Tag: Mohamed Nasheed

Week in review: September 27- October 4

This week began with the Elections Commission meeting to decide if it was to go ahead with the scheduled run-off on Saturday (September 28). After police demonstrated their intention to stop the vote by force, the EC declared that it could not hold polls under such circumstances.

The decision to delay, however, did not prevent the EC’s members receiving multiple death threats, prompting requests for police assistance.

Whilst EC advisor Judge Johann Kriegler held a public lecture regarding the importance of collective belief in a successful election, legal experts in the country explained to Minivan News that the Supreme Court’s rulings had left the country in a legal void.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) began what they hoped would be a pre-election rally from the south side of Male’, which turned into a stand-off with police in the streets surrounding the Supreme Court. Following news of the delay, Mohamed Nasheed’s supporters have demonstrated in the same area for seven consecutive nights.

After some reflection, the MDP’s leadership announced its determination to establish a “people’s government” should a new president not be sworn in by the end of incumbent Dr Mohamed Waheed’s term on November 11.

Waheed, after calling for national calm whilst the Supreme Court deliberates, hosted his former boss Nasheed at Muleeage – the pair’s first meeting since the February 2012 transfer of power.

The remainder of Waheed’s address to the nation was largely concerned with warning the state’s warring institutions about foreign actors who may take advantage of such disharmony. His fears were no doubt stoked by the remarks made on social media by former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed, who had suggested that resolution of the Maldives’ current crisis may require some form of foreign assistance.

Whilst Waheed stayed away from the UN General Assembly this week, Acting Foreign Minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela was in attendance, warning the group’s members against attempts to interfere in “the emergence of an indigenous democratic system of governance in the Maldives”. Shakeela’s comments came just days after the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) expressed concern at recent developments during its biannual meeting.

Unrest within the security forces became apparent this week, as a number of leaked letters from current and former military personnel revealed concerns over the potential politicisation of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). Authorities have responded with stricter internal regulations and a number of suspensions, as well as blasting media outlets for reporting the leaked letters.

The Maldives Media Council announced its intention to file a no-confidence motion in parliament against the country’s broadcast regulator, as well as accusing the EC of favouring certain outlets.

The Indian High Commission this week revealed its own lack of confidence in multiple Maldivian state institutions, whom it accused of being complicit in the mistreatment of hundreds of its workers.

The country’s political deadlock has threatened to spread to the economy as port workers flexed their collective muscles in order to send a message to the government regarding the delayed vote. Reports of strikes by air traffic controllers and ground handling staff at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) were played down by management.

Customs workers also held strikes on Thursday – citing long term workplace grievances – and have given management one week to address their demands .

Calls for tourism workers striking last week failed to result in significant incident, though Minivan News was informed of the partisan political atmosphere in Irufushi which has resulted in numerous dismissals at the resort.

Travel advisories in a number of significant markets, including China and the UK, were updated this week to warn of growing instability.

The MDP’s supposed run-off opponents, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) took advantage of the lack of activity in the Supreme Court to call for the removal from parliament of MDP MPs who had criticised the court’s recent rulings. The Home Ministry has announced it is investigating both Transparency Maldives and the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) for similar offences.

The PPM also called for the resumption of Nasheed’s stalled trial regarding the detention of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed, and the quick resolution of the Dr Afrasheem Ali murder case. Police this week forwarded a further four names to the Prosecutor General for their alleged involvement of the late PPM MP’s killing.

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PPM lobbying to re-start Nasheed’s criminal trial

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said it is lobbying the courts to resume proceedings in the criminal case against opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed.

PPM candidate Abdulla Yameen’s election agent, Abdulla Ameen yesterday (September 30) told local media that it was imperative the judiciary speed up the court cases concerning Nasheed’s criminal prosecution.

Ameen called on the EC to delay the second round of elections until the courts concluded the trial of Nasheed, expressing fears that the public may otherwise begin to question the credibility of the elections.

Nasheed was charged by the prosecutor general for his involvement in the controversial detention of Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed, during the final days of his presidency.

The case is currently suspended after Nasheed’s legal counsel challenged the legitimacy of the appointment of the judges-panel to Hulhumale Magistrates Court, where the trial is being heard.

During a PPM rally held on Monday evening PPM MP Ahmed Shareef claimed that, once the party finished its work, the MDP would be dissolved, would cease to exist as a political party, and that Nasheed’s name would not be in the ballot paper.

The PPM MP also claimed that the 95,224 votes which Nasheed had obtained in the first round were achieved “through fraud and deception”.

“The maximum vote that man will ever get is 50,000 -60,000. That is even if they work extremely hard. [Extremely hard work such as] deceiving the people, brain washing them and misleading the youth,” Shareef told the rally.

Meanwhile, PPM running mate Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed told the rally that the Maldives would not have any stability if there is a presidential election with Nasheed competing as a candidate.

Jameel claimed that Nasheed had treated the Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed in “such an inhumane and derogatory manner” when the only wrong he had committed was to “faithfully execute his responsibilities as a judge”.

The former home minister also said that the judges who had purposefully been delaying the former president’s trial should take responsibility for the current state of the country.

Jameel previously said that the MDP leader “will not be allowed to assume power”, even if he should emerge as the clear winner in the run-off election.

Election drama

The official results of the first round of Presidential Elections – held on September 7 – showed the MDP finishing the race in front with 45.45 percent of the popular vote, while former 30 year autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s PPM trailed behind with 25.35 percent of the popular vote.

The constitution dictates that if no candidate attains the required ’50 percent plus one vote’ for a first round election victory, the winner is decided by a run-off election held 21 days after the first poll.

However, resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (JP) – who narrowly missed a place in the run-off elections after finishing the poll in the third position with 24.07 percent – filed a Supreme Court case requesting the court annul the poll, alleging voting discrepancies and irregularities.

On September 23, the Supreme Court issued an injunction indefinitely delaying the second round of the presidential election until it had finished looking into alleged discrepancies from the first round.

In addition to challenging the validity of the presidential elections, the PPM last Sunday announced its intention to file Supreme Court cases against individual opposition MPs, including Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid, in a bid to challenge their legitimacy as members of parliament.

The announcement comes at a time when the PPM and its allies have lost the parliamentary majority to the opposition MDP after the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) –  with eight MPs in parliament – decided to back the MDP in the presidential polls.

Speaking to the press, PPM’s legal advisor Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim said, “There is a dispute on whether [MPs] have lost their seats in parliament due to speaking out against Maldives’ Supreme Court’s order and defaming the Supreme Court, and other court’s judges. I would like to inform you we will file this case at the Supreme Court.”

The MDP and its new ally the DRP now control 39 out of 77 seats in the parliament – a simple majority. The two parties last week passed a resolution ordering the EC to proceed with polls as planned, and called for the security forces to support the EC.

The resolution, however, was ignored in favour of the Supreme Court order.

However, following a second Supreme Court order – calling upon the security services up uphold the injunction – police surrounded the EC secretariat. The EC soon announced prompting the EC to announce that current conditions were not conducive to a free and fair election.

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Dark clouds gather over the Maldives after election delay: The National (UAE)

“It’s customary to begin articles about the Maldives with phrase such as “It may look like an island paradise, but …” After two years in which the country has experienced a violent coup and attempts to throw the first democratically elected president in jail, maybe it is time we dropped any notion of the Maldives as a utopia,” writes Eric Randolph for the UAE newspaper The National.

“In recent days, the country’s elite have once again displayed their cynical disregard for democracy, with the Supreme Court indefinitely postponing the second round of the presidential election.

The official reason for that postponement is that the court is investigating claims of election irregularities in the first round made by one of the losing candidates, even though the vote was given a clean bill of health by international observers.

One doesn’t have to dig too deep to find signs that the real reason for the delay is that powerful business and political interests want to keep Mohamed Nasheed from assuming the presidency.”

Read more.

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Politics in paradise: Irufushi resort staff complain of political “firing spree”

Additional reporting by Neil Merrett

Staff at Irufushi Beach and Spa resort have expressed concern over a “firing spree” affecting staff members professing to support the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The resort, which in May 2013 abruptly terminated its agreement with hotel giant Hilton leading to the overnight resignation of 30 employees, is owned by Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA) leader Ahmed ‘Sun’ Shiyam. MDA is the coalition partner of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), and is backing its candidate Abdulla Yameen in the presidential run-off.

According to staff at the resort, the management has been on a “firing spree” since the conclusion of the first round of elections, while some others have been suspended or warned of dismissal.

Minivan News obtained copies of three letters of termination, one dated September 19 and two dated September 26, instructing staff that their employment was “terminated with immediate effect”, and ordering them to collect their belongings and leave the island the same day. The letters did not give reason for the terminations.

Mohamed Rishwan, one of the first staff members who was fired from Irufushi, spoke to Minivan News about the “unfair circumstances surrounding [his] unexpected dismissal”.

Rishwan, who worked in the resort’s housekeeping department, was dismissed on September 26 and alleged the only response from the Human Resource Department to his request for a reason was “I don’t know. These were orders from the top management. Why do you need to support [MDP presidential candidate] Mohamed Nasheed?”.

“Our work and politics have been absolutely entangled by the current management. Staff at the resort are living in a constant state of fear of losing their jobs, despite performing at their best. The rumour is the HR Department plans to dismiss many others there who support MDP. Pressure increased after Nasheed won the majority of votes even on Irufushi in the first round,” Rishwan said.

According to results from Irufushi’s ballot box in the first round of voting on September 7,  59 staff on the resort voted for the MDP, 38 for the PPM, six for the JP and one for incumbent President Mohamed Waheed.

“When I demanded to meet the HR head after I was suddenly and unexpectedly dismissed, Shiyam’s brother met with us. He said there was no reason except that the resort no longer wanted us there. He then spent the rest of the meeting asking us why we supported Nasheed, promoting Yameen and his policies and trying to dissuade us from supporting MDP,” Rishwan continued.

“I told him I no longer wanted to live in fear, under such extreme political pressure, being discriminated against for political reasons. We were even harassed in the staff quarters by supporters of the opposite political ideology. The staff of Irufushi have been stripped of many constitutional rights and live under the repression of this new politicised management.

The Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM) on Thursday committed its 5000 members to “prolonged” strike action should the election be delayed.

“The management have ordered all staff to register at the resort for voting. They’ve also said at staff briefings that all staff must vote for Yameen, and that no one should dare try implementing the workers’ strike that Nasheed spoke of,” Rishwan alleged.

“One colleague refused to register to vote at the resort, saying he will finish his duty and go to his nearby home island to vote citing that it was his constitutional right to do so. He was immediately fired. Some of my former colleagues are now saying that they will not dare cast a vote at all,” he said.

Another source, currently working at Irufushi, spoke on condition of anonymity of what he described as a repressive atmosphere among resort staff.

“Things are very difficult. I need to hold this job, so don’t name me. Shiyam is firing anyone he even suspects of supporting the MDP. Most of us are under what I would say is psychological trauma right now, afraid to speak our minds as there is so much pressure from above. We can’t all afford to lose our jobs, but is political affiliation any reason to be legally dismissed from a job?”

“MDA is forcing staff to sign up for their party, that’s the only path to job guarantee or promotion these days. They are also hiring groups of youth who live on this island but do nothing besides preparing campaign banners for the MDA coalition. I’ve been working here for many years, but I feel like a stranger here now with so many new, hostile faces. The sudden lack of usual liberties is very disheartening,” he said.

“There’s been at least five dismissals in the last week, and no one knows who is next. You see, this is our livelihood, how we support families. This is why everyone is bowing down to this repression, even if reluctantly, and attempting to hold our jobs.”

“Sun Shiyam has addressed all staff in extremely disrespectful, and even vulgar, terms. Let me quote what he said at a staff briefing: ‘You MDP lot are making ‘haram’ use of my money as your wages. You are not entitled to any of it. I will make sure I push out every single one of you MDP dogs from my resort. Mark my words.’ You see, this is the reason the staff are in fear. We need to let word out and let the world know,” another staff member told Minivan News.

“The management holds nightly staff gatherings where they slander Nasheed and praise Yameen. Staff are made to agree with all they say, or face dismissal within two days. They have said that they want 100 percent votes for Yameen from Irufushi in the second round, and that it is mandatory for all staff members to register to vote on Irufushi itself.”

“In fact, we’ve been told that if Yameen doesn’t win 100 percent, they will see what percentage Nasheed gets, and fire an equal percentage of staff based on who they suspect might have cast those votes. Most of us are now saying we will just cast invalid votes, or just not vote at all,” he said.

“Shiyam took over this resort in what the staff refers to as another coup d’etat at the resort level. Since then we have been gradually stripped of rights we are legally entitled to as citizens of the Maldives.”

Resort response

General Manager of Irufushi Beach and Spa Resort, Abdulla Thamheed, rejected allegations that the resort had fired staff members for politically-motivated reasons.

He said that after Sun Travel and Tours took over the site following the company’s decision to terminate its agreement with Hilton in May, a number of staff members had been fired for “not sharing the resort’s values”.

“These people were not on the same page with the company, so we have gone our separate ways,” he said.

Thamheed said the resort had not been affected by calls for strike action by tourism workers over the indefinite suspension of the run-off election.

He also questioned the motivation of any Maldivian seeking to damage the country’s luxury tourism industry, stating that most staff members had families they needed to support.

“No one is interested in striking [on the resort],” he said.

Before answering questions on the allegations of politically-motivated sackings at the resort, Thamheed requested he be quoted on the record as expressing concerns over “why a white European” was allowed to working at a Maldives-based publication such as Minivan News.

“The fact you are a white European doesn’t mean you can come to a third world country and break into our privacy,” he told Minivan News. “You are a white European and a failure in the UK. I have managed many five star resorts and met journalists from newspapers like the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph,” he said.

Upon confirming the reporter’s nationality as a UK citizen, Thamheed expressed his view that the journalist was a stereotypical reminder of the Maldives’ colonial past.  Asked to clarify his comment, he accepted that the Maldives itself had not been colonised by the UK.

“You see yourself as an imperialistic and colonial person, who believes they have imperial superiority over us. No one will give you a job outside this country,” Thamheed said.

He added that although his comments were “not personal”, but questioned Minivan News’ ethics as a news organisation and said the reporter could not be called a journalist for producing what he believed was “biased, one-sided propaganda”.

Thamheed went on to state that as a white European in the Maldives, the Minivan News reporter would not have sought to contact someone for a story in their own country during evening time.

“I have met many top journalists from newspapers like the Sunday Times and the Telegraph. Do you really think this is how journalists are supposed to behave?” he said.

Thamheed requested that his words be remembered by the journalist and quoted directly in this article.

“I don’t think you will be able to sleep tonight,” he said. “I am very happy I have spoken to you.”

MDA leader, MP and Irufushi owner Ahmed ‘Sun’ Shiyam was not responding to calls at time of press.

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Supreme Court issues injunction indefinitely delaying election run-off

The Maldives Supreme Court has issued an injunction delaying the second round of the presidential election until it has finished looking into alleged discrepancies in the first round.

The second round had been scheduled for this coming Saturday – September 28.

“Based on Article 144 (b), we order the Elections Commission and other relevant state institutions to delay the second round of the presidential election scheduled for 28 September 2013 until the Supreme Court issues a verdict in this case,” read the Supreme Court injunction.

The ruling was discussed by all judges on the seven member bench, before being signed by Justice Abdulla Saeed, Justice Ali Hameed Mohamed, Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla, and Justice Dr Abdulla Didi.

The decision came today just hours after Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members held a demonstration outside the Supreme Court, brandishing stills from one of the numerous sex-tapes allegedly involving Justice Hameed.

The MDP – the party with the most votes in the first round, with 45.45 percent – reconvened the People’s Majlis in order to push for the reconstitution of the Supreme Court bench.

“We will not allow a courthouse that consists of some disgraced judges who face allegations of lewd conduct to abrogate the will of the people and disrupt the constitution,” the MDP said in a statement last week.

Despite chaotic scenes inside the Majlis yesterday, the party was able to push through a motion today calling for the second round to go ahead as scheduled.

MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor has said he was not surprised by the decision.

“The Supreme Court has gone against all common sense, international opinion and the majority of the country without any evidence to do so,” he said.

Ghafoor added that any indefinite postponement of the second round vote was unrealistic, while claiming the decision had been made by the court without any real evidence to support its decision.

The MDP said it was too early for the party to announce how it would seek to move forward on the basis of the court’s verdict today, though he said it would “likely involve direct action.”

A meeting of the party’s National Council has been announced for 10:30pm at Male’ City Hall.

Constitutional?

The court accepted the case six days ago, after the Jumhooree Party (JP) – which placed third in the first round – filed a case to annul the vote, alleging multiple discrepancies and fraud.

In a week’s worth of hearings, the complainant has still to produce concrete evidence, with the Election Commission’s lawyer – former Attorney General – Husnu Al Suood likening the case to a “fishing expedition”, alleging the JP was hoping to file another lawsuit based on any evidence collected from the current case.

The JP has rejected any assumption that an indefinite postponement to the country’s election may lead to political instability in the nation.

JP Deputy Leader Dr Ibrahim Didi said that ensuring a free and fair election was ultimately the most important factor in assuring stability within the Maldives and a “sustainable democracy” going forward.

“Political stability depends on political leaders’ actions, reactions and their party’s activities,” he said.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen, who was set to stand against MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed in the run-off vote, told Minivan News there was “nothing unconstitutional” with the court verdict.

“The Elections Commission got the opportunity to argue out their case and establish the credibility of the process,” he told Minivan News.

Yameen, who came second in the first round vote with 25 percent, said the country “should elect” a president soon.

“There’s time for that.  In [the presidential election of] 2008, voting was held on October 28,” he said, arguing that a postponement would not lead to any form of political instability.

Article 144 (b) of the constitution, titled ‘powers in constitutional matters’ states that, when deciding a constitutional matter within its jurisdiction, a court may make any order that is “just and equitable”, including:

“An order suspending the declaration of invalidity (of a statute, regulation or action due to inconsistency with the Constitution) for any period and on any conditions, to allow the competent authority to correct the defect.”

Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek previously told Minivan News that the constitutional timetable for the transfer of power could not be met should the run-off be delayed.

“120 days before the end of the current president’s term a presidential election must be held. If there is no election then the [democratic] constitution, presidential and general election law will not be satisfied,” he said.

Despite the vehement criticism from sections of the media, civil society and the JP, the conduct and capability of the EC has been universally lauded by international observers.

After Commonwealth Special Envoy, Sir Donald McKinnon, this weekend joined in calls for the September 28 run-off to go ahead as schedule, the Maldives Foreign Office warned international observers to “help, not hinder” the state’s institutions.

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Elections Commission asks Adhaalath Party VP to explain “irreligious” allegations against Nasheed

Adhaalath Party Vice President Dr Mauroof Hassan has said the Elections Commission Complaints Bureau has sent him a second request asking him explain his justifications for calling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed ‘ladhini’ (irreligious).

Mauroof said that although the EC had asked him to provide a response before 12:00pm Sunday (September 22), he had not yet sent a reply.

“I am currently working on drafting a response and will send it in when I am able to complete it,” he told Minivan News, adding he could not say how long this might take.

Mauroof said the letter had been sent regarding a complaint received by the EC Complaint Bureau concerning remarks he had made against Nasheed at a Jumhooree Coalition rally on September 10.

The AP Vice President has told local media that regardless of how much he and his words were investigated, he will not stop referring to Nasheed as an “irreligious man”.

He further alleged that Nasheed was to be called ‘ladhini’ alleging he was harassing the religion of Islam, disregarding of religious matters and attempting to the role of Islam by separating state and religion.

Mauroof alleged that the independence of the EC could now be questioned as a result of its decision to look into the matter of Nasheed being called ‘ladhini’.

He further alleged that the MDP had on February 8, 2012, set ablaze many state institutions in various parts of the country and committed a multitude of other illegal acts, adding that he is “astounded by the EC’s complete silence” regarding these actions.

He expressed deep concerns, alleging that based on the EC’s actions, he currently sees it as a commission filled with members who are actually activists associated with MDP.

“Adhaalath does not understand democracy”: MDP MP Hamid

Speaking about the matter, MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor described the AP Vice President’s words as “nothing but meaningless rhetoric”.

“The Adhaalath Party has never managed to get elected to the parliament or councils or such post. Their political failures are a result of their lack of understanding of how democracy works. They simply are unable to comprehend it,” he stated.

“Their description of EC as an MDP campaign office further displays their ignorance on how independent commissions work. The EC will look into any acts which are unconstitutional and against the election related laws and regulations. This is why they are looking into this specific case too.”

Elections Commission President Fuwad Thaufeeq and Vice President Ahmed Fayaz were not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Week in review: September 13-21

Following a full week of hearings into the Jumhooree Party’s election complaints, the High Court granted the party’s request to view the offending register – under supervision- though the party is still seeking greater access in order to prove its claims regarding fraudulent voters. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court accepted to hear the JP’s case seeking to annul the first round altogether.

After hearing the claims of former Attorney General – and vice-presidential candidate – Dr Hassan Saeed, which included deceased, repeated, and fake voters, the court ordered that the Elections Commission (EC) hand over the voter registry for inspection. Repeated calls to respect the outcome of the election from across the international community failed to impress Dr Saeed.

Maintaining that all allegations are without merit, the EC continued to prepare for the upcoming second round – scheduled for September 28 – officially announcing the first round results despite the JP’s attempts to delay.

The barrage of criticism, particularly from Gasim’s own Villa Television (VTV), led the EC to warn the Majlis that national security could be damaged by “unfounded claims of corruption”.

The national broadcasting commission began looking into VTV’s reporting of unsubstantiated content this week, whilst the police finished looking into the content of the EC’s rubbish, finding no incriminating documents.

Further protests against the EC have been promised by religious civil society groups. The conservative Jamiyathuh Salaf group singled out the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for criticism in a nationally televised sermon that resulted in broadcasting commission being called before the Majlis once more.

The police appeared to have been drawn into the dispute as an alleged police intelligence document emerged on social media, alleging “some opportunity for fraud” and “illegal voting”. The report was quickly disowned by the police and condemned by the MDP, who also called the Majlis to reconvene tomorrow (September 22) in order to stop “undue influence of political parties in the judiciary”.

Elsewhere in the country, the police in Addu City searched a number of homes as part of their election security operation, whilst fears over black magic persisted in Guraidhoo – the local council refusing use of the school for polling.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s Gaumee Ittihad Party (GIP) followed its former coalition partner – the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) in choosing a candidate to back in the endangered run-off. Waheed’s party chose to support the Progressive Party of Maldives’ candidate in round two, whilst the DRP leaders were paraded before MDP supporters following last week’s decision to lend support to former President Mohamed Nasheed in the race – a decision that resulted in the sacking of DRP minister Ali Shareef.

Nasheed visited the house of JP leader Gasim on Thursday though the JP insisted no decisions on future alliances would be made before the courts have finished their work. When addressing a youth forum earlier in the week, Nasheed had expressed confidence that Maldivian democracy could withstand a handful of coups and rigged elections.

Disabled Maldivians demonstrated this week against the impending closure of the country’s only school catering to those with special needs, whilst the pervasiveness of politics was revealed as deaf interpreter Shaheez Abdulla gave an account of his recent stabbing.

The ongoing case of former Civil Service Commission Chair saw his access to the commission as well as his salary revoked after Mohamed Fahmy Hassan had continued to come into his former workplace.

Finally, details were revealed of the government’s cancellation payments to forensic accountants Grant Thornton as well as the circumstances of Swedish nationa Filip Eugen Petre’s flight from the country following his acquittal of charges relating to the deaths of a British couple in 2011.

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Translation: Jamiyyathu Salaf’s ‘Al-Andhalus’ sermon

Religious NGO Jamiyyathu Salaf held a sermon titled ‘Al Andhalus’ on Tuesday, in which they described the current status of the Maldives and offered a prediction of the fate of the country “if people back an irreligious man”.

The sermon  was broadcast live on Radio Atoll and on four TV channels, including state broadcaster, TVM. While the sermon was interrupted on TVM for violating the state broadcaster’s guidelines, it was shown in full on the other channels, including VTV and DhiTV.

The following is an abridged translation of the sermon “Al Andhalus” delivered by Sheikh Adam Shameem. A link to the televised coverage can be found here.

“Upon hearing the news that I am to come here, my beloved mother asked of me, due to the current time and situation, not to speak of politics. However, I hope my mother, family firstly, and the rest of you do not misinterpret the meaning of this topic, as well as the meaning of speaking about politics. This is because politics and religion are concepts that people are often confused about. What we, our scholars, have always asserted is that politics and religion are not two separate religions or concepts. Politics is the sturdiest, most important component of Islam.”

“Love the pious, despise the unbelievers”

“In a Friday sermon I gave last year on the topic of ‘Al Walaa Al Bar’aa’, I spoke of how we must, for the sake of Allah, love those pious and faithful to Allah, and despise those who are unbelievers or those who hate Allah or his religion. Even among believers, there must be a difference between the love we have for the righteous and pious, and those who are led astray.”

“When we think of Andalus, we see history repeating itself. If we repeat the mistakes made in history, we will face the same fate. If we learn from them, and refrain from those mistakes, Allah will save us from that fate. If we are negligent and allow the reasons for those countries’ misfortune to occur in our country, then there is no doubt that we will have to face sorrowful times.”

“I have come here today to give you the frightening warning that this beloved Muslim nation may have to face similar misfortune.”

“Spain, or Andalus, which had an 800 year old Islamic state, an Islamic Caliphate, had Islam wiped out of it in under just 300 years. The Islamic power there allowed Jews to live there with freedom, Christians also lived in happiness and freedom under this power. And yet, even the name of Islam was wiped out of it in under 300 years, and even today Spain is the country with the least number of Muslims” – [here Shameem concluded with a statement alleging that Islam had been wiped out of Andalus after the Muslims built relations with non-Muslims].

‘Multiparty systems are against Islam’

“Prophet Muhammad married Aesha when she was 9 years of age, we do not deny this. However, this was the norm among Arabs in those times, and because it is not inhumane, Allah made it ‘halal’. However, this is not something that the Prophet preached as religion to the masses. People who describe Islam as such are enemies of Islam. They spread such lies to create hatred towards Islam. I mean, it is the truth that they speak, but they speak it so as to spread confusion and to make people hate Islam.”

“The death penalty is there. But it is Allah’s justice. However, in order to spread fear they say Islam is a dangerous religion where we amputate hands and behead people. So unless we all strive to protect our faith and religion, Islam will be wiped out of here too.”

“Our current state right now is that due to business or political relations, some of us love kafirs. They joke around with them, ride behind them on motorcycles, do everything with them. Yet they have envy and hatred burning in their hearts for their Muslim brothers. Beloved Muslim brothers, this is why Andalus fell. They started loving non-Muslims, and hating Muslims. Due to politics, Muslim brothers fell apart into different groups and parties and started competing against each other. As a result, to topple an Islamic power of one’s Muslim brother, they built relations with Jews and Christians.”

“Tomorrow, what will happen if this Maldives splits into different powers? How can we say it won’t happen when one group wants Islamic governance, another wants European governance, another wants a secular governance where state and religion are kept separate? Breaking up into parties is the basis of weakening and destruction of a people. Therefore Allah has prohibited this. However, modern, secular democracy comes and says that this shouldn’t be so, that we need multi-party politics, where each party has a different ideology, religion, ‘fiqh’ and discipline.”

Islam and politics

“What we are seeing today are attempts to bring in western secular democracy to an Islamic country. A land where there is no chance of praying to any God except Allah. With God’s will, this country is so far in the hands of Muslims, an islamic governance. But now that is near to changing. There is just one single clause in our constitution which says no law can be ratified if it is against Islamic Principles. However, political parties have the right to say what they please. Once this clause is removed, we lose everything. In the struggle among political parties to come to power, we are seeing dangerous parallels with the real reasons why Andalus fell: seeking help from non-Muslim leaders, bringing in their power and companies to our country. It is not prohibited to have non-Muslim labourers, but if we let any non-Muslim entities exert their power, even in business, over Muslims in our land, that is the end of us.”

“If you see a non-Muslim, start keeping his company, fall in love with him and start admiring his way of life, where will you put your religion? It will slip away from your hands. We must strongly hold on to faith in ‘Al walaa al bar’aa’. How can Jews and Christians love each other when they have so much enmity between them? But, despite their internal hatred and differences, they become twin brothers in any circumstance where they want to rise against Muslims”

“Do not make those who mock your religion into your allies. We Muslims are obliged to love each other. If someone leaves their faith in Islam and mocks religion, then they are among the Jews and Christians. We must stick to this whether this person who mocks religion is from our families or close friends. It is Allah’s command.”

“Today many of our politicians and other Muslims seem to bow down to non-Muslim rich and powerful people. Even people who are seen as our leaders, when they are among kafirs, see it as normal to act like them and refer to themselves as one of them. A man who at least claims to be a Muslim, who shows some Islamic values when among Muslims, who – like many of our Muslims – attend Friday prayers, people like this are increasing among us today. When among kafirs, they eat what they eat, drink what they drink and the saddest thing is, they express more love for the kafir’s religion than the kafirs themselves. They point out the weak points of Islam, and advise the kafir on how to work against Islam or an Islamic state. They have stooped to this level today.”

‘Liberal means Ladhini’

“Listen, in our presidential candidates, or politicians, how many of them have clearly stated internationally and nationally that they want a secular democracy, and that we do not yet have a secular democracy in our country? Everyone is pleased when this word is used. This astounds me.”

“Now, in Arabic, ‘secular democracy’ or ‘secularism’ or ‘liberalism’ or liberal whatever, what does it mean? If it comes with the words ‘secular’ or ‘liberal’, it means something without religion. Regardless of what it is we speak of.”

“A liberal religion means ladhini [irreligious]. What does it mean when they say they want Islam, but not the 7th century? You can interpret it for yourselves.”

Criticism of politics and politicians

“In my recent travels to the islands, I went to some where ‘local tourism’ has been introduced. I am not saying that guesthouse businesses are haram, or that this will lead to only haram acts. But if we can’t hold tourism within Islamic standards, that will be what destroys us. We are selling pork and alcohol in our tourism field. We must control and stop this, or we will not get Allah’s blessings.”

“Thankfully, due to Allah’s mercy and the work of some politicians, alcohol and pork are today only sold in tourist resorts, which is a place in which Muslims don’t live. I am not saying it is halal, but it is good for us that this is done in places where we don’t live. Therefore, in these islands which have local tourism – which was introduced in the name of a political party – dear lord, the things that happen there. Yes, these islands may earn more dollars, but even today, alcohol is being consumed in these islands. Friends of mine from these islands have told me that as the island gets dollars from tourists, they hold ‘bodu beru’ shows for tourists, where they drink alcohol and dance while locals – Muslims – stand around and applaud them.”

“Some people tell us that despite supporting a certain politician, their faith cannot be changed, although they say they know [the politician] does not believe in Allah. I am very happy that there are people with such strong faith among us. It is indeed an extraordinary man who can hold onto his faith while being with a kafir, an infidel who commits sinful acts and uses intoxicating substances. However, he used to say there will be no way any other religion can be practised here, but his tune has changed. Today he says that despite churches being built, his faith will personally not change. That people of other religions should also be able to live here freely and be granted rights as Islam is a peaceful, just and caring religion. This is very true, but what he wants is a horrible result. He wants to challenge Allah about the justice in our religion.”

“He means to say that Muslims, being from a just religion, should not harass or act against people praying to other religions in churches while in other countries, Muslims are being inhumanly slaughtered and stripped of their belongings. Andalus is a sufficient example of this. Therefore, Allah has commanded that we should not allow sinful acts in an islamic land of tawheed.”

“If we want to maintain peace in this country, we must never allow any other religion here. If we do, we will face the fate of Andalus tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow, it won’t take long.”

“The enemies of the state are also seeing this, and the Satan is getting depressed about this. As in, when a man who used to be a drugdealer or criminal comes to mosque today, wears a turban and raises his hands to Allah in prayer and repentance, the blood [of the enemies] will boil. They will lose hold of their senses and rain their envy on us.”

“A man who previously worked with them then repents and comes to us and says ‘Sheikh, I have done this against Islam, we have done this against Sheikhs, I have assisted these persons to work against Islam. How will I ever repent?’ This is why I, and some of my other scholar colleagues, never switch off our phones even in the middle of the night. I have always from long long away, always taken care to never switch off my phone as somebody might call and ask for advice at any time of the night. There is no one except the advice of Allah and his Prophet that can answer these queries. The People’s majlis can’t provide answers. UN won’t find answers for these questions. Denmark’s Christians and Jesuits cannot provide answers, they are a disabled people. Therefore the atheists of Europe who claim there is no religion or God, who formed secularism or irreligiousness in Europe are now on the losing end. When the christianity that existed there started contradicting with material development, they boycotted christianity. They pushed out religion from policies and said the state will not be based on any religion.”

“Many citizens are confused about the idea of separating religion from politics. The actual meaning of secular democracy is that there will be no religion in the state, that there will be no fiqh academy to criticize or give advice to the state on matters of religion. Scholars are to live like other common folk. They are to stay in their homes or churches or mosques and speak, but in a limited manner. They can advise someone to pray but they cannot say that something is haram, and should not be allowed.”

“This is Heaven, Heaven on Earth and they [kafirs] will want to rule over us, and spread their ways here.”

“Fear of Allah is one of the main things God commanded. This is because if someone does business without fear, plays sports without fear, has fun without fear or does anything without fear, he will become ruined and become a prey for Satan. How can we take any other meaning of this? In this country, without any gender segregation, people mix and play, hold music shows”

“What worries is not just that they say things against Islam and faith. What we should be more worried and scared of is sitting to listen as he speaks in public, in flowing dhivehi language, against Allah and His religion; of continuing to listen to a man as he openly ridicules the right path that the Prophet showed us. This is far more dangerous. There are people who have gone astray in any community. However, the reason that communities have to face the wrath of God is when they continue to listen to such a man, and fail to stand up against such men”

“Egypt’s Ihwanul Muslimin- Morsi – won in ‘one round’. Why did he succeed in winning in one round, instead of having to try in three or four rounds? Because he is from a religious organisation which wants to establish Islamic governance.”

Criticism of International Community

“When [in Maldives] they couldn’t win in one round, what did they then say? They said ‘Look. In a country which you say is 100% Muslim, nearly 50% of the people have voted for us – for a man who is a drug addict, a marijuana addict – so this means when we win we should make narcotics legal. This wasn’t said by religious extremists, or by scholars of Adhaalath Party. This was said by….you have heard his name”.

“He lives abroad in a neighbouring country now, and has claimed will come back and legalize homosexuality here. After the government changed, he was in the front row of protests with a placard on which red lips were drawn and the words, “I love A N N I” was written. He has openly mocked the Prophet. He protested in Male’ asking to allow other religions here.”

“The police turned a blind eye on it due to the negligence of the government then in power. We heard on the news that some youth struggled with them and chased them away. Then, he had hurt some little place on his head and a drop of blood fell, this group published photos of this on the internet. wrote ‘these are such violent people”, and used this to get the sympathy of the international community.

And it worked, the whole world believed them. Even UN took is an issue, but in Myanmar the Muslims are beings slaughtered, same in Syria and Eqypt. Where is the UN then? Where are these allies of idolatry who call for peace? Nothing. Not a word from them. If a religion of idolatry gets accepted here, and they get legal rights to live here, then we are done for, there will be much more unrest and discord here. And on top of that, even if they have only about ten of them here, if walking past one of them a bearded man trips and falls, the UN will come there. The UN will come and arrest the bearded man. It will then take photos of anyone who resembles the man, and arrest them too. They will then use their force and power to provide full freedom to these ten or so idolaters, and weaken us. They will separate islands and put up crosses there and claim it to be a separate nation. This is how they operate.”

“Scholars have highest responsibility to protect Islam”

“The biggest failure of Andalus is that the majority of Islamic scholars failed to stand up against what was happening there, be it to do with economy or entertainment or whatever. The mandate of a scholar is to stand up united if things happen against islamic principles, whether it be to do with economy, discipline or politics.”

“You have been given the opportunity to read the Quran and sunnah and learn from it. You have been chosen from among many humans and have been made heirs of the Prophet. Your responsibility is far more than that of any other. On the day of judgement, God will ask of you about the people, about the citizens. Whether you spoke the truth. You will be asked if you stood up and spoke the truth as the people were being given wrongful advice and led astray. We must be ready to answer these questions. At the least, we must be people who protested against this. Muslims must be able to live as in the Quran and sunnah without fear. This is what we must do without fear.”

“I must say that I do not preach with complete freedom now. I do not want to fear anyone but Allah. I do not want to be afraid that some other human might get displeased, or throw things at me. It is not without fear that I preach, or even go to the mosque. Why? Such a tragedy as has never happened in the country’s history happened recently. Dr. Afrasheem was murdered. Who did this? What brutal tyrants? Do such a people have the right to speak of guaranteeing freedoms? Do such a people have the right to speak of making this place more of a paradise? No, they cannot. This country had a lot of hope in Afrasheem. He and I had some differences in relation to religious principles, but as Muslims we respected and were civil to each other.”

“Previously we have heard many people say this country was ruined by a 30 year regime. Yet, they have shown they are liars today. They sing another song now. Ask them today who ruined this country, they will say it is religious scholars. Beloved Muslims, no country will ever be ruined by religious scholars. There might be a few such people among scholars, but they cannot generally say that against the scholars. We must all say the same thing and stand up against this.”

Army and police

“Allah will protect this religion if we say the words that with Allah and the Prophet, we are ready to come out to jihad and sacrifice our lives to protect our religion. If people give up ‘jihad’ for religion, that is another reason for the fall of an islamic country. Not ‘jihad’ in the way the Westerns interpret it. To sacrifice as much as we each can. The rich can donate their wealth. The young and strong can serve to defend us by forming Islamic armies. Or standing up against Islam. By coming out to war if that is needed to save the country and religion from irreligious, brutal people.”

“Women should be taught modesty. No one is saying to not educate them. They should be disciplined to be patient, courageous, strong mothers. They are the ones who produce men. They are the madrasas responsible for upbringing of men. That is the high importance of women.”

“The role of youth is to protect Islam. In this way, Allah’s love and praise for ‘mujahiddeen’ is best deserved by the army and police of the Maldives for protecting the country and religion. They are sacrificing their lives for our nation, religion and the Islamic community”

“May Allah ensure the security forces are pious and courageous people who do not allow any religion except Islam into the Maldives, and protect the nation and Islam.”

“It is a very wrongful act to defame the security forces when people speak at political podiums, streets or through media. This is an act that will destroy the nation. It is a wrong, evil and hurtful act done by some among us to openly allege that all police officers, soldiers and political opponents are evil and wrong people.”

“This country will have a dark future if we allow the police and army to be exposed to the training sessions given by non-Muslims, outright kafirs, in the guise of professional development. The kafirs will then have an opportunity to make the police and army hate Islam”

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DRP votes to support MDP in presidential run-off

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has become the first party to officially back a candidate in the second round of the presidential election, throwing its support behind the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Mohamed Nasheed.

The decision made at a party council meeting earlier today saw 12 votes cast for the MDP and three for their run-off rivals the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), with seven party members undecided.

MDP spokesman Imthiyaz Fahmy today explained that there had been no official communication between his party and the DRP, emphasising that the move had been the DRP’s “own decision”.

Fahmy suggested that the move would bring 10,000 votes to his party – intimating that President Dr Mohamed Waheed himself had not attracted any votes for his coalition with the DRP in the first round.

The MDP have argued that they need only few thousand votes – in addition to the 95,224 received on Saturday (45.45 percent of the total) – to claim a second round win.

DRP MP’s Abdulla Mausoom and Rozaina Adam took to Twitter soon after the council’s decision with the MDP’s ‘kuriah, kuriah’ (‘forward, forward’) election slogan appearing on both members’ feeds.

Economic Minister Ahmed Mohamed voted in favour of backing PPM and is reported to have stormed out of the council meeting telling the press he intended to support the PPM regardless.

While leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has previously said he would not remain in the DRP if the party’s council decided to enter a coalition with the MDP, the MP for Kendhoo said at a press conference after the council meeting today that it would be “irresponsible” for a senior politician to withhold support based on previous statements.

“Therefore, I intend to participate in President Nasheed’s campaign as DRP leader and fully participate in efforts to seek support for President Nasheed in the upcoming presidential election,” he said.

Thasmeen reportedly said that he considered the current political reality and decided on the path that would minimise the “spirit of political vengeance.”

Minivan News was unable to obtain further comment from the DRP prior to publication.

Going into the elections, the DRP aligned with President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s Gaumee Ittihad Party (GIP), with leader Thasmeen as Waheed’s running mate. Both candidates officially ran as independents, however, due to a prior registration issue linked with the size of the GIP.

Speaking with Minivan News the day before the election, Waheed explained that he felt the strength of the DRP could compensate for his party’s relatively small support base. The DRP is currently the country’s third largest party, with 21,411 members according to the Election Commissions most recent figures. It also has 10 members in the Majlis.

However, as it became clear that Waheed had gained the fewest votes on polling day – just 5.13 percent – the DRP’s Mausoom hinted that the party would be looking for new affiliations heading into the second round.

Registered in 2005, the DRP was formed as a vehicle for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to compete in the country’s first multi-party presidential elections in 2008. After the 30-year leader lost power to the MDP’s Mohamed Nasheed, the DRP remained the major opposition in parliament.

Thasmeen was anointed party head following Gayoom’s short-lived retirement from politics. However, the former’s willingness to negotiate with the MDP led to a 12-page letter of complaints from the former leader and an acrimonious split in 2011, followed by the departure of Gayoom loyalists to the newly-formed PPM.

Speaker of the Majlis Abdulla Shahid has been the highest profile defection from the DRP in recent months – joining the MDP to rapturous celebrations in April – though the party has seen a steady drain of support as PPM’s numbers have risen.

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