Tag: ppm

President Waheed could contest elections under PPM ticket: Umar Naseer

Vice President of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer has said that Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan could potentially stand as a presidential candidate for the party.

Speaking to the Haveeru newspaper today, Naseer claimed that although no discussions had taken place with the current president over contesting on a PPM ticket – the door would be open for him to do so along with any other interested candidates.

The comments were made after Naseer was quoted last night in local media claiming President Waheed had confirmed to members of the coalition government that he would not stand for re-election.

Reportedly speaking on private broadcaster DhiTV yesterday, Naseer also said that if the current government aligned itself under one presidential candidate during the next general election, he was confident the coalition would be able to obtain victory within the first round of voting.

Sun Online quoted Naseer as adding, however, that the PPM should get the presidential ticket among coalition parties as it presently holds the largest number of elected representatives in parliament among government-aligned parties.

He was also quoted as pledging that he would back former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in a presidential primary contest if the one-time head of state ran for re-election.

“I am considering contesting in the presidential primary. It’s very likely that you will see me. If President Gayoom also decides to contest, I will be right behind him holding the flag,” Naseer was quoted by the Sun Online news agency as saying.

General elections are currently scheduled to be held by July 2013 at the earliest, despite calls from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the organisations like the Commonwealth for fresh polls to be held during 2012.

Gayoom founded the PPM last year after an acrimonious war of words with Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, the current leader of the former opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

Thasmeen was initially approved by Gayoom to suceed him as the head of the DRP, the first political party founded by the former president.

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DRP leader anticipates divergences of opinion within governing coalition

Leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Ahmed Thasmeen Ali yesterday said that he expected to see divergences appear within the government’s seven party coalition, local newspaper Haveeru has reported.

Speaking at the opening of the DRP’s new headquarters, Thasmeen said that he expected all parties to field separate candidates in the next presidential elections.

“We believe that different candidates would represent the various political parties of the coalition government in the election. However, we must all agree to sustain the current government till 2013 to ensure that the people are provided with the fundamental services and benefits from a government,” Thasmeen told Haveeru.

Minivan News was unable to reach either Thasmeen or his deputy leaders Ibrahim Shareef or Dr Abdulla Mausoom for comment.

Thasmeen argued that the coalition was formed in an abrupt manner and so differences of opinion were likely to emerge.

Thasmeen’s comments also made mention of the DRP’s motivations for joining the governing coalition. The DRP leader said the main reason the party joined the government was to ensure the protection of services to the public.

“If the functioning of the government was compromised at a time when the provision of services to the people had already been hindered and the system was facing major challenges, the people would be plunged into an increasingly dire situation,” Thasmeen is quoted as saying.

Deputy Leader of the DRP, Ibrahim Shareef previously told Minivan News that the provision of public service was one of the party’s core values which were not to be compromised, even if this meant going against the rest of the coalition.

Thasmeen also took the opportunity yesterday to reassert his party’s opposition to proposals made in the Majlis’s Financial Committee to reform the the Aasandha healthcare scheme which is set to vastly exceed its budget in 2012.

The Financial Committee is currently dominated by parties aligned to the government.

When asked by Minivan News if there were any policies other than opposition to the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that united the ruling coalition, President’s Office spokesman Abbas Adil Riza said he had no comment to make.

Thasmeen last week spoke out against the bill proposed by the MPs Ahmed Ilham of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Riyaz Rasheed of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) to withdraw the Maldives from the Commonwealth.

Thasmeen was reported as being disappointed that the coalition had not been properly consulted before the bill had been submitted and promised “categorically” that his party would not support the bill.

At that time, Abbas said that he was happy that the coalition was strong: “It shows that even on issues on which we disagree, we can work together. That’s what being in a coalition is all about.”

Additionally, Thasmeen said that, within the coalition, it was only his party and the DQP that had specifically pledged to work with one another.

“We have an agreement with Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) that we would function jointly. However, the rest of the political parties in the government do not have such an agreement to work together,” Haveeru reports.

DQP leader Dr Hassan Saeed was not responding at time of press.

The governing coalition currently controls 45 of 77 seats in the People’s Majlis, 15 of which belong to the DRP. The remainder are held by the MDP.

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MDP early election goal better sought through Majlis, not “acts of terrorism”: government

The 50,000-member strong Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said anti-government protests will “intensify” as the country awaits further action from the Commonwealth, while the government has challenged the motives behind ongoing demonstrations.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad claimed the now opposition MDP, led by former President Mohamed Nasheed, is not interested in democratic processes to ensure early elections, preferring instead to opt for protests the government has labelled “terrorism”.

The Maldives was set a four week deadline by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on April 16 to address the impartiality of President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s independent inquiry commission into the controversial transfer of power, or face “stronger measures”.

President Waheed has already pledged to hold “early” elections by July 2013 – the earliest date permitted, under the constitution, Imad told Minivan News.

Any demands for elections earlier than that date – as requested by international bodies such the Commonwealth and EU– should be achieved through parliament. The MDP presently holds 31 elected members in the 77 seat Majlis chamber, following the recent defection of MDP MP Shifag Mufeed to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).

“I don’t see a reason why [former President Mohamed Nasheed] is demonstrating other than to promote his lunatic point of view. He is encouraging hooliganism and acts of terrorism like burning down buildings,” alleged Imad. “We have given them a date for early elections and that is July 2013. That is the earliest we can do.”

The comments were made after a few thousand MDP supporters conducted demonstrations over the weekend near the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) building in Male’. The gathering saw MDP members and supporters holding meetings and criticising the alleged role of mutinous elements in the Maldives’ security forces in bringing President Waheed’s government to power.

Meanwhile, several hundred MDP protesters waving yellow flags mobbed President Waheed’s car during a visit to the island of Kulhudhuffushi over the weekend.

The MDP has alleged that February’s transfer of power, in which Waheed took office after Mohamed Nasheed “resigned” following a mutiny by sections of the police and military, was a “coup d’etat”.  The party has since refused to accept the present executive’s legitimacy. This led to the MDP twice boycotting the President’s inaugural speech to parliament, as well as a vote last week to approve Waheed’s cabinet and vice president appointees.

“Gentleman’s option”

Imad questioned why Nasheed and his supporters were not choosing to take “the gentleman’s option” by pursuing early elections and a constitutional amendment in parliament: “The job could be done right now if [Nasheed] thinks realistically,” he claimed.

“Nasheed himself loves to take the streets and make a nuisance of himself. He believes he defeated Gayoom on his own but he didn’t. Nasheed was hiding in his house while others were out protesting,” Imad said.

He said that rather than protesting, he believed the MDP would have greater success in seeking a vote through the People’s Majlis, where it remains the majority representative.

The MDP presently stands against a government-aligned coalition of rival parties including the PPM and the then-opposition majority party from which in split in 2011, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

Imad also alleged that Nasheed was a “dictatorial” presence in the MDP and did not care for democratic processes, after the passing last week of two no-confidence motions against the party’s president and vice-president by the MDP’s national council.

Nearly 95 percent of those in attendance voted in support of the no-confidence motions against former MDP President Dr Ibrahim Didi and former Vice-President Alhan Fahmy.

Dr Didi has since submitted an official complaint to the Elections Commission (EC) regarding his ouster by the party, alleging that the decision was not in-line with the party’s registered constitution.

Imad said the party’s of the no-confidence motions reflected badly on Nasheed’s own democratic credentials.

“[Nasheed] is now throwing away elected people in his own party. Clearly an election is not important to him,” Imad said. “ Dr Didi and Mr Alhan are elected members of the party.”

Weekend gatherings

Addressing the MDP gathering outside the MMA building over the weekend, party spokesperson Hamid Adbul Ghafoor told Minivan News that protests were likely to increase in number in the coming weeks.

With two weeks until CMAG’s deadline for the government to review the composition and mandate of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) expires, Ghafoor said that protests were expected to “intensify”.

He added that despite the presence of riot police during Friday’s demonstration, demonstrators were able to peacefully hold meetings.

“We have set a precedent where we can speak to security forces peacefully about our grievances. I believe the administration now understand that we are not trying to attempt a coup against them,” he said. “This is even though we believe that a section of the police force in this country took money and turned mercenary to overthrow Nasheed’s government [on February 7],” he alleged.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that a “few incidents” occurred during the demonstration leading to the arrest of six people.

According to local media reports, riot police blocked roads surrounding the MMA gathering. Water cannons and other crowd deterrents were deployed on site, were unused during the demonstration.

Momentum

Minivan News observed around 4000 people taking part in the demonstration outside the MMA building at the peak of the protest.

Two weeks previously, the party claimed that 10,000 people gathered in Male’ to protest. Another protest last week reportedly consisted of around 6000 people.

MDP Women’s Wing spokesperson Aishath Aniya told Minivan News at the time that interest still remained “strong” among party supporters for protests.

The momentum of the protests had not diminished and the numbers of people taking to the streets were consistent, she claimed.

“I don’t see the numbers of protesters decreasing, though [turnout] does depend on the time and place of demonstrations,” she said. “We would obviously get fewer protesters during school hours.”

Aniya claimed that from her experience, during instances where former President Mohamed Nasheed was in attendance, Large numbers of people were attracted to demonstrations when former President Mohamed Nasheed was in attendance, she observed.

There was, she said, “tremendous pressure” among MDP  members to mobilise and demonstrate at events attended by the new president around the country.

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“I’m not a person who worships money”: Shifag defends move from MDP to PPM

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Shifag ‘Histo’ Mufeed yesterday signed for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) during a meeting in his constituency of Fuvamullah.

The meeting was attended by the party’s leader, former President Maumoon Gayoom. Shifag was pictured in local media with the former President, draped with a garland of pink flowers.

Shifag acknowledged that charges of financial gain were likely to be levelled at any MP crossing the parliamentary divide during the political upheaval.

“I’m not a person who worships money. I feel disappointed and embarrassed that such people exist in our party. However, I want to assure you I will do whatever is in my power for you citizens, for your island, for my island, no matter which colour or which party I’ve signed on to,” Shifag said.

Shifag also explained his previous “abusive” criticism of Gayoom as the “words of a young man”who had not had any other president to compare the 30-year autocrat with.

“I was very young and politically naïve. Our history had not been written down very clearly”, he told people at a rally in Fuvahmulah yesterday.

Shifag claimed during the rally that the fall of former President Nasheed had arisen because of the actions of MDP members who had begun to act in a self-serving and dictatorial fashion.

Former Tourism Minister Mariyam Zulfa said the party had been aware that Shifag had been negotiating with other parties.

“Shifag has always been negotiating with other parties for a better deal for himself. We’ve known that he was was not one of the party faifthful, and that behind the scenes he was negotiating,” she said.

The Fuvahmulah MP had become increasingly critical of the MDP’s leadership in recent times. Last week he chose to go against the party line, attending the Majlis session in which the government’s nominees for the Vice-Presidency and the cabinet were confirmed by the coalition parties.

The official position of the MDP is that the February 7 transfer of power was orchestrated through a coup and, therefore, that the current government is illegitimate.

The MDP’s President and Vice President, Dr Ibrahim Didi and Alhan Fahmy, were removed from their posts last week after the party’s National Congress voted in support of no-confidence motions made against them. The primary reason given was the belief that the pair had been making statements in contradiction of the party’s official resolution of February 8.

Assuaging fears of further divisions within the MDP, Zulfa said that the party was “stronger than ever”.

“It is now that we should be dealing with people who are not loyal to the party philosophy. Even [former party leaders, voted out last week] Dr Ibrahim Didi and Alhan Fahmy – the time to deal with that was now. They were creating divisions at a time we need unity. As leaders they should have been uniting the party rather than questioning the way it was doing things,” said Zulfa.

All three of the parliamentary seats in Shifag’s Fuvahmullah constituency are now held by the PPM which, with the signature of Shifag, now has the largest minority representation in the Majlis with 18 members from a total of 77.

The PPM’s group leader Abdulla Yameen was confident that the party would gain more parliamentary converts, though he admitted that the “dynamic” nature of politics makes predictions difficult.

“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,” he said.

The PPM’s unofficial numbers in the house became officially recognised after the victory of Ahmed Shareef in the Thimarafushi by-election in April. Prior to this, the Majlis’s PPM supporters were technically classed as independents as the party had not won any seats through the polls.

The party was formed in October 2011 after the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) split. Vice-President of the party Umar Naseer yesterday told Minivan News that he was confident the party could replace the MDP as the majority leader in the Majlis.

Unlike the rules governing the party affiliation of council members, members of the Majlis are not required to stand for re-election after changing political parties.

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“Reliable sources” say MDP’s Shifag to defect to PPM

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Shifag Mufeed is set to join the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), local media has claimed, citing “reliable sources” within the government aligned-party.

MDP Spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor had confirmed that the party would be taking disciplinary measures against Shifag after he broke a three-line whip on April 25, voting to endorse the government’s nominations for the vice-presidency as well as fourteen cabinet appointees.

Shifag was the sole representative from the MDP at the majlis session last month after the party boycotted the ratification process. The forty-five MPs present voted unanimously to endorse all appointees.

Shifag’s defection to the PPM would bring the party’s total number of supporters in the People’s Majlis up to 18, according to Haveeru.

The party, headed by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was formed in October 2011 after the DRP divided in two.  The PPM won its first seat in the Majlis last month after Ahmed Shareef won the Thimarafushi by-election, assuming the minority parliamentary leadership.

Under parliament law, the PPM was required to have at least one MP voted in under the party’s own ticket before its MPs – who were all elected under different groups such as the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) – could officially represent it in the Majlis chamber.

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President Waheed will not stand for re-election: PPM VP Umar Naseer

Vice President of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Umar Naseer, has said the government faces “no international pressure” to hold early elections and will remain in power until 2013.

Naseer also emphasised that he does not expect President Mohamed Waheed Hassan to stand  for election during presidential polls scheduled for next year.

PPM deputy Naseer told Minivan News today that beyond a few “powerful” members in the Commonwealth, the present coalition government, in which his party is represented, faced no international pressure to hold fresh polls this year.

The comments were made after former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom also claimed this week that international calls for early elections to be held in the Maldives have grown “faint” and were “not an issue” to foreign dignitaries he had met recently.

The government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan has nonetheless faced criticisms from international bodies like the Commonwealth and the EU in recent months over its commitment to independently investigating how it came to power in February.

On April 16, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) warned it would consider taking “stronger measures” against the Maldivian government should it fail to revise the composition and work of an independent inquiry panel.  The panel, known as the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) was formed by the president to ascertain the exact details behind February’s transfer of power.  The Commonwealth has also recommended that early elections be called this year to overcome political uncertainty across the nation.

In a previous interview with Australian television, Naseer explained the perspective of the opposition demonstrators on February 7.

“We had a small command centre where we do all the protests. I command from the centre and give instructions to my people,” Naseer explained.

“On the protesters’ side, we were informing and educating the police and army through our speeches and television programs.”

Asked by SBS journalist Mark Davis if the opposition had made any other inducements, such as promises that they and their families would be “looked after” if they switched sides, Naseer said “there were.”

“We called on army and police and said that if a person was fired from his position because of their refusal to follow an unlawful order, the opposition would take care of them,” Naseer said.

President Waheed’s government has meanwhile insisted that presidential elections are not possible until July 2013 under the present constitution.  The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has refuted this claim, saying that fresh elections could be held within two months should the president resign from his position and hand over power temporarily to the parliamentary speaker. The now opposition MDP also stressed that it believes that the earlier elections can be held, the “better it would be” for the party.

Electoral defeat

Umar Naseer, who had previously served as deputy leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) before being dismissed, claimed that beyond the constitutional factors preventing elections this year, the MDP now also realised that they faced electoral defeat.

Recent by-election victories for the party, which have seen the PPM claim two island council seats and a seat in the People’s Majis, showed clear public support for the wider coalition government, Naseer said.

“If [general] elections were held right now, the MDP would be defeated badly,” he said. “The MDP understands this.”

Ahead of any presidential elections, Naseer claimed PPM was now focused on bolstering its presence in the Majlis after last month assuming the minority parliamentary leadership role.

The PPM now has the second highest number of MPs in parliament behind the MDP, which has retained majority leadership in the Majlis chamber.

Naseer claimed the party would continue pursuing a coalition that would allow it to replace the MDP as majority leader in the majlis.

“Our main focus now will be the elections in 2013,” he said.

Naseer added that with uncertainty over whether President Waheed would stand for election to head the national executive beyond 2013, the PPM would be working to strengthen the position of its own possible presidential candidate.

“My feeling right now is that [President Waheed] will not stand during the presidential elections,” he claimed.

Naseer’s comments echoed claims by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom during a Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) gathering near Male’s artificial beach area on Thursday evening (May 3).  Gayoom, who served as the country’s autocratic ruler for 30 years before being voted out in the country’s first democratic elections held in 2008, said that he had been meeting various ambassadors accredited to the Maldives of late.

None of these ambassadors, he claimed, had talked about early presidential polls.

The former president added that the two parliamentary by-elections held last month – both won by government-aligned parties – were an indication that the same outcome could be expected nationally if presidential polls were held at present.

There were however mixed fortunes for the government during two island council by-elections held the same day last month, with the now opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) taking one of the available seats.

National inquiry

Gayoom also reportedly used his address to discuss the CNI that has been criticised by the Commonwealth’s human rights body, CMAG, for not being “independent” or “credible” in regards to its work.

During his speech, the former president claimed that despite some foreign criticism, it was up to the Maldives to resolve its own internal issues

“That does not mean we should not consider the advice of foreign partners as they would give us right opinions and views. However, we have to take such opinions and advise into consideration and use what is right for this country,” Gayoom was quoted as saying by local newspaper Haveeru.

The PPM won three out of six by elections held since February’s transfer of power.  Alongside these election results, Gayoom claimed that parliamentary approval of the appointment of a new cabinet and vice president –albeit after the MDP refused to participate – proved the legitimacy of the current government.

The former president also used his address to to discuss the future for the PPM, which is set to hold its national congress between September 13 and September 15 this year. Gayoom said that during the event, any member of the party would be allowed to contest for whatever positon they wanted

“This party would not function according to the whim of a single individual, me included,” Haveeru quoted the former president as saying.

“Entrenchment”

Responding to the PPM’s statements, MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor claimed that Gayoom was trying to mislead the public over the international pressure the government was currently under.  Ghafoor said he believed pressure was increasing for early elections and an independent review of February’s transfer of power.

“We have got structural assurances from the 54-member state Commonwealth in the form of time frames for both early elections and the CNI review,” he said.  “These time-frames have also been backed by India and the US.”

Ghafoor claimed that the MDP was itself hoping for presidential elections to be held as quickly as possible, alleging that government-aligned parties were looking to stall polls for as long as possible in order to damage “independent institutions” like the Elections Commission.

“We believe that the sooner elections can be held in the country the better. While the government believe the later the better,” he claimed.  “What they want is to entrench themselves in power before elections can be held.”

Ghafoor alleged that similar attempts to entrench a government into independent institutions  had be seen this in many countries that have undergone apparent coups such as Honduras and Fiji.

Ghafoor said he believed that the time-frame set by CMAG for elections to be called during 2012, represented an awareness among the international community that the current government was trying to “entrench” itself into national institutions.

“Last week, we met here in Male’ with five Members of European Parliament (MEPs). They confirmed that they still stood behind CMAG and its calls,” he claimed.

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DRP will “categorically” not support withdrawal from Commonwealth: Shareef

President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza has given assurances that the government coalition of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan remained strong, despite a differing of opinions between pro-government parties regarding the bill proposing the Maldives’ withdrawal from the Commonwealth.

“The coalition is strong, there are no issues with that. It shows that even on issues on which we disagree, we can work together. That’s what being in a coalition is all about,” said Abbas.

“Nasheed’s coalition split within 21 days – we are already passed this date. There are no long term issues,” he added.

A bill to withdraw the Maldives from the Commonwealth was submitted to the Majlis on April 29 and has been labelled in the local media as “not responsible” by the leader of coalition member Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

Speaking with local newspaper Haveeru, Thasmeen criticised the decision not to consult with other parties within the coalition. The bill was submitted by Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) MP Ahmed Ilham and Dhivehi Qaumee Party, also a part of the coalition, (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed.

Deputy leader of the DRP, Ibrahim Shareef, today said that the party was in general support of the government: “But we cannot give in where the party’s core values are at stake.”

“We will try to run the ministries allocated to us and will support the government on matters we agree upon. On matters we disagree we will vote against,” he said.

When asked about the core values that divide the PPM from the DRP, Shareef said that he was unsure of the specific values of the PPM.

He said that the core values of the DRP were an open economic policy, private enterprise, equality and justice, democracy and the protection of law for everyone equally.

Leader of the DQP and Special Advisor to President Waheed, Dr Hassan Saeed, wrote an opinion piece for Haveeru on April 26 entitled: “Voters need to know what the party stands for”.

In the article he wrote: “We need political parties with clear political platforms. But before this we need to understand where those policies come from. What are the values that underpin them?”

He argued that clearer differentiation between parties would enable voters to make informed choices. Otherwise, Dr Saeed argued that voters fall back on reasons such as personality politics.

He argued that this was “the most dangerous because it can lead to a crude populism where big personalities attempt to outbid each other with unkeepable promises.”

The PPM, headed by the former President of thirty years Maumoon Gayoom, was formed in October 2011 following acrimonious divisions within the DRP. Gayoom had previously announced his retirement from politics but has become increasingly active in 2012.

The decision to forward the bill followed comments by Gayoom criticising the recent Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) statement. The statement criticised the government’s apparent failure to establish an impartial body to investigate the events that led to Nasheed’s resignation. It also repeated prior calls for fresh elections to end conjecture over the legitimacy of the current government.

Days before the submission of the withdrawal bill to parliament, Gayoom was reported as having questioned the necessity of the Maldives’ Commonwealth membership.

Gayoom became the Maldives’ third President in 1978 and the country joined the Commonwealth in 1982.

Gayoom was reported by Haveeru, however, to have argued that the nature of the body had changed since that time, resulting in a situation that no longer benefitted smaller nations.

“The actions of the Commonwealth have changed since then, to a point where we now have to have a rethink about the whole situation. That’s how much the world has changed now,” he claimed.

Gayoom’s said his comments were also based on the fact that the country had never itself been a former colony unlike neighbours such as India and Sri Lanka.

Earlier in the month, on the eve of the CMAG meeting, Gayoom warned PPM supporters that the country must be wary of foreign attempts to “intervene in our internal affairs”.

A PPM MP spoke to Minivan News following the announcement of the bill, saying: “From my view it is not something that has been discussed within the PPM yet,” the MP said yesterday.

“I have previously expressed my concern that [leaving the Commonwealth] is not the best way to solve this issue. It is not really a choice we can take,” said the MP who wish to remain unnamed.

The DRP’s Ibrahim Shareef said that DRP’s united stance was, “Categorically, we would not support a withdrawal from the Commonwealth.”

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DQP MP Riyaz, PPM MP Ilham submit bill to withdraw Maldives from Commonwealth

MP of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Ahmed Ilham, and Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed have submitted a bill to parliament that could see the Maldives withdraw itself from the Commonwealth within 60 days of ratification.

Under the proposed bill, a decision to later rejoin the 54 member state intergovernmental organisation would require a similar act to be passed in parliament.

A PPM MP  told Minivan News on condition on anonymity that  there has been no discussion among members following the submission of the bill.

The MP emphasised that the wider party had not yet discussed a policy on leaving the Commonwealth, while also stressing the need for further dialogue with the organisation.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (GMAG) has increased pressure over the last month on the Maldives government to revise the composition and mandate of an independent commission established to ascertain the nature of the controversial transfer of power in February.

CMAG said that “stronger measures” would be considered against the Maldives over the next month if it failed to enact changes to the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) to ensure it was more “credible” and “independent”. These claims led to a backlash from some government-alligned MPs accusing the Commonwealth of showing “bias” and not respecting the country’s constitution.  The government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan has stressed it remains committed to the body despite some reservations about the clarity of CMAG’s agenda.

However, after submitting the bill to parliament yesterday, MP Riyaz claimed in local media that the Commonwealth was working to “protect the interests” of one party in the country without understanding the “reality” of the situation.

Ilham meanwhile told the press that although withdrawal from the Commonwealth was not seen as the “best option”, the bill had been forwarded “in consideration” of issues that may affect the country in the future.

MPs Ilham and Rahseed were both unavailable for comment when contacted at Minivan News at time of press. PPM Parliamentary Group Leader Abdulla Yameen was also not responding.

Party discussions

The PPM MP said that he was aware that the bill had been submitted yesterday evening by two members of parties belonging to the coalition government, yet was not sure of the exact details of the proposed bill.

“It is at a  very early stage right now, I do not know myself what it is about,” he said. “From my view it is not something that has been discussed within the PPM yet.”

The PPM member added that a recently founded joint parliamentary group consisting of several coalition parties had also not had the chance to discuss any motion on leaving the Commonwealth.

“I have previously expressed my concern that [leaving the Commonwealth] is not the best way to solve this issue. It is not really a choice we can take,” he said. “I would still say that there is a chance to sit down together and discuss this matter.”

“Anything can happen in politics”

MDP spokesperson and MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said he suspected that even if all the PPM and DQP parties’ members backed the bill, there would not be enough support to pass the motion to leave the Commonwealth in the Majis.

“I don’t believe they could get backing for such a bill, this is simply Gayoom posturing,” he claimed. “Of course, anything is possible in politics, but I do not think the Maldivian people would support this. We are a tourism-based economy and this move would not be good for investor confidence in future.”

Ghafoor added that submission of the bill itself was “extremely revealing” of the attitude of government-aligned MPs towards establishing an independent investigation of February’s transfer of power through the CNI.

“I’m a little perplexed as to why they are acting this way.  The MPs are clearly upset about the Commonwealth’s calls and this has been seen in the increasingly xenophobic language [in Dhivehi] used by some of the parties regarding the outside world and the Commonwealth.”

Ghafoor claimed that the MDP was itself completely against leaving the commonwealth, a decision he believed would be shared by the majority of the public who were “aware of the benefits” that the organisation had  afforded to the country.

“The MDP certainly has a global outlook. Therefore the thought of leaving an international organisation like the Commonwealth in this day and age is the height of ridiculousness,” he said.  “Clearly the PPM believe that we are still in the 1930s.”

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Former MDP Councillor wins Maafaru Island Council by-election on PPM ticket

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has had further success at the polls after it was reported that former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) member Anwar Abdul Ghany had won the Maafaru Island Council on a Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) ticket, according to local media.

Anwar had previously held the seat for the MDP but vacated it after a public dispute with the party. An amendment to the decentralisation act stipulates that any councillor leaving their party also vacates the seat. This feature of the bill was added on the insistence of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) whose splintering resulted in the formation of the PPM.

Anwar defeated the MDP candidate Mohamed Abdul Ghanee 323 votes to 283, in a constituency of 700, according to Sun Online.

Director General of the Elections Commission Mohamed Tholal said that official confirmation of the result would be made at 3:30pm tomorrow.

He added that the elections had, again, gone smoothly. Suggestions were made by government members that weak institutions such as the Elections Commission made early elections impossible, despite repeated calls from the opposition and the international community to hold new polls to legitimise the new administration.

This result means that, in six polls conducted since the controversial transfer of power in February, the PPM has won two council seats and one parliamentary seat, the MDP has won two council seats, and Jumhoree Party (JP) has won one parliamentary seat.

There have been no significant issues reported in any of the elections, all passing peacefully and without incident. Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq was confident that any complaints that had been received have been investigated properly.

Looking back over the past six polls, Thaufiq was happy that the commission had performed adequately.

Speaking prior to the Parliamentary elections on April 14, following criticism of the commission from state minister Dunya Maumoon, Thaufeeq expressed confidence that the commission was able to “organise any election mandated by law – whether it is a presidential election, referendum, or by-election.”

The electoral victory is the second success this month for the party of former President Maumoon Gayoom. The party gained its first official seat in the People’s Majlis on April 14th when Ahmed Shareef beat his MDP opposition in the Thimirafushi parliamentary by-election.

This prompted the government to claim that the success of its supporting parties ought to be interpreted as a mandate for the completion of the current presidential term into 2013.

The MDP, which has now lost four of the six seats it has contested in local elections since March, interpreted these polls differently, seeing them as proof that the country is ready for national presidential elections.

Previously, the party’s supporters in the Majlis were officially classed as independents with the party only having been formed in October 2011. The PPM also won a seat on the Thaa Gaadhifushi council in a poll taken on the same day as the parliamentary votes.

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