the opposition.
The MDP has however struggled to pass legislation in the opposition-majority parliament, and is fervently seeking to tip the balance in its favour and gain control of the legislature to push through difficult bills such as the revised penal code, evidence bill, and income tax for people earning over Rf30,000.
Taking control of parliament is a major victory for both the MDP and the government, and potentially marks the end of the ‘scorched earth’ politics in the Majlis that led to the en-masse resignation of cabinet ministers in July last year.
While the Maldives has a presidential system of government on paper, the constitution hands significant powers to parliament – particularly oversight of independent institutions. Control of the voting floor gives the MDP levers with which to address the challenges facing the judiciary and independent institutions in the country.
(0)Dislikes(0)Deputy Leader and MP of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ali Waheed has submitted his resignation letter to the DRP Office this morning, amid rumors that he is about to join ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
Relevant sources have confirmed to Minivan News that Waheed submitted his resignation to the DRP Office this morning, and that the MDP will hold a special ceremony tomorrow night where Waheed will sign with the MDP.
Ali Waheed has not been responding to calls from any media since rumours of his decision began to circulate last weekend. He has so far only said that if he makes a political decision, he will make it publicly to the media and the people.
A senior MDP official speaking on condition of anonymity told Minivan News that Waheed will join MDP tomorrow night, “along with two other DRP MPs.”
He also claimed that the MPs were not joining the MDP for money, as claimed by the opposition’s Gayoom faction MP Ahmed Nihan earlier this week.
”They decided to join the MDP because of the internal conflict in their party,” the source said. “The MPs feel worried and insecure, so they are moving towards a direction where they have a future,” he said. ”Due to this internal conflict in the party the MPs on the side of DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali in particular are very concerned. Those MPs did not shift sides for cash, they are very loyal to Thasmeen.”
He said that Thasmeen and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will try and hold the remaining MPs in the party, but said that the MPs were “very concerned and worried about their future.”
”If Gayoom wants to run for the presidency during the next elections, he will have to do it right, according to the party’s charter,” the source said.
DRP Deputy Leader and Spokesperson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef recently told Minivan News that rumours of Waheed’s impending departure were “propaganda to try to discredit some of us in the party.”
“Ali Waheed is a rising star with widespread support, and it would be a great blow to the party if he were to leave,” Shareef acknowledged.
Thasmeen meanwhile told Minivan News that he would not believe Waheed had joined MDP until he saw it actually happen.
Changing political landscape
The recent election of another former opposition MP – Alhan Fahmy – to the deputy leadership of the ruling party may be a key factor in luring ambitious MPs from the troubled opposition. However if rumours of money changing hands proved true, several MDP members have privately expressed concern that this risked unsettling grassroots members loyal to the ruling party from the beginning. Further discontent is likely on the islands among those constituents who voted for a party, rather than the MP.
The MDP also risks importing potential skeletons into the party along with the MP, such as the case with former Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Hassan Adhil who is currently under house arrest and facing charges of child molestation.
Furthermore, the departure of MPs loyal to Thasmeen’s faction will place further pressure on the more prosaic side of the opposition, limiting its ability to resist the leadership ambitions of Gayoom’s far less compromising ‘Z-Faction’ and risks greater destabilisation of the opposition.
The MDP has however struggled to pass legislation in the opposition-majority parliament, and is fervently seeking to tip the balance in its favour and gain control of the legislature to push through difficult bills such as the revised penal code, evidence bill, and income tax for people earning over Rf30,000.
Control of parliament would also give the MDP levers with which to address the challenges facing the judiciary and independent institutions in the country.
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