Tag: MDP

Parties talk policy pledges ahead of council elections

As some of the country’s most high-profile political figures campaign around the country ahead of this Saturday’s local council elections, their respective parties have been outlining the policies they hope will sway the elections in their favour.

President Mohamed Nasheed, his predecessor Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and current (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali have been touring the country’s atolls to meet and greet constituents who on Feburary 5 will be decide the shape of decentralised governance.

Heading the country’s main political opposition, Thasmeen said that the DRP is pursuing four key messages with its campaigning: equality, democratic practices, Islamic values and keeping the country’s assets under state control.

“We will not sell off state assets,” he said. “We are particularly concerned about the sale of uninhabited islands and the selling of shares in [telecoms provider] Dhiraagu – this is not the right path.”

One of the key concerns the opposition leader claimed was of central importance during the local council campaign was that of strengthening democratic practices, an area he the current ruling MDP “needed to work on much harder.”

“We believe independent institutions like the Elections Commission (EC) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should be strengthened,” he said. “Government offices have tried to discredit these institutions, even in the police service where we have seen dismissals for political purposes.”

Ultimately, Thasmeen said that he believed the MDP-led government had been “very partisan” in providing state services and more equality was needed when filling jobs and providing healthcare to politicians.

Alongside the party’s serving members, Thasmeen said he believed that the DRP’s position within the upcoming elections had been strengthened by the return to campaigning of its honorary leader, former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

While not confirming how Gayoom would be campaigning for the party in relation to the strategy outlined by the DRP’s council committee, Thasmeen said he welcomed any assistance. “Mr Gayoom is very well respected and holds an honourable position in the party,” he said.

During his own travels along the campaign trail, President Mohamed Nasheed has also been campaigning to play up the work the MDP has already conducted and will look to continue.

The party’s election manifesto consists of five core pledges: ‘nationwide transport’, ‘affordable living costs’, ‘affordable housing’, ‘affordable quality healthcare’, and the ‘prevention of narcotics abuse and trafficking’.

The party stated at its Congress in late September 2010 that it considered the pledges to be “40 percent” completed.

Whilst visiting the island of Feeali yesterday during a tour of Faafu Atoll and Dhaalu Atoll, the president claimed he remained committed to driving ahead developments despite what he called “unjustifiable criticisms” leveled at his work by opposition parties.

Nasheed stressed that the MDP was campaigning on the basis of continued developments in infrastructure and social protection already focused on within outer lying islands during his administration’s tenure.

The innaguration of sewerage systems in 17 islands – allegedly up from just four before the party came to power as a coalition in 2008 – and the completion of seven water grids in atolls outside of Male’ were used as some examples of MDP’s commitment to national development.

Outside of the country’s two most prominent political parties, President of the religious Adhaalath Party, Sheikh Hussein Rasheed, said its candidates were mainly focused on three main aims during the election.

Sheikh Rasheed said that Adhaalath candidates would focus on “wide ranging development”, aiming to reduce problems associated with drug abuse and “uniting people together”.

“We will co-operate with the government as per the law, of course,” he added.

Rasheed said that candidates for the Adhaalath Party were running for seats in Raa Atoll, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Addu Atoll, Gnaviyani Atoll and the city of Male’.

”It is very likely that the Adhaalath Party candidate for Raa Atoll and Haa Dhaalu Atoll will win the seat,” he claimed.

The local council elections are scheduled for February 5, this coming Saturday.

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Moral in the political plight of former President’s classmates, says MDP

The collapse of longstanding dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt, leaders of which were classmates of former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, carried moral lessons for the Maldives, claimed Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group leader ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

”Today the citizens of Arab countries have stood up against their leaders – classmates of [former President] Maumoon, in fact – who were practicing dictatorship like Maumoon,” said Reeko Moosa. ”Take a look at the situation in Tunisia, take a look at the situation in Egypt, where Maumoon received his education.”

Moosa said the citizens of the Maldives should “see the moral” in the situation in these countries.

”The citizens of the Maldives should see the moral in the situation in these countries, ahead of the local council elections, and should not let Maumoon’s regime reinstate their power,” Reeko Moosa said. ”I call citizens of the Maldives to take a look at the situation in these Arab countries  as an example.”

Minivan News attempted to contact DRP MP Ahmed Nihan for a response, but he had not replied at time of press.

If the opposition won the local council elections, Moosa claimed that the situation of the Maldives was likely to become that of Tunisia and and Egypt. If the citizens wished to uphold democracy and not let a dictatorship return in the Maldives, people should vote for MDP in the local council elections, he contended.

President Mohamed Nasheed has meanwhile spoken to opposition leader in Egypt, Mohamed El Baradei.

”Egyptians would have taken note of the lessons learnt from the Maldives, in their own struggle for democracy,” Nasheed said.

The President’s Office said that during the conversation Nasheed spoke about the struggles Maldivians endured to hold the country’s first  democratic elections in 2008.

”President Nasheed said he was deeply concerned to hear that Mr El Baradei remained in detention under house arrest in the Egyptian capital, Cairo,” said the President’s Office. ”The President pointed out to Mr El Baradei that Maldivians have always loved freedom and thus Maldivians will always support those who are peacefully advocating for political freedom in Egypt.”
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Police urge peaceful rhetoric from MPs amidst local election violence

Police are urging caution within the rhetoric used by the country’s politicians amidst concerns that numerous “small” clashes between followers of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) in recent days could escalate into major violence.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that a number of violent clashes between apparent supporters of the MDP and DRP had been brought under control by police recently, including confrontations on Kaandehdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll yesterday following the arrival of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Gayoom, who is also the honorary leader of the DRP, was said to not have been caught up in the confrontations, according to party representatives.

However, the attacks have led to claims from prominent DRP MPs such as Ahmed Mahloof that a small number of their counterparts within the MDP deliberately incited their own supporters to injure opposition party members. Mahloof claimed that there was also video evidence to prove support his claims, although the MDP has denied any of its members were involved in encouraging the violence.

Sub-Inspector Shiyam said that no arrests had been made following the clashes on Kaandehdhoo, which lasted “a few hours”, and that injuries recorded as a result of the confrontations were not thought to have been serious, however he said that similar violence in recent days had affected power supplies on some islands.

Shiyam said that the police service was not blaming any individual political party for the apparent outbursts, but conceded there had been a number of cases of violent confrontations, particularly between MDP and DRP supporters of late ahead of next month’s local council elections.

“We would call on the leaders of political parties to ensure they have control of their people,” he said. “They have to be aware that small clashes can turn into big confrontations.”

Upon arriving on Kaandehdhoo yesterday along with Gayoom and former DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer, Mahloof claimed that around 200 MDP supporters had shown up to protest alongside supporters of the opposition party.

“We understand that MDP supporters want to come out and raise their voices, but we cannot accept violence,” he said. “They [MDP supporters] attacked Umar Naseer and I have two broken fingers.”

Mahloof claimed that the trouble started when Gayoom had arrived on the island as part of his campaign strategy for the upcoming local council elections, before MDP supporters began to move towards where the former president was staying.

This movement was thought to have led to confrontations between rival supporters, sparking the violence that followed.

“Mr Gayoom himself didn’t see anything,” he said.

Mahloof alleged that MDP MPs Mohamed Qasam and Mohamed Nazim were involved in directly inciting the violence that took place on the island and that he had video proof to support his claims and would be consulting police over the issue.

“We are saddened to say that the MPs arrived with a group of thugs,” he claimed. “These are people who should try and do things in a democratic way.”

Ultimately, Mahloof said that although clashes between supporters had begun before Gayoom’s arrival on the island, the DRP were not a violent party and he himself did not want to encourage any further attacks from its supporters in the run up to the local council elections and beyond.

However, he suggested that there was only so much some supporters may be willing to take.

“We hope that the MDP leaders and the president will discourage supporters from again planning to attack us,” Mahloof claimed. “There are so many people who would be willing to die for Mr Gayoom.”

Allegations that MDP MPs were directly involved in the violent confrontations were strongly denied by party spokesperson Ahmed Haleem, who claimed that he was certain that Gasam and Nazim would not have supported attacking opposition members.

“They are going to talk with supporters and try to encourage non-violence within the party,” he said. “They are responsible MPs.”

Haleem claimed that the DRP was itself always trying to “put the finger of blame” on the MDP to try and insinuate there was violence within the party.

However, the MDP spokesperson alleged that it was the development of factions within the DRP between supporters of current leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and former head Gayoom that was leading to a number of violent confrontations during the election campaign.

“The DRP have been responsible for violent acts against Thasmeen from within Gayoom’s faction of the party,” he claimed. “The MDP is not a party of violence.”

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MDP “destroying the sanctity” of Adhaalath, claims religious party

The political Adhaalath Party led by State Islamic Minister Sheikh Hussein Rasheed has accused the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of “attempting to destroy the sanctity of the Party” by misleading the public over its work.

”Although the Adhaalath Party is an institute in the current government, [it] is a party that supports justice and rights, and has expressed its opinions under the responsibility of integrity,” the group said in a statement. “Even if we were not an institute of the government, we will always keep our work to this policy.”

The party statement claimed that it was very concerned that some MDP officials were trying to misrepresent its work as the ideas of just a few specific individuals rather than an entire party in a manner that could damage the “sanctity and honour” of the party.

“Adhaalath Party will never just follow the decision of individuals, we will always follow the decision of the party’s discussion committee,” the party stated. ”All the opinions the Adhaalath Party has expressed and all the work it has conducted was done according to the decision of our discussion committee.”

Officials of the religious party have also advised politicians to avoid personal confrontations and stick to political discourse instead.

Unnamed government officials recently described scholars like Sheikh Ibrahim Fareed and the vice leader of the Adhaalath Party’s religious council, Sheikh Ilyas Hussein, as “hate preachers” in an interview with India-based magazine The Week.

The party has claimed that senior officials of the current government, including former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed and Home Minister Hassan Afeef, made false allegations against a number of the country’s religious leaders, including the vice leader of the Adhaalath Party’s religious council, Sheikh Ilyas Hussein.

Minivan News attempted to contact MDP’s parliamentary group spokesperson and MP Alhan Fahmy, who was unavailable for comment at time of going to press.

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MDP expels member for running against Manik as an independent

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has expelled member Aishath Sherin from the party after she decided to run as an independent candidate in the Local Council Elections, in opposition to head of Male’ municipality council ‘Sarangu’ Adam Manik.

Sherin had openly criticised Manik and alleged that he was influencing people using money, the MDP said in a statement.

”The party decided to expel Sherin because the area of Mahchangolhi South, where Sherin decided to run, was won by Sarangu Adam Manik by the primaries conducted by MDP to choose candidates,” said the MDP in a statement, further accusing the candidate of “smearing respect” for both Manik and the party.

MDP alleged that Sherin had been “continuously criticising the party and candidate in front of people of South Mahchangolhi area”, and declared that t it would “take action against other such candidates.”

In an interview to SunFM, Sherin has denied running for the election as an independent candidate with the intention of confronting MDP.

”I have always said, I will run against Sarangu Adam Manik, and I will try my level best to win because he is influencing people with money,” she told the station.

She said her expulsion had “made it easy” for her to win the election.

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Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu denies campaigning for MDP

Local religious NGO Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu has today issued a press release denying rumors that it has been campaigning for the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The NGO said that it would never follow or promote a political party ”especially a party that is anti-religion such as the Maldivian Democratic Party.”

”Some of them are circulating false information regarding the NGO, saying that the NGO is campaigning for the ruling MDP,” said Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu in a press statement. ”Jamiyyathul Akhawaathu is not an NGO that is working under a political party.”

The NGO further called on those circulating “these false allegations” to “stop misleading people and fear God.”

”Rather than spending their valuable time on such things, we call upon them to work for the benefit of life and afterlife.”

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MPs deny involvement following rumours of DRP-PA plan to oust Speaker

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group leader and MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik has denied rumours the MDP is planning forward a no-confidence motion against Speaker of the Parliament, DRP MP Abdulla Shahid.

Late last week, opposition leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ahmed Thasmeen Ali alleged that some DRP and coalition partner People’s Alliance (PA) MPs were plotting with MDP MPs to forward a no-confidence motion against the Speaker.

‘’MDP MPs will always, always vote according to the party line,” claimed Moosa, dismissing rumours of a planned no-confidence motion against Shahid.

“MDP is not a party divided into factions and groups,’’ he added, in reference to the recent factional turmoil within the opposition.

He claimed the intention of the rumours was to divide the MDP parliamentary group, “because DRP has already been split,’’ he claimed. “MDP will never fall into factions, no matter how much the opposition tries.’’

Thasmeen last week told the media he would not support such a vote, and assurances that “most” of the DRP MPs would not vote against Shahid.

The PA Secretary General Ahmed Shareef told Minivan News that no information on the accusations raised last week by Thasmeen.

“Nothing has been done to forward a no-confidence motion [against the Speaker],” said Shareef.

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan also dismissed rumours of the joint no-confidence motion against the Speaker as false.

”There are a few who are trying to split our party and they are taking advantage of this,” said Nihan. ”They are circulating this rumor through the media, and as far as I am concerned, it has never been discussed.”

He said that no DRP MPs had informed him of a potential no-confidence motion.

Meanwhile, DRP MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom emphasised that DRP MPs “will not join the no-confidence motion against Shahid and have not even discussed anything like that.”

Dr Mausoom said he could confirm that DRP MPs had not planned to put the motion forward.

”There maybe someone bitter about Shahid who wishes to do so, but he is the best Speaker of parliament I have ever seen,” Dr Mausoom said. ”He has worked in a very volatile environment, but he has handled the situation well as a smooth operator.”

Dr Mausoom said he was ready to breach the party’s three-line whip in the event the DRP did decided to put forward a motion to dismiss the Speaker.

However, daily newspaper Haveeru has quoted a DRP MP anonymously that discussions about forwarding a motion to dismiss Shahid have been going on for two months, along with potential candidates for the speaker position.

Leader of the DRP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali originally raised the matter when he told the media that he had information that a no-confidence motion against Shahid was to be filed in parliament in what would be rare cooperation between DRP, MDP and PA MPs.

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MDP to celebrate ‘Yellow Day’

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced that it will launch a two day campaign to celebrate ‘Yellow Day’ in the Maldives – representing the party’s colour (the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party is blue).

”To celebrate this day, MDP will hold meetings at different parts of the nation at 9pm on [tonight] night,” said the MDP in a statement. ”From 21st January to 22nd, MDP candidates will go around to meet citizens in all islands.”

Putting up posters and banners, and colouring the city yellow in different areas is also a part of the ‘yellow day’, said the party.

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Party rhetoric heats up as elections approach

President Mohamed Nasheed has claimed that housing programmes and the Veshi Fahi Male’ programme could only be implemented “perfectly” if islanders elected MDP councilors in the local council elections.

Nasheed and the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), including ‘honorary leader’ former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, have been visiting islands across the nation to campaign for the upcoming Local Council Elections, scheduled to be held on February 5.

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), led by former Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed, has meanwhile alleged that the MDP government has failed to fulfill its election pledges, “and it is almost the end of their term.”

”There is not even a drawing of the flats that the President pledged to built within six months following the parliamentary elections,” said the DQP in a statement. ”The talks that he gave in many islands claiming that he would establish airports and sewerage systems also turned out be nothing but dreams.”

DQP claimed that during the recent two years, the government-appointed councilors had worked to promote MDP.

”There are only a few days left of the MDP government’s term, and not one of the 10,000 flats he has pledged have been built so far,” DQP said. ”For two years MDP councilors were in the islands and no pledge was fulfilled – this proves that MDP councilors have failed.”

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Imthiyaz Fahmy meanwhile claimed that a vote given to the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) would be “wasted”.

‘’MDP is a party that makes pledges and fulfills pledges,’’ said Imthiyaz. “As MDP is in administration today, development and progress can only be brought about by electing a person that supports MDP.’’

He said that the “wisest” people would “choose to follow success”.

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will speak at an opposition rally in Male’ this evening.

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