Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Mohamed Mujthaz resigned from the party yesterday and signed for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
Mujthaz signed the membership form at a small ceremony attended by Gayoom. PPM Spokesperson MP Ahmed Mahlouf told press that the MP for Hanimaadhoo had pledged to join the new party formed by the breakaway Z-faction of the DRP.
With the exodus of MPs to join PPM, the DRP now has 16 MPs in parliament.
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has condemned its erstwhile ‘Honorary Leader’ and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for saying the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) outpaced the main opposition party while it was “in a slumber.”
Speaking at a rally in Thaa Atoll Guraidhoo on Saturday, Gayoom reportedly said that the MDP became both the largest political party and the majority party in parliament after the new DRP leadership took over.
In a statement put out yesterday, the DRP said Gayoom’s remarks concerning the party were misleading and “contained serious lies.”
Among the alleged falsehoods, the statement noted that the MDP came to power in 2008 after defeating Gayoom, who was DRP’s presidential candidate and ‘Zaeem’ at the time.
“One of the main reasons for DRP having to face one of its biggest defeats and MDP coming to power and causing despair for most citizens was the fact that the whole presidential campaign was run by Gayoom’s eldest son Farish Maumoon as a family matter,” it reads.
It adds that while the DRP under the leadership of Ahmed Thasmeen Ali emerged successful in the past two elections, “we note with regret that the party was unable to win a single election under President Maumoon’s leadership when it was in the government.”
On the loss of MPs in parliament, the statement noted that former President Gayoom lost majority control in the past despite the presence of eight appointed MPs after brother Abdulla Yameen left the DRP with a number of MPs.
Moreover, the statement continues, it was “questionable today” whether the Z-faction’s public criticism of the DRP leadership and “pointing accusatory fingers at the DRP, the party’s leadership, MPs, councillors, senior members sweating to enliven the party in the islands and the party’s common members” was in the service of “the nation and religion.”
The statement concludes by saying that since infighting among the opposition would benefit the ruling party, “it has become clear to the public today that such actions shows the lack of truthfulness and sincerity of the people around President Maumoon.”
Gayoom meanwhile returned to Male’ today after visiting islands in Laamu and Thaa atolls to promote the incipient Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and recruit new members.
The former DRP Zaeem was quoted in local media as saying that the DRP lost ground to the ruling party because of “lack of effort and attention” by the new leadership.
“We cannot achieve anything in the political arena in such a state,” Gayoom said. “That is why we are forming this party. We are forming PPM for a noble purpose.”
The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has criticised the party’s former Secretary General Mohamed Nimal for the “irresponsible” manner of his departure to join the incipient Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
DRP Media Coordinator Ali Solih told newspaper Haveeru that Nimal was appointed to the post under an agreement signed three months ago.
“Resigning through an SMS alone will not do,” he said. “He has to hand over the tasks he was given. I believe he should have discussed with party leaders about the tasks before making a decision.”
Nimal, who contested unsuccessfully for the Maafanu-South council seat of Male’ City, was appointed secretary general of DRP on July 1 after the resignation of Abdul Rasheed Nafiz.
Nimal said he quit the DRP because he was “convinced that PPM has the capacity to win the next presidential election among all the opposition parties. I saw the determination of all the senior members involved in creating the party to win the presidential election. PPM can save the people from this government.”
The Elections Commission (EC) has accused local media outlets Sun Online, Villa TV and DhiTV of reporting “falsehoods” in their coverage of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) submitting registration forms to the commission this week.
In a press statement yesterday, the EC said that the media outlets did not contact the commission for their side of the story and “brought the news very irresponsibly in a way that could lead to loss of public confidence in the commission.”
The private media outlets had reported that the PPM founding members were made to wait at the commission when they arrived to submit the forms and none of the EC members were present to receive the delegation, led by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son Farish Maumoon.
The EC statement noted that the commission had never conducted special ceremonies to receive registration forms.
Maldivians honored the eighth anniversary of Evan Naseem’s death and the subsequent shootings at Maafushi Jail in a rally at the tsunami memorial today.
The events of 20 September 2003 are considered critical moments in Maldivian democracy that led to the ousting of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
About 100 people attended the rally, which featured speeches and posters of torture victims. The event will continue tomorrow at 4:00pm.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) founding member Mohamed ‘Bounty’ Nazim described his experience of Naseem’s death, and the protests that followed in Male’.
“We went to the cemetery and saw Naseem’s body. I cannot tell you how it felt. I felt very, very sad, the support I had for [former President] Maumoon was gone when I saw Naseem. I called my friends to come join us in protest against Maumoon,” he said.
On September 20, 2003, prisoners at Maafushi jail allegedly rioted against prison personnel, demanding an explanation for fellow inmate Evan Naseem’s death. Nineteen people were injured and three inmates killed.
Naseem “died due to grievous hurt caused to him by some personnel of Maafushi Jail Security System,” a report filed by the former administration claimed.
Citizens in Male’ rioted when Naseem’s mother Maryam allowed people to see her son’s body, which bore signs of torture.
Nazim said over 5000 people participated in the riot, and that police threw rocks and used arms against them.
Nazim informed Minivan News that today’s protest was “not an MDP event”. He said in two days he and 11 others would register the NGO “Activist Association of Maldives”, which will raise awareness about the penal system and strive to “stop the punishment of innocent people there,” Nazim said.
“We worry about Nasheed,” he said, referring to the Maldives’ current president. “Why not bring Maumoon to justice? There is proof that he ordered the shooting at Maafushi. But Maumoon is still powerful in the judiciary. I’m hoping that one day, we will have justice.”
Fliers are handed out that portray injuries done to men in prison during Gayoom's presidency
Nazim said that protests will be held every year on September 20. Previous anti-torture protests were suppressed by the police, but “Nasheed gave us the freedom to speak, and today we are here peacefully,” said Nazim.
Over 3,000 messages were sent out and MPs were invited to the event. MP Reeko Moosa, who was claims to be a victim of torture, told the crowd that Gayoom “would not be allowed to hold power again”.
“We are happy now because there is no news that torture is happening under this government,” Moosa claimed, speaking to Minivan News. “But we are still watching things very carefully. Gayoom is trying to take power again, but it will not happen. We are against torture happening in the Maldives ever again.”
Moosa did say that the current administration “could do more.”
“The government needs more investigation, and it needs to bring the torturers to court,” he said.
Other speakers spoke out against Gayoom and his newly-formed Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM). One man said the public should go to Gayoom’s house and “bring him out to face the people’s justice.”
Several torture victims who spoke to Minivan News expressed strong resentment for Gayoom. One Abdulla Naseeru said his “blood is boiling” and he wanted “to reach out and beat Gayoom.”
Naseeru reported being handcuffed and beaten in the same cell as President Nasheed for six months, and said he had spent a total of two years in prison.
“I wrote a letter to Gayoom after about my beatings, and his response was that the army and prison guards cannot be investigated,” he said. Naseeru said he still hears reports of prison beatings, and fears current investigations will be stopped by members of the former administration who still hold office.
Although the rally took place during school hours, a few interested teens joined the crowd. One said he was interested in politics, while his friend said he was curious to see what was happening. Both boys said their peers are aware of the issue.
Among those who attended the rally was a former army private who said he was willing to come out against Gayoom.
Evan’s mother Maryam Naseem was also in attendance. “It is very hard to be here,” she said. But she was pleased that Male was paying attention to the issue.
A government investigation into the events at Maafushi jail was launched by former President Gayoom, but the officers who were convicted were released before fulfilling their jail sentences. In June 2011, the case was re-opened and three former prison guards were sent back to jail.
Then-captain Adam Mohamed, who was allegedly responsible for Maafushi at the time, remains free.
The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has submitted 3600 forms to the Elections Commission, 600 more more than the amount required to register a political party.
Media Coordinator of PPM and MP Ahmed Nihan said there were many more party registration forms filled which had not been submitted today, so as to hasten the registration procedure.
“If too many registration forms are submitted at once it will take a long time for the Elections Commission to approve all the forms. We just want to hasten the registration procedure and finish it soon so we can get on with our next steps,’’ Nihan said.
Nihan claimed that “many Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members” and members from other parties have signed up for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s new party, PPM.
‘’The additional 600 forms were because sometimes due to information errors or other errors forms get rejected, so as a backup to replace any form that might get rejected,’’ Nihan said adding that he believes that “all forms are genuine”.
Nihan said today at the Elections Commission building none of the commission members showed up to meet the senior PPM figures, and said he regretted the incident.
‘’When some particular persons go to register a political party, the commission members take them to the hall and serves food and juice with a warm welcome. It is very unfair,’’ He said. ‘’It is we who appointed them for the commission and today the commission members were like a selfish soothsayer who pops his head out from the window when a normal person goes to see him.’’
He said that several parliamentarians and other senior figures in the PPM went today to the parliament to submit the relevant forms. Currently there were 14 MPs in the party and “very soon” the number would reach 20 or 21, he added.
President of the Elections Commisison Fuad Thaufeeq today told Minivan News that it was true that no commission member met with the PPM delegation.
‘’The commission has always treated all political parties equally and has applied the same procedure on all the parties, we always meet with senior officials of parties when the first 50 forms are submitted to the commission, and we met with senior officials from the PPM when they submitted the first 50 forms,’’ Fuad said.
Fuad explained that the forms will always be received by the staffs at the reception.
‘’The next time commission members meet with senior officials will be the day when the registration process is concluded and the 3000 forms are approved,’’ he said. ‘’That is the procedure we apply for all the political parties.’’
He said that the commission was free from influence and pressure and could not be pressured or influenced.
Eydhafushi MP Ahmed “Redwave” Saleem and former minister Ilyas Ibrahim have signed for newly-formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), reports Sun Online.
Ilyas Ibrahim, brother-in-law of PPM figurehead former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and long-serving cabinet minister, was among the first to sign for the party, according to spokesperson MP Ahmed Mahlouf.
Saleem meanwhile resigned as leader of his Labour Party, stating that efforts within a larger opposition party would be more effective. People’s Alliance (PA) leader Abdulla Yameen has also joined the party in similar fashion.
“Surprisingly more people than expected” have signed up to the former President’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), the party’s spokesperson and MP Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News today, adding that the required number of 3000 had been reached.
The PPM has been conducted a recruitment drive to obtain the 3000 signatures needed to officially form the party before the Elections Commission. Signatories are legally required to withdraw their membership from other political parties, such as the Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP), for the new membership to be valid.
“Currently we are doing the work of arranging the forms in order, re-checking the filled forms to see whether all the forms are filled correctly and entering the data and filing the forms in our office,’’ Nihan said. ‘’It will not take long before we submit the forms to the Elections Commission (EC), but because the commission will dismiss any form filled incorrectly or forms with missing information, we are just double checking and preparing them for submission.”
Nihan said the party expected to submit the forms tomorrow or Tuesday.
“On the 8th of this month the commission authorised us to commence work to find the 3000 signatures, and the next day was supposed to be the day we officially began recruitment,” he explained, “but then the Hiriya incident occurred and we took four days to mourn and postponed all the work.’’
Nihan said the number of people signing up for the PPM was so many “because there are figures in the party who have gained the confidence of citizens.”
“We have former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and other senior figures of the former government who have served the nation for 30 years, and they have brought much development to the country and there are many people who love them,” he said, adding that all such people were joining PPM.
Nihan said that PPM’s policy was to allow youth to progress, and to “always give high priority to the voice of the citizens.”
“In this battle we will bring forward the citizens and all we will give opportunities for the young persons in our party to progress,’’ he said. ‘’We are knocking on the doors of people who think it is time to bring a change in their lives.’’
When former President Gayoom announced that he was about to register a new party in the name of Progressive Party of the Maldives, Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said that he would doubted whether Gayoom’s party would attracted enough people form a Friday prayer group – minimum of 40.
Seven MPs in the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) resigned to form the new party after claiming disillusionment with the party’s leadership.
No speedboat was available near Huraa following the drowning of four students and principal of Hiriya School, Police Chief Inspector Abdulla Nawaz told media today.
Police were informed of the incident at 9:48am in the morning and the police duty officer immediately called the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), and was informed that MNDF officers were on it, Nawaz said.
The four female students and the principal of ‘Hiriya’ drowned while on a fisheries science study trip. Police and MNDF were called immediately but were criticised for being unable to reach the island until long after the incident.
About an hour after the drownings, the bodies of the students and principal were brought to Male’ on a speedboat from nearby Four Season Kuda Hura resort.
Speaking in a press conference, Nawaz said that information of the incident was passed to the police station on the island of Himmafushi, approximately 3 km from Hura.
Nawaz said that Himmafushi Police Station’s Head tried to hire a speedboat from the island but because it was Friday morning, no speedboats were available.
He said police then called the Island Council of Hura and requested they make a request to Four Seasons Kuda Hura resort, the council had already done so.
Nawaz said that although the police could not arrive to the island on time, it was to be noted that police went to the jetty in Male’ and received the bodies, and carried them to the hospital.
Nawaz also said that police were still investigating the incident and had not been able to question any students who witnessed the incident, as they were traumatised and not ready to talk about it.
Meanwhile, today the parliament’s ”241′ Security Services Committee summoned Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh and Chief of Defence Force Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel to question them about the lateness in providing service of the forces when called for help.
Newly-formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP and Media Coordinator Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News that Faseeh and Moosa were summoned to the committee to clarify the truth of the various accusations that the forces had neglected their duty.
“Nawaz failed to tell the media how long it took the police to reach the island, and he has not answered queries made by the journalists,” he said. “That’s why it was important to sit down with them and clarify the media reports and other allegations on police.”
Nihan said that this was a national issue but “the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs disrupted the meeting today and the meeting had to be cancelled.”
He alleged that the government had poorly treated the family of the only girl who survived in the incident, Hawwa Ali, by asking them to pay her medical bills for the first two days.
“But the girl happens to be in my constituency and I called government senior officials and requested them to do it a better way, and now I think it is arranged and the government is assisting the family with everything,” he claimed.
Nihan said that the girl’s family had requested the government to move her to another ward because she was currently in the children’s ward at IGMH and the sound of children cry was making her recall the incident.
“She was the only person who saw everything, she heard the children crying for help, she saw the girls drowning right in front of her,” Nihan said.
Hawwa was a friend of Aishath Shaniha, who died in the incident. Hawwa almost drowned but was rescued by the school principal and was holding a rope while the principal attempted to rescue the other students that were drowning.
Nihan claimed that police “would have had 20 speedboats in the islands” during the former government.
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