MDP – Page 98 – Minivan News

MDP activist arrested for sorcery; party alleges “witch hunt”

Police have allegedly arrested an opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activist on charges of practicing black magic.

Activist Jennifer Aishath was arrested on Friday night near the ‘Aa Saharaa’ cemetery while she was attending a funeral. She was released at around 2:45am in the morning.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed that police had followed Aishath “because she was up to something”, but did not disclose what this was.

However following her release Aishath produced a police note stating that the reason for her summoning was for questioning over allegations she was using “black magic and sorcery”.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson MP Imthiyaz Fahmy has alleged the government was now using charges of black magic and sorcery as an “excuse” to go on a literal witch hunt for MDP activists.

Fahmy, who was present at the time of the Aishath’ arrest, told Minivan News that she had been followed by a police car and a police officer in plain clothes. Aishath raised concerns that a car had been following her every move to the cemetery, where she was attending a funeral.

“She said that a police car had been following her from home. I walked out of the cemetery with her and saw the car which she had mentioned, and it really was following her. The car stopped every time she stopped, it was very obvious,” Fahmy said.

After becoming concerned that Aishath was being followed, he claimed that he went towards the car and asked the driver what was going on.

“I went to the car and said that the lady has told me that she was being followed. They were silent for some time and then they questioned me, asking if I wanted to know what is going on,” Fahmy continued.

Fahmy stated that after the questioning, the driver made a call from their phone and within minutes, a police van of about 25 to 30 police officers in full gear arrived to the area and asked Aishath to get into their van.

“When the van came and the police asked her to get into the van, I intervened saying that you can’t arrest someone like that,” said Fahmy.

“I asked on what grounds was she being arrested and they said they’d tell her after they reached police headquarters. I resisted and said that such an arrest could only be made after letting the arrestee know what the charges against her were. The arresting officers didn’t even have name tags.”

Fahmy said that a female officer came out of the van and forced Aishath into the van before taiking her away.

Fahmy alleged that the government was running out of excuses to arrest MDP members and were now resorting to charges of black magic and sorcery.

“This is definitely something that Gayoom is behind. He was the first person to say that black magic was being used to try and oust him from the presidency. This occured during the 1998 presidential referendum by his brother in law Ilyas Ibrahim,” Fahmy claimed.

“ This is hilarious, the coup regime is becoming a laughing stock. Why are they arresting people over allegations of black magic, while the country has greater issues to address such as gang violence and drugs? For God’s sake, people are being murdered,” said Fahmy.

President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza and Media Secretary Masood Imad were not responding at time of press.

arrest details — The document issued to Aishath by police, describing the reasons for her summoning as alleged practice of black magic

Police raiding MDP protest camp ‘Usfasgandu’ for alleged “black magic and sorcery”

Earlier this week, police raided the opposition MDP protest camp at Usfasgandu on Tuesday morning, after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court and cordoning off the area from MDP demonstrators.

One of the reasons for the search as stated on the warrant included: “suspected black magic performed in the area.”

Under evidence, the warrant alleged that people in the Usfasgandu area had on May 25 thrown a “cursed rooster” at MNDF officers.

Shortly after the raid, the Civil Court ordered to halt the raid in a temporary court injunction after the MDP challenged the legality of the operation.

However, the government appealed the Civil Court decision in the High Court. The High Court issued a temporary injunction suspending the Civil Court’s injunction.

Police issued a statement right after the High Court injunction stating that there were no more legal obstructions to raiding the camp, but said the police were “thinking on the matter”.

Black magic to be debated in all party talks

With a weekend-long set of all party talks held at Bandos Island Resort concluding today without agreement, MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that discussions had not progressed past the first point of agenda. Among the main sticking points during the talks, Ghafoor claimed that allegations of black magic were among 30 points of contention raised by government-aligned parties.

“Right now nothing has been accepted [in term of the talk’s agreed agenda],” he said. “We are still at step one.”

Ghafoor said that the first agreed agenda item on the talks – the role of the MDP in causing “public disturbances” through protests and other actions – had been discussed, but few agreements had been reached.

The MDP claimed that it had been requested to “voluntarily stand down” from disturbing the public peace through actions like its ongoing demonstrations. Ghafoor said that a total of thirty other concerns were raised by government-aligned parties that were linked to the first of the the talk’s agenda.

Among these thirty points of concern, the MDP was requested to cease practicing black magic and other malicious forms of sorcery against other parties at the talks, according to Ghafoor.

“I think that some people involved are now playing a hoax. It is hard to believe that the regime is lowering itself to this level. It is both pointless and irrelevant,” he claimed. “It is notable that figures such as former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom are very superstitious.”

Ghafoor said the MDP had agreed to address four out of the thirty points of concern raised relating over the issue of “public disturbances” during the talks, including concerns from some political parties about the use of the word “coup” in relation to February’s transfer of power.

He added that some parties in the talks did not appreciate the use of the word, with the MDP agreeing to refer to the issue as a ‘questionable’ transfer of power in line with issues raised by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group’s (CMAG) concerns.

Ghafoor claimed that MDP representatives proposed three agreements to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) mediation expert Pierre-Yves Monette to try and move the talks forward. These agreements were that the party would accept four of the thirty points of contention raised by government-aligned parties. They also wished to see the end of the use of “abusive” language used by representatives during the talks.

Finally, Ghafoor claimed that an independent monitor had also been requested to rule on allegations raised about certain representatives during the ongoing talks.

“Right now they are alleging we are terrorists. We need an independent monitor to rule on these accusations and verify the truth of such claims,” he said.

Of the other parties represented during the talks, Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Vice President Umar Naseer and MP Ilham Ahmed were not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press.

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and Dr Abdulla Mausoom, the respective leader and Deputy Parliamentary Group Leader of the largest government coalition member, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), were also not answering calls.

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“Thuggery will not push us back”, Nasheed tells thousands of supporters in ruins of Usfasgandu

Twenty four hours after police began dismantling the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) protest area – for the second time since February 7 – the party’s supporters returned to the area to hear former President Mohamed Nasheed speak.

Nasheed arrived at Usfasgandu straight from the airport, after attending a an executive meeting of the International Democratic Union (IDU) in New Zealand. Thousands of MDP supporters gathered in the remains of the camp at around 11:30pm to hear the ousted President speak.

Nasheed told his throngs of supporters that the government was now witnessing the determination of the people to regain their constitutional freedoms.

“What we are witnessing today is that the Maldivian people are not ready to give up the freedoms gained through the hard work of a lot of people,” he said.

“Maldivian people will not let go of freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the freedom to hold peaceful political activities,” he added.

Police Sub Inspector Hassan Haneef said that the police had vacated the area at around 2:00pm yesterday. The warrant issued by the Criminal Court at 3:00pm on Monday gave the police 48 hours to complete their search of the site.

Haneef said that there had been no reported incidents following Nasheed’s speech, although he did day that two officers patrolling the area at around 3:30pm had their walkie-talkies taken from them and smashed.

The search warrant granted to police did not grant any permission to dismantle the camp, an issue that was brought to the attention of the Civil Court by the MDP. At 10:15pm, the Civil Court ordered that the dismantling be halted until it made a decision on the issue.

A police statement acknowledged receipt of the Civil Court order but added that most of the dismantling work had been carried out. An MDP statement alleged that by this time “the out-of-control police had already finished its work, leaving only a few chairs and a flagpole.”

The MDP have alleged that the police and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) continued their work after the court order to cease was given.

Speaking atop a pile of debris left after the police and MNDF had partially excavated the site as part of their search, Nasheed told the crowd: “The reality that the police and military officers who perpetrated the coup should know is that whether you smash us or stomp on us, we will not back down.”

“Trained in thuggery, in iron armor, carrying pepper spray and batons on the streets – this will not stop our resistance. Thuggery will not push us back.”

“Maldivian people had long been voicing against the torture they suffered, that’s why the new constitution [ratified in 2008] was the people’s constitution, and the fundamental rights that the citizens of this country found in that constitution are not something they are willing to let go of,” he exorted.

Nasheed then went on to express his confidence that 2012 would see fresh presidential elections and that the Committee of National Inquiry (CNI)’s investigations would result “in the arrest of the perpetrators of the coup”.

MDP MP Mariya Didi, party Interim Chairman Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik, and former Spokesman for Nasheed’s Presidential Commission, Abdulla Haseen, also addressed the crowd.

Nasheed arrived at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA ) at around 10:00pm, walking to the Usfasgandu area from the harbour after briefly speaking to reporters at the airport.

Haveeru reported Nasheed as telling the press that all parties present in the Wellington talks were supportive of early elections in the Maldives.

Asked about the Usfasgandu issue, Nasheed reportedly responded: “desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Humans tend to resort to heavy handed tactics when times are desperate. It is a flaw which is quite disappointing,” he lamented.

“I hope that civilised measures would be restored where issues would be resolved by peaceful means,” he said.

Nasheed spoke to the IDU’s executive committee about the current political situation in the Maldives. He also met with the IDU member group the Asian Pacific Democratic Union (APDU).

The Commonwealth’s Special envoy to the Maldives, Sir Donald McKinnon, was also present at the IDU meeting.

During the visit, Nasheed also discussed the Maldives’ political situation with officials from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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HRCM “blind and deaf” over police brutality, claims MDP

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Spokesperson and MP Imthiyaz Fahmy ‘Inthi’ has condemned the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) for being “deaf and blind” to police brutality against MDP supporters.

Speaking to the press today at the MDP Secretariat, Inthi said that the MDP was deeply concerned that while there was a human rights commission to investigate rights violations, it had failed to notice these and instead accepted the police’s actions with their silence.

Inthi alleged that police had attacked MDP protesters as well as journalist during the recent protests over the dismantling of the Usfasgandu protest sight, and provided pictures.

He alleged that many MDP activists had been injured during police crackdowns and that some activists were beaten after being taken into police custody.

‘’They also forced the 56 arrested MDP supporters to give their urine samples to test for drugs, but they were all arrested for a political unrest on not on a drug related offence,’’ he said. Inthi himself was arrested the previous day during the crackdown.

“’I was arrested at the MDP protest campsite and the court released me, after the police told the judge that I had assaulted a female officer at the Usfasgandu,’’ he told the journalist. “Human rights organisations far away from the Maldives have expressed concern over rights violations here, but the Human Rights Commission in the Maldives has not seen or noticed anything.’’

HRCM had also failed to notice that the police had dismantled MDP protest campsite as Usgandu without a court warrant, he added.

‘’Today the police are operating as a gang, they are not police but are a group thugs,” he claimed. “The former commissioner of police has said they are now operating like a gang,’’ Inthi added.

HRCM Presdient Maryam Azra did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Police and army officers dismantled the MDP protest camp after the Criminal Court issued a search warrant following the police allegations of sorcery and other criminal offences being carried out at the campsite.

The Civil Court later ordered a halt to the dismantling of the camp, however police had by then destroyed most of the area.

The Civil Court order came following a case filed in court by the MDP which is still ongoing.

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Didi and Fahmy allegedly poised to reprise MDP leadership roles in JP

Local newspaper Haveeru has reported that the former President and Vice-President of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Dr Ibrahim Didi and Alham Fahmy are on the verge of joining the Jumhoree Party (JP).

The paper quotes “reliable sources” – as it did when successfully predicting the defection of Shifag ‘Histo’ Mufeed from the MDP to the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) at the start of the month.

Prominent figures within the JP reportedly told the paper that the pair had both held discussions with the party leader Ibrahim Gasim although Dr Didi has denied that any such meeting had taken place.

Haveeru continued, stating that the pair have insisted on retaining Presidential and Vice-Presidential positions within the new party. This would require an amendment to JP regulations, for which a meeting of the national council has supposedly been arranged.

Both Dr Didi and Alhan were not responding at time of press.

Didi and Alhan were removed from their posts in the MDP after being accused of making statements in contradiction of the party’s official line concerning the the events that led to the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7.

A motion of no confidence was supported by 95 percent of the MDP’s National Congress on April 30. Both men disputed the legitimacy of the process which led to their ousting.

Dr Didi filed a complaint with the Elections Commission (EC), which was later dismissed, whilst Alhan staged a poorly attended ‘free MDP’ rally, protesting against what he alleged was the negative influence of Nasheed on the party.

Didi told Haveeru earlier this week that he intended to challenge this decision. In the same interview he said it was “very likely” that he would soon leave the MDP for another party, criticising what he described as the undemocratic inner workings of the party.

Should Alhan, who is currently the MP for Feydhoo constituency, join the JP, its representation in the Majlis would rise to four. This would bring the overall number of MPs in the pro-government coalition up to 46 out of the total 77 , reducing the MDP’s numbers to 31.

At the time of Shifag’s move to the PPM, the party’s group leader Abdulla Yameen told Minivan News: “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.”

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Nasheed nominee to CNI accepted, reportedly withdrawn

Confusion surrounds the appointment of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s latest nominee to the Committee of National Inquiry (CNI). The government today confirmed its acceptance of Mariyam Manaal Shihab to the CNI before local media reported that the nominee had been withdrawn.

President’s Office spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza told Minivan News at around 3:30pm this afternoon that Manaal’s nomination had been deemed acceptable to the government.

“She fits the criteria set down by the government and the Commonwealth. The government welcomes the changes and the MDP’s desire to move forward,” said Abbas.

Abbas said that Manaal had been working as a legal consultant for the Ministry of Economic Development and was “well respected in her field”. She is the daughter of Mohamed Shihab, former Speaker of the Majlis and Minister of Finance under the previous government.

When asked about the nomination at around 4:30, MDP International Spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that he had heard about the matter but believed the nomination had happened in a “very direct” manner.

Shortly after this time, however, local media reported an unnamed government official as saying that the nominee had been withdrawn. The same article quoted MDP Spokesman Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy as denying that any such nominee had been posited.

When Minivan News called Abbas at 6:00pm, he said he was aware of these new reports but had yet to receive confirmation of the withdrawal.

“Maybe the MDP is flip-flopping,” he said.

Minivan News witnessed video footage of Inthi being led away by police at the National Council meeting just outside the Usfasgandu area. This area was closed off before being raided by police this morning. Inthi was not answering his phone at time of press.

When Ghafoor was re-contacted, he also said he was aware of the fresh media reports. Ghafoor could not confirm what had happened but pointed out that it had never been the MDP’s policy to discuss the names of potential nominees.

“It has always been the government that releases the names of the nominees. We have never given the names of those proposed,” said Ghafoor.

False dawn

The appointment would have completed the composition of the reformed CNI, representing the culmination of months of internal and external pressure to enhance the credibility of the body assembled by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to investigate the events of February 7 and 8.

The new-look CNI is scheduled to begin its work on June 1 and is expected to have completed its work by July 31.

The government has threatened to appoint a lawyer of its choosing to the commission should a suitable Nasheed nominee not have emerged by the start of proceedings.

The major impetus for these alterations came from the Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which had set a mid-May deadline for the CNI’s satisfactory reform.

As the deadline approached, the Commonwealth’s Special Envoy to the Maldives Sir Donald McKinnon arrived in Male’, eventually reaching a deal with the government to allow Nasheed to nominate a “suitable” nominee.

These criteria, later clarified by the Commonwealth as people who have not taken a stand on the events in question and who are not expected to testify before the commission, was interpreted more onerously by the government.

The government added the conditions that the nominee must not have served in a political post in the past two years, and must be of “good behaviour and integrity”.

These conditions were labelled “subjective” by the MDP as its first 11 nominees were considered “generally unacceptable” by the government.

This had led to pessimism from within the MDP, with Ghafoor anticipating last week that the Commonwealth would again have to mediate before the issue was resolved.

A successful nomination would bring the CNI closer to being “impartial, credible and broadly acceptable”.

These were the words prematurely attributed to Don McKinnon by the Maldivian government in a statement to the international media, released on the PR Newswire service last week.

This statement brought a swift response from the Commonwealth, which labelled the statement “misleading”.

“Indeed, [Sir Donald McKinnon’s] efforts while in Maldives, and since his departure have been focused on achieving that objective, so that a truly impartial, credible and broadly acceptable Commission of National Inquiry can be put in place within the agreed time-frame,” the Commonwealth stated.

The government’s efforts to implement a commitment made to McKinnon, to strengthen the powers of the CNI and broaden its composition with an international co-chair and nominee of former President Nasheed, “are still ongoing”, the Commonwealth stated.

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MDP prepares for internal elections while party’s frustrated former president decides to switch ship

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced that internal elections for the party chairmanship and presidential candidate will be held on June 16, with all members registered before April 12, 2012 eligible to vote.

Speaking to Minivan News, MDP’s Deputy Secretary General Ahmed Akram said that the decision was made in accordance with the article 95 of the party constitution and that details of eligible voters were available from the party’s website and the main headquarters of the party.

Article 95 of the party constitution states that a list of eligible voters must be made public 30 days prior to the election date.

Akram said that a total of 16 candidates will be taking part in all internal elections including the party presidential primaries and the party presidential elections. He also stated that about a thousand officials from the party would be involved in administering more than 260 ballot boxes.

“All the eligible voters will be able to cast their vote for the positions of the party chairperson and the party’s presidential primaries, while the participants of the party’s last congress will be eligible to vote for the position of administrative deputy chairmanship,” he said.

“The votes would be counted in the presence of the observers at the polling station,” he added.

The party’s internal elections will also include the constituency presidential elections and the positions of some party constituency steering committees, to which only party members registered in the specific constituency will be able to cast their votes.

Elections for the party’s President and Vice President are due to be held on August 31, and several senior members of the party running for the posts have already started campaigning.

However earlier this week current interim chairperson of the party Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik, the sole contender for the position of the party chairpersonship elections, in a statement called on candidates running for the MDP Presidency and Vice Presidency to halt their campaigns, after the MDP National Council has questioned whether the positions were necessary.

Moosa said members of the council had questioned whether the responsibilities of the President and Vice President overlapped with chairmanship, and that some members were proposing that the positions be removed.

‘’Some members of the National Council proposed a meeting to remove the two positions from the party, while others called to amend the inconsistencies in the party’s charter that makes the responsibilities of the two positions conflict with the responsibilities of other positions in the party,” the statement read.

However, Akram stated that Moosa’s comments were not made in his official capacity of the party interim chairperson but in his personal capacity.

“It’s his opinion. The party’s elections committee is doing their job in accordance with the party constitution. If the elections are to be delayed, we would need to go for a congress and make necessary amendments to pave way for that,” he said.

Akram also said that no decision has been made regarding Moosa’s remarks, and the election to elect party president and vice president are scheduled to take place on the announced date.

The positions were declared vacant last month after the MDP National Council almost unanimously voted (95 percent) to oust President Dr Ibrahim Didi and Vice President and MP Alhan Fahmy in a no-confidence motion.

The MDP stated that the motion was triggered after both Dr Didi and Fahmy made public statements contradicting the party’s position as established by a resolution passed on February 8, recognising that former President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet were ousted illegitimately in a coup d’état.

Ousted party president decides to switch ship

Ousted party president Dr Didi has appealed against the decision claiming that it was illegal, however the matter was dropped by the Elections Commission (EC). Dr Didi yesterday told the local media that he has decided to join another political party.

Didi said Nasheed had “kicked” him out of the position, the same thing he had done to two former presidents Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail and Dr Mohamed Munavvar.

MDP has earlier denied the claims that Nasheed had undue influence over the party.

Didi further alleged that Nasheed was been trying to bring in former Party Chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi to the position of the party president, after removing him from the position.

“[The no confidence motion] was taken because Nasheed wanted to bring in Mariya for the position of party president. From the moment I realised that Nasheed had done the same to remove me from the position just like he did with the former party presidents, and when I realised that all the doors had been closed to work in a democratic means, I decided to join another party,” said Didi.

Didi did not mention which party he would be joining but stated that he would consider the national interest and would join a party “that works in the best interest of the nation and the people.”

“I haven’t decided which party yet. But I will decide after consulting with several people and will consider the national interest,” he said.

Didi however said that he would still file the matter in court and would submit it as soon as he acquired the necessary documents from the MDP.

Didi was not responding at the time of press.

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Dr Didi “very likely” to leave MDP

In an interview with local newspaper Haveeru, former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) President Dr Ibrahim Didi said he was considering his position with the MDP before saying that it was “very likely” he would be seen in another party.

“We have to leave, when the time to leave the party comes. I believe that the time has come for me,” Didi told Haveeru.

He added that he was currently discussing his decision with many people and, should he decide to leave, he would work for the party “which has the nation’s best interests at heart”.

Didi, who was unanimously voted out of his former position by the MDP’s national council on April 30, said that he had stayed with the party “in order to expose the undemocratic nature of the party’s inner workings.”

In the weeks since his deposition, Didi has challenged the legality of the process which brought about his removal. His complaint to the Elections Commission however was dismissed, a decision which he alleged to Haveeru “involved foul play.

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MDP Chairperson calls for halt to election campaigns as party mulls dissolving leadership posts

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik has called on candidates running for the MDP Presidency and Vice Presidency to halt their campaigns, after the MDP National Council has questioned whether the positions were necessary.

The MDP said in a statement that members of the council had questioned the responsibilities of the President and Vice President, and some proposed the positions be removed.

‘’Because of the way the MDP Charter states the responsibilities of the President and Vice President of the party, during the last meeting of the National Council members questioned whether the positions were necessary,’’ Moosa said. ‘’Some members of the National Council proposed a meeting to remove the two positions from the party, while others called to amend the inconsistencies in the party’s charter that makes the responsibilities of the two positions conflict with the responsibilities of other positions in the party.’’

Elections for the party’s President and Vice President are due to be held on August 31, and several senior members of the party running for the posts have already started campaigning.

Former Chairperson of MDP and MP Mariya Didi has recently told local newspapers that she was interested in running for the party’s presidency.

Mariya said she would work to enhance the democracy of MDP and to take the party out of the current situation that it is now in.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the MDP Feydhoo Wing in Addu said that it fully supported the decision made by the National Council to oust Dr Didi and Fahmy, both of whom are Adduan. Feydhoo is also Alhan’s constituency.

Alhan and Didi claimed that their dismissal was unlawful and reported the matter to the Elections Commission (EC), however the EC dropped the case. The pair subsequently filed the case in court, and the trial has not commenced yet.

The issue of dissolving the role of President and Vice President was submitted to the National Council several years ago, after then-President of the MDP Ibrahim Ismail ‘Ibra’ left the party, however the National Council at the time voted against the decision.

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Government rejects latest Nasheed appointee to inquiry commission

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) maintains a Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) is “on track” to commence its work, despite the government rejecting the latest nominee forwarded to represent former President Mohamed Nasheed.

The government has announced that the latest nominee, Lt Colonel Zubair Ahmed Manik, was not deemed fit to serve on the Commission. All of Nasheed’s previous nine nominees for the revised commission were immediately dismissed.

Lt Colonel Zubair was said to lack an “undergraduate degree as per the agreed terms of reference”, according to the government. The President’s Office told Minivan News today that it was unsure as to why Nasheed could not come up with a candidate “acceptable to the government and the people.”

The CNI was set up by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan following the controversial transfer of power that saw him succeed Mohamed Nasheed into office on February 7. The now opposition MDP has alleged that Nasheed was forced to resign under duress in a “coup d’etat” staged by opposition politicians, businessmen and sections of the military and police.

On April 16, The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (GMAG) warned it would consider taking “stronger measures” against the Maldives government should it not revise the composition and mandate of the CNI within 30 days over concerns about its impartiality.

A day before CMAG’s deadline, the government agreed to allow a retired Singaporean judge to co-chair the CNI, and also permit former President Mohamed Nasheed to appoint a representative to the commission. These revisions were endorsed by Commonwealth Special Envoy Sir Don Mckinnon.

Following the visit of Mckinnon to the Maldives earlier this month, the government gave a press conference during which Attorney General Azima Shukoor outlined the conditions for Nasheed’s appointee. These conditions were that an appointee must not have served in a political position in the past two years, must not have taken a public stand on the transfer of power, and must “be of good behaviour and integrity”.

The initial nine candidates fielded by Nasheed include MP and former MDP chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi, former Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, former Youth Minister Hassan Latheef, former Education Minister Shifa Mohamed, former President’s Member on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Aishath Velezinee, Nasheed’s cousin Hudha Ahmed, former Airports Company board member Ibrahim Saleem, and former President’s Office political appointee Fareesha Abdulla.

The Commonwealth has requested a “suitable nominee” from former President Nasheed be appointed to the CNI by June 1, 2012, so that the revised commission could begin its work by the beginning of the month.

“On track”

MDP Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said today that the party had no comment on the government’s rejection of Lt Colonel Zubair as a nominee to sit on the CNI, whilst processes were “ongoing”.

Ghafoor did raise some concern that it did not “make sense” that the government, whose rise to power would form part of the CNI’s mandate, was allowed to impose conditions on an independent panel.

“I believe that CMAG will work under the assumption that the terms of reference for the CNI has to fit in with the wider guidelines for an independent investigation,” he said. “I therefore see that CMAG’s resolution [for an independent investigation into the transfer of power] will be completed and that everything is on track to ensure this.”

Having rejected the appointment of Lt. Colonel Zubair Ahmed Manik to the CNI, the government said it was also confident that work to appoint a Commission composition acceptable to itself and the Commonwealth was “on track”.

In a statement on the President’s Office website, the government claimed that former President Nasheed had continued to propose “generally unacceptable” candidates under a criteria it said had been agreed with the Commonwealth and CMAG.

“The administration agreed to the terms of reference of the CNI with Sir Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Special Envoy, including the criteria that all nominated candidates have to meet, to serve on the commission. The administration has invited former President Nasheed to nominate a candidate for the commission”, the statement read.

“The latest nomination is Lt Colonel Zubair Ahmed Manik who is a serving officer in the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and does not meet the basic requirement of having an undergraduate degree as per the agreed terms of reference.”

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad today told Minivan News that it was “unacceptable” for Nasheed to send his “family members and cronies” as nominees to represent him on the CNI.

“Can [Nasheed] not come out a someone who is acceptable to this government and the people of the Maldives? At this point, Nasheed has not sent someone with the basic degree qualifications agreed on,” he claimed.

With the Commonwealth’s preferred date of June 1 to have the new CNI in place approaching, Masood added that the government would not itself be forwarding any potential candidates to represent Nasheed.

“We have decided at present to give the benefit of doubt to Mr Nasheed,” he said.

Composition

Alongside the representation of a retired Singaporean judge and Nasheed’s own potential representative, President Waheed has himself appointed three people onto the CNI.

The president has appointed Dr Ibrahim Yasir, Dr Ali Fawaz Shareef and Chair Ismail Shafeeu, Defence Minister under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The Commonwealth has previously said that the criteria outlined for members of the CNI must extend to all members, including the government’s own appointees as part of an agreement reached earlier this month.

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