President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has concluded a trip to visit the islands of Shavyani Atoll today. Waheed visited eight islands of the atoll, including Feevah, Foakaidoo, Funadhoo, Narudhoo, Maroshi, Lhaimagu, Maa’ungoodhoo and the island of Kommandoo.
Minivan News understands that groups of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protesters met Dr Waheed at all islands apart Foakaidhoo.
During his visits to the islands, the new president checked on the ongoing development projects in the islands and met with the people. President Waheed began his tour from the island Feevah, last Thursday.
During his visit to Feevah, Waheed reaffirmed to the islanders his commitment to take all necessary measures “to protect and safeguard the people”.
Speaking to the people of Foakaidoo, Waheed said that he would work to restore calm and peace in the country. Waheed also said that he assumed office to bring the much needed political stability and progress to the country.
He also announced that his government would establish a new ministry addressing issues related to women, children and human rights, and acknowledged that a number of women were unpaid for their work in cleaning or the general upkeep of their islands. He promised his government would pay all the wages owed to such women.
Waheed in during his visit to the island of Funadhoo inaugurated the Funadhoo Powerhouse Development Project by laying the foundation for the extension of the powerhouse.
On Narudhoo, he urged school principals, supervisors and teachers to refrain from politicising the education system, and appealed to them stay away from getting caught up in politics.
In his address to the people of Maroshi, Waheed called on the people of the Maldives,to have faith and respect for the state institutions, in order for the country to maintain its nationhood.
He also claimed that there was “a small minority” who did not accept the judiciary, the armed forces, the police, or the leaders of the country, and that they were “only trying to create division and disorder among the people.”
Waheed in his meetings with the islanders on Lhaimagu, assured that his administration would treat all citizens equally, as opposed to the policy of the previous government.
He said that his government includes all major political parties and that this government was a national unity government. He also expressed regret that former president Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chose not to be part of the unity government which had the backing of majority of the people. Instead of joining the government, he said, former President Nasheed was trying to “come back to power through force”
While addressing the people of Kommandoo, Waheed said that he would “remain steadfast in fulfilling the responsibilities under the Constitution and under the mandate given by people’s votes”.
President Waheed concluded his trip after visiting the island of Maaun’goodhoo. Speaking to the people of Maaun’goodhoo, he said that today we are all under the shade of our dignified red, green and white flag, putting forth a front of unity for the future of our country, regardless of the political parties we belong to.
During this visits, supporters of former president Mohamed Nasheed had protested against Waheed and claimed that his government came to power and called for an early elections. However, speaking to Minivan News, Press Secretary of the President’s Office, Masood Imad said that there were “very few” protesters, who were “not an issue” for President Waheed.
President Mohamed Waheen Hassan arrives on Komandoo:
President Mohamed Waheed Hassan has appointed seven state ministers for various ministries in a ceremony held in the President’s office yesterday.
The newly appointed state ministers were Imad Solih as the Minister of State for Education, Fuad Gasim as the Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture, Ahmed Shameem and Mariyam Mizna Shareef as Ministers of State for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Abdulla Ameen as the Minister of State for Economic Development, Gassan Maumoon as the Minister of State for Human Resources, Youth and Sports and Sheikh Mohamed Didi as the Minister of State for Islamic Affairs.
Gassan Maumoon, appointed Minister of State for Human Resources, Youth and Sport, is the son of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Gassan also contested in the last parliamentary elections under a DRP ticket against the recently unseated MDP MP Musthafa. Gassan lost the election twice, after the Elections Commission held the election for a second time after the first election was declared invalid.
The Criminal Court in October 2011 ruled that the arrest of Gassan was unlawful, after he was summoned for questioning in connection with an injury sustained by an MDP protester outside his residence Endherimaage.
During the incident, a 17-year-old boy was struck on the head with a wooden plank allegedly thrown from Endherimaage, while protesters led by MDP MPs, councillors and senior members were marching by the former President’s residence. Police submitted documents containing early evidence for the judge’s considering, including a medical report of the injuries sustained by the 17-year-old, photos, witness statements and “evidence we collected from the scene.”
Gassan’s legal team, including current Attorney General Azima Shukoor, argued that witness statements were invalid as they would have come from “people participating in an unlawful assembly.”
Police argued at the time that if Gassan’s arrest was unlawful, “everyone police have ever arrested and brought before the court [for extension of detention] have been arrested in violation of the constitution”, and suggested that Gassan’s legal team was “concerned that we might present evidence” and that the legal argument bore “no weight.”
Imad Solih, appointed as the state minister of education, is currently the deputy leader of Dr Hassan Saeed’s Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and was a former presidential appointee to the People’s Special Majlis during the time when the constitution was drafted.
Gasim, appointed as the state minister for fisheries and agriculture, is the current secretary general and a council member of business tycoon and politician Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (JP).
Shameem, the newly appointed State Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, is a senior member and a council member of Dr Munavvar’s political party, the Maldives Reform Movement. Shameem is also the brother of the Human Rights Commission member Dr Ali Shameem.
Ameen, appointed as the Minister of State for Economic Development, is the current Secretary General of Dr Hassan Saeed’s DQP.
Mariyam Mizna Shareef, who was made state minister for tourism, arts and culture, is the daughter of DRP deputy leader Ahmed Shareef.
Sheikh Mohamed Didi, appointed as the State Minister for Islamic Affairs, is the President of the Civil Alliance, an umbrella coalition of NGOs behind the December 23 movement in defence of Islam. Didi also played a pivotal role in organising the 23 December Islamic rally and has been working with the opposition during the tenure of President Nasheed.
President Waheed, speaking to the newly appointed state ministers, expressed confidence in the new appointees and that he had no doubt in that they would serve the nation with best of their capacities.
MDP Spokesperson Imthiyas Fahumy said: ” Gassan is not at all experienced in working in such a position. What is happening right now is exactly what happened during Gayoom’s regime.”
“We are day-by-day seeing that Waheed does not have full power over this government. Someone else from Maumoon’s end is controlling this. Those who were involved in this coup are getting the positions,” Fahumy said.
Special Advisor to the President Dr Hassan Saeed, Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel and Attorney General Azima Shukoor, criticised the acts of the MPs, labeling them “uncivilised” and “unethical”.
“President Waheed went to the Majlis at 10:00am and had waited until 6:30pm to execute his constitutional duty,” said Dr Saeed. “He faced enormous challenges and obstruction [from MDP MPs] during this time but tried his best to resolve the situation peacefully until the last minute.”
Dr Saeed said that although he could not deliver his speech in the parliament, he had shared a written copy of his speech with the speaker and members of parliament would have received a copy of it by now.
“After requests from MDP MPs, the President met with them and they did make some proposals. The President, as the head of the state, even acknowledged those proposals but it all went astray at the end of the day,” Dr Saeed said.
“One proposal the MPs made was that instead of political parties negotiating on early elections, they wanted parliament to decide on the matter,” he added.
“The events that happened [in the Majlis] were uncivilised and unethical given the developed era we live in today.”
Home Minister Dr Jameel described Thursday as a “dark day in constitutional and parliamentary history” of the Maldives and acknowledged the patience and determination of the security forces in handling the situation.
“Security forces [police and MNDF] handled the situation with great patience and determination. Many officers sustained various degrees of injuries while controlling the protesters,” Dr Jameel said.
“14 officers sustained injuries, four of which were serious. One officer is still in a critical condition and is being prepared to be flown to Sri Lanka for additional care,” he continued.
He emphasised that the government would take action within the boundaries of the law against everybody who had obstructed the duties of the police, including those currently in police custody.
Dr Jameel noted that after investigation of those arrested, police had found that some of the suspects had tested positive for drugs after urine tests.
“We are now getting evidence that there are unlawful activities going on in the demonstrations held by the MDP,” he claimed.
Attorney General Azima Shukoor stated that she did not believe Dr Waheed had failed in executing his constitutional duties since as per the article 84 of the constitution, the first session of the parliament had not convened.
“According to the article 84 of the constitution, as long as the first session of the parliament has not convened, I do not believe that the president has failed in executing his constitutional duty,” she said.
Article 84 states: “At the beginning of the first session of each year at the first sitting, the President shall address the People’s Majlis [Parliament] on the state of the country, and may present proposals for improving the state of the country to the People’s Majlis.”
Shukoor offered assurances that President Waheed would remain determined to execute his constitutional duties and that he remained willing go to parliament and deliver the presidential address if the speaker and the parliament invited him to do so.
Asked how the government could proceed in passing bills and approving the appointment of ministers, if MDP MPs continued to challenge the government’s legitimacy and obstruct government proposals, Dr Saeed responded that “No one should try to take advantage of the President’s approach of negotiating for a peaceful solution, and no one will succeed. The President will do whatever he can in his capacity to deliver peace and order in the country.
“Those who obstructed the President from delivering the speech were not the majority of the parliament. There were 44 other MPs whose rights were deprived by them,” continued Dr Saeed.
“Whether [the MDP] believe it or not, this government is legitimate. It came to power constitutionally.
“Even if there are questions of legitimacy, this is not the way things have to be done. The international community, including the Commonwealth, have recognised the Commission that the government formed to investigate questions regarding that arose regarding recent events,” continued Saeed.
Dr Jameel said: “The actual answer to the question [you] asked is, we are seeing the behavioral differences between two political groups of the country. That is, since the beginning if anything that goes the way the MDP does not want, they always blame the institutions and the heads of those institutions.
“For instance, look at the example when the court issues a verdict in the case of MP Ismail Abdul Hameed or MP Musthafa, [two MPs who lost the seats recently]. [They claimed] the courts were at fault and they did not recognise the courts. MP Reeko Moosa Manik created his own court and issued verdicts. Where in the world does that happen? I am surprised because journalists don’t notice that,” Jameel said.
Jameel went on to state that “They [former government] arrested people the way they want and did not get their custodial period extended, for example the way they arrested me, I think they made a world record by summoning a politician six times in one week to the police station and keeping me very brutally in isolation at Dhoonidhoo island on three occasions just because of an opinion I expressed.”
Jameel continued “Minivan news is a newpaper which advocates freedom of expression as I heard, but even in Minivan News I highlight with regret that I don’t think they had reported this case, also I heard there was a group who advocated for detainees rights but they chose to remain silent when we were arrested, also they went to the court and said that we got orders from above to arrest Jameel. This is what the court said. Because it failed the courts were at fault [for MDP]”
Jameel also said that the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), Civil Service Commission (CSC) and Attorney General’s office had all been portrayed as at fault because they had issued statements that were against what MDP had wanted.
The police and the Maldives National Defence force had been painted as at fault by the MDP, Dr Jameel claimed, “because they had only asked then government not to issue unlawful orders. So [the MDP portrayed] them as the worst people that ever created. These are examples that can be seen.”
Jameel reiterated that when DRP was in opposition they had “never had hijacked the parliament when the President arrived to deliver the speech.”
Minivan News asked whether the government would continue to seek to negotiate a political solution for the situation, to which Dr Saeed responded: “This government is not a government that will declare war against parliament. If a bill or a policy that the government proposes is rejected by the parliament, we will not arrest MPs for charges of acting against the state. We will not keep MPs on Aarah for 10 days.”
“I assure that even if the most important policy of President Waheed does not pass, he will not take any action against the parliament. Cabinet Ministers won’t resign. He won’t protest in front of the parliament building. We assure you that from President Waheed.”
Dr Saeed also said that the policies Dr Waheed would propose would not be his own policies, or those of the coalition he represents, but would rather be in the best interest of the people. He also stated that Waheed’s policies would “not contradict the oath of the MPs as well.”
Shukoor responding, stating that “In the question of legitimacy, the opposition during Nasheed’s presidency questioned his legitimacy as well. But during that term, the legitimacy was not a problem because the constitution states that for any reason if the president resigns, the vice president would take his place. That’s what is in the constitution.”
“We are speaking of an early election not because we have a legal issue here, nor there is a question of legitimacy of the current government, but to find a political solution. We are calling to amend the constitution for an early election because there are no stipulations that allow an early election to be called.”
“It is very clear. The vice president can remain till the end of the term [after assuming presidency]. It is stated in the constitution so there are no issues of legitimacy here,” she claimed.
“The current president who is in power is the person people voted for in case the serving president was unable to continue his term in any circumstance, so even looking at the political purpose here, there is no question of legitimacy here.”
“When you say a sizable amount of MPs are questioning the president’s legitimacy, I believe the national flag was torn off [in the parliament chamber] not because there was a question of legitimacy of the president, thiswas is very clear. That the speaker was unable to get into the parliament chamber was not an issue concerning the legitimacy of the president.”
Shukoor said that even if the legitimacy question was there, no one should dishonor the national flag as the national flag was legitimate.
During the scuffles in parliament, Minivan News observed from the press gallery that the national flag was knocked over while MDP MPs sought to remove the Speaker’s chair, but was quickly returned to its original position.
President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Special Advisor, Dr Hassan Saeed, has said in a second leaked audio clip that given the current situation in the Maldives, the change of government on February 7 was “a new kind of coup”.
In the audio clip, said to be recorded while he was speaking to the Maldivian students in the UK, Saeed states: ʺThis is how we observe coups in practice. So the Maldives [case] has become a new category of coup. You have a coup. Within twenty four hours you have the deposed President campaigning in the media with full protection.”
ʺSo, we have to add another new category of coup to the normal definition. Obviously this is different, different than the [coups] that I know of,” Saeed continues.
“The way the person who assumed power came in after the coup was different in this case. The way we treat a deposed President after a coup has also changed.”
At the end of the clip, Saeed suggests that the events of February 7 was a contribution from the Maldives to political science.
Dr Saeed and Dr Waheed’s Press Secretary, Masood Imad, had not responded to calls at time of press.
However speaking to local newspaper Haveeru, Saeed dismissed the claims that his remarks were an admission that the change of government was a coup.
“If it was a coup that was brought in the Maldives, then it is a new type of coup,” he told Haveeru.
ʺFor an example, after the coup in Pakistan, Bhutto [father of Benazir Bhutto] was hanged. After the Libya revolution, Gaddafi was killed. In Philippines, Marcos [Ferdinand] fled the country. But in the case of Maldives, I said such occurrences did not take place.
“If the change of government happened via a coup, the current president gets the protection of police and the military. Cabinet meetings are held. The President is able to meet the public. The former President gets protection. He is able to live within the people. Therefore if it was a coup, then it’s a whole new type of coup,ʺ Saeed told Haveeru.
In another leaked audio recording yesterday, Dr Saeed described Dr Waheed as “politically the weakest person in the Maldives” with “a lot of legitimacy issues”.
Following that leak, President Waheed’s Press Secretary told Minivan News that Dr Saeed has said he “had been played” and that the recording had been “taken out of context”.
Dr Saeed was the former Attorney General during Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration, before he resigned to contest the presidential election in 2008.
He came third in the race, but joined Mohamed Nasheed in the second round and became his special advisor after Nasheed won the presidency. He subsequently left the government and joined the opposition.
Transcript – Dr Hassan Saeed:
ʺCoup, most recently we saw the Egypt coup, Mubarak was ousted. Tunisia had a coup recently, and after that Gaddafi. If we even go further back, the case of Marcos [Ferdinand Marcos] of Philippines, he fled the country.
This is how we observe coups in practice. So the Maldives [case] has become a new category of coup. You have a coup. Within twenty four hours you have the deposed president campaign in the media with full protection.
When all these things happen, in parallel, the next president came in to power through a constitutional route. This is a unique case, which we have got to study ourselves.
So, we have to add another new category of coup to the normal definition. Obviously this is different, different than the things [coups] that I know of. This is different from the normal examples I know of.
And, the way the person who assumed power came in after the coup was different in this case. The way we treat a deposed president after a coup has also changed.
Actually, a Maldivian contribution to what type of science is this? Political science?
The thing is, this is a new case, this is a case that has to be studied.ʺ
President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has formed a “Commission of National Inquiry” to investigate the events that unfolded in the Maldives during the period from 14 January to 8 February.
The inquiry was created by presidential decree as per the article 223 clause (d) of the constitution.
The President’s Office stated that the commission was established to make “an independent impartial investigation” into the change of power and surrounding protests.
President Waheed nominated three members to the commission: former minister of defence and national security during President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration Ismail Shafeeu, Gayoom’s former minister of tourism and the first president of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Mujuthaba, and Dr Ibrahim Yasir.
Shafeeu was nominated to chair the commission. Mujuthaba is also chairing the cross-party talks concerning Dr Waheed’s “Roadmap for a Possible Way Forward”, which the MDP has boycotted due to the involvement of un-elected parties without a democratic mandate.
President Waheed has also requested Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz oversee the legality of the inquiries and investigations as per the article 223 (d) of the constitution.
The commission has been given the mandate to compile a full report on the outcome of the investigation and submit it the President, the Prosecutor General and the Attorney General – Gayoom’s former lawyer, Azima Shukoor.
Dr Waheed’s Press Secretary Musood Imad was not responding to calls at time of press.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson for International Affairs, MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, questioned the impartiality of the commission.
“How can [the government] carry out an impartial investigation, when they themselves were involved in the actions during that time period?” he asked.
“This is exactly the same type of commission that was formed during Gayoom’s regime to look into the events that unfolded in Maafushi Jail in 2003, including the custodial death of Evan Naseem,” Ghafoor said.
“Look what happened to the report they published then – people questioned it, and part of it was censored. We are calling for a third party consisting of international experts to come and into look into the matter. We absolutely do not believe that this commission will be impartial in investigating the matter.”
The legality and legitimacy of the transfer of presidential power in the Maldives should be determined by the independent impartial investigation, and the make-up and mandate of the investigation must to be agreeable to all responsible political parties, the MDP has said, acknowledging the European Union (EU)’s statement on the current situation of Maldives.
The investigation “must include international experts and should deliver accountability for all human rights violations,” MDP’s statement read.
Police and protesters attack the military base on February 7:
Police, MNDF and opposition protesters break into the state broadcaster on February 7:
A police crackdown on MDP demonstrators and supporters followed on February 8:
The stock price of the Indian infrastructure giant operating Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) took a tumble on the Mumbai Stock Exchange following the ousting of former president Mohamed Nasheed last week, as images of the unfolding violence were beamed around the world.
GMR has made a US$511 million investment in the Maldives’ international airport. The price of shares in GMR Infrastructure, which was contracted to develop INIA by the previous government, dropped by almost five percent on February 7 following news that fierce clashes between security forces on the streets of capital Male’ had led to Nasheed’s resignation.
GMR’s share prices quickly recovered over the following few days, as Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was sworn in, and rain tempered public demonstrations which on Wednesday turned violent after police attacked a march by members of Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
Speaking on February 11 about foreign investments in the Maldives, Dr Waheed said that foreign investors should not be concerned about the political upheaval affecting their interests in the Maldives, but hinted that some investments may come under scrutiny.
“We will not target anybody for political reasons,” he said.
“If there are any reasons for concern over investment, of course any steps that need to be taken will be taken.”
Speaking specifically about the contract with GMR, Dr Waheed said he would not approach the deal “from a political perspective”, adding, “It is not our intention to harm GMR. Our objective will be to resolve concerns of the public [regarding the company].”
GMR’s stock price continues to teeter this week.
“Short term fluctuations”
Speaking to Minivan News, one of India’s leading political economists Paranjoy Guha Thakurta observed that the political situation in the Maldives has affected GMR to a certain degree but pointed out that “GMR is also politically influenced in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.”
Thakurta said that the fluctuations in GMR’s stock prices should be seen in a wider context.
“These are short term fluctuations,” he said: “By and large, the markets of the world have been in limbo for some time. India’s stock market has been politically prone in the past year. I wouldn’t read too much into it,” he said.
The multi-million dollar deal to operate and dramatically expand the Maldives’ international air hub has been the target of controversy from the political opposition, much of it flowing from the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), a member of which – Dr Mohamed Jameel – is now the country’s Home Minister.
Nasheed’s government offered GMR, in partnership with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), the 25-year contract in June 2010. Since that time, various opposition parties including Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), Jumhooree Party (JP), and the People’s Alliance (PA) have questioned the contract’s legality while former airport employees have protested against what they have claimed is a foreign take-over of their business domain.
Opposition parties have accused MDP cabinet members of having “vested interests” in the deal. In late 2011 the DQP took their objections to press and produced a 24-page book claiming the deal would “enslave the nation”, while former DRP leader and current deputy leader of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Umar Naseer said last year that his party would re-nationalise the airport if it came to power.
While Dr Waheed is not a member of PPM or DRP, Naseer’s recent actions indicate shared interests. On January 31, a delegation of the December 23 Coalition, including Naseer, declared its allegiance to Dr Waheed amidst protests against Nasheed’s government and called for all military and police forces to back Dr Waheed. Naseer also recently informed the public that he was instrumental in the events and discussions leading up to Nasheed’s resignation.
Speaking to press last week, Nasheed said he had been aware that his vice president was meeting with opposition leaders at his home.
Naseer also told Minivan News in June 2010 that “If [GMR] allowed it, an Israeli flight can come and stop over after bombing Arab countries”.
Nasheed’s government was criticised last year for entertaining a deal with Israeli airline El Al. Following demonstrations in defense of Islam on December 23, in which opposition party and religious NGO leaders spoke against relations with Israel, the National Security Committee advised against the deal.
Past events have shown that GMR is sensitive to political fluctuations in the Maldives. GMR’s price on the stock market saw a 7 percent fall in December, when the Civil Court blocked GMR from deducting an Airport Development Charge of US$25 (Rf385.5) from passengers departing on international flights, according to India’s Economic Times.
Thakurta said, “If they re-open the contract, it wouldn’t hurt them [GMR]. GMR is really big, they’re the company behind Delhi’s new airport, which is India’s biggest airport.
“As in the case of what happened in Mauritius, GMR has had some issues over the charging of airport development fees for passengers, and the same story is being replicated in the Maldives,” he concluded.
GMR unphased
Declining to comment on the stock market fluctuations, GMR CEO of Maldives operations Andrew Harrison said GMR expects the existing INIA deal to be upheld, despite the change of administration in the Maldives.
Speaking to Minivan News, Harrison stressed that the Indian company is “politically neutral” and added that it respects whichever party is in control of the government of the Maldives.
“We’ve always been politically neutral in that our remit is solely about developing and operating the airport,” he said.
“We respect whichever party holds the seat of government in the Maldives. The government change is a change we respect and we remain politically neutral. We’ve got a concession agreement and we are sure that any government in power will respect that agreement. We’ve not heard anything that would make us believe otherwise.”
Several foreign staff working in Male’ as GMR contractors were temporarily relocated to India after both they and their employers expressed concerns over their safety. The political situation in Male’ remains volatile.
Harrison said, “Our only concern is for the welfare of GMR staff, so we have advised them to avoid hotspots where it appears that riots and trouble is breaking out.”
He added that tourists traveling through INIA should not be too concerned about the events in Male’, as the airport and resorts are separated from the capital city.
Harrison said, “The resorts and the airport island are geographically separated from Male’, and we’re also fortunate in the fact that the Maldivian culture is both welcoming and friendly towards foreigners. We’ve seen demonstrations of great hospitality both at the airport and at the resorts, both during and prior to this situation.
“People visiting the Maldives are being made to feel very welcome in the Maldives, despite what’s going on in Male’. The Maldivians have a very warm and nurturing culture and a willingness to welcome visitors – and this won’t be affected by the political situation,” he added.
There have been no political protests at INIA or any of the resorts to date. As such, the majority of current travel advice issued by foreign embassies recommends that tourists specifically avoid visiting the island of Male’, but they are not issuing a blanket travel warning against visiting the Maldives, apart from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukraine which advises it citizens to avoid the country as a whole.
Video footage taken during the storming of Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) on February 7 reveals that a police officer used a firearm to break down the gates of the station headquarters in capital Male’, allowing dozens of police and military forces (MNDF) as well as some civilians in plain clothes to forcefully take over the station.
According to Maldivian law police officers are not issued firearms.
Approximately two hours before former president Mohamed Nasheed resigned from office “under duress” in what his government has called a “coup d’état”, a group of rogue security forces armed with batons, iron rods, wooden planks and evidently firearms “hijacked” the state media station, forcing it to change to Television Maldives (TVM), its title under former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
A video obtained from an unidentified source captured the event from an upstairs window within the MNBC compound, looking down on the television station’s locked gates.
The video begins as tear gas canisters are thrown at a group of MDP activists attempting to protect the building outside the gate, billowing yellow smoke and forcing then to retreat from the area. A woman inside the MNBC headquarters screams, “Oh Mother! Mother!” as another comforts her, asking to “stop crying.”
Riot police with shields charge the gate as the tear gas clears, accompanied by several men who are not wearing uniforms. As the scene unfolds, a male voice is heard saying, “Look there’s the police coming, they have guns”, while another man exclaims: “Oh no! That’s the bad police”.
The mob then attempts to break the heavy chain on the gates while a man inside shouts, “Oh my God, they’re opening [the gates], they’re opening”.
At the height of the attack on the gates, a uniformed police officer sticks a gun through the circular hole on the right-hand side of the gate and fires. Smoke from the weapon’s discharge floats up into the air. The crowd then bursts through the gates into the courtyard. Some of the men throw stones and one of the men, who isn’t wearing a uniform, is brandishing an iron rod in his hand. The mob then advances towards the main entrance of MNBC before the video cuts out.
“We felt trapped, kidnapped”
Minivan News spoke to some of the then-MNBC staff on duty inside the headquarters that morning, who recounted the “frightening experience” of February 7 on condition of total anonymity.
“They just stormed into the building and broke the doors and windows to force their way in. Some slapped the paper stacks and equipment off the tables. The first guy who came into the newsroom was a protestor and he ordered us to stop all the work we were doing. He kept on stomping his feet on the ground to frighten us and threatened to ‘finish us’ if we didn’t listen. So we stopped. We were all so scared,” one reporter recalled.
“In just a few minutes the whole place was filled with protesters shouting at us, police and MNDF took over the main control room. There were shouts and cries of girls everywhere. We felt trapped, kidnapped,” the reporter added.
“A policeman shouted that we [MNBC] have brought enough of what government wanted. Now its time for them to broadcast what they want,” another station employee claimed.
The employee added that they were ordered to patch through the VTV channel, owned by minority opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader and MP Gasim Ibrahim. The nation watched VTV on state TV before the feed was cut off and came back on, re-branded as TVM.
Another staff member said that the security forces let the staff that wanted to leave the building exit, and assured them, “No harm will come to the rest”.
Newsroom sub-editor Ahmed Muhsin was taken home under police custody, another staff member told Minivan News.
“But we were surrounded by armed opposition protestors. We were scared for our lives,” the source continued. “The first anchor who went on air could not continue even because of the intimidation. So someone else had to take over”.
Police sub-inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has ordered an investigation into the events of February 7, and that police will not comment on the events of that day until the investigation is concluded.
Dr Waheed’s alleged involvement
MNBC Managing Director Adam Shareef told Minivan News that he was “advised to hide to guard his life” when the protestors stormed in threatening to attack Muhsin and himself for alleged alignment with Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
“I was hiding inside the light room until the security forces assured me I would be given protection. When I came out Dr Waheed’s brother Ali Waheed was there. He shook my hands and said that he was there to take over MNBC on behalf of Vice President Dr Waheed. This was before Nasheed resigned.”
Shareef also claimed that Ali Waheed came earlier that morning asking to handover the state media but he refused. “I told him that MNBC had the authority to run the state media and we would not hand over it unless the security forces came. So that’s why they [police and MNDF] came with the protestors,” Shareef observed.
He said that he waited at the station to ensure the safety of his staff, while Muhsin was escorted home.
Several sources at the newsroom confirmed that members of Dr Waheed’s Gaumee Ithihaad party including Ahmed Faiz and Alim Shakoor, younger brother of newly appointed Attorney General and opposition-friendly lawyer Aishath Azima Shakoor, were in the news room “giving orders” that day.
Previously, Azima Shakoor represented parliament’s state broadcaster Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) in a drawn out tug-of-war with state owned MNBC for control of the assets of the state broadcaster, formerly Television Maldives (TVM) and Voice of Maldives (VoM).
Its also notable that after taking office, the first presidential decree passed by President Dr. Waheed was to transfer assets to MBC, although Nasheed’s administration had repeatedly contended that the MBC board is stacked with opposition supporters and that its attempt to control of MNBC is effectively a “media coup”.
Meanwhile, MNBC was criticised for favouring MDP.
State media liberated or hijacked?
The MNBC staff, who earlier spoke to Minivan News, insisted that “in the name of liberating state media, the police, MNDF and the protestors hijacked [MNBC]”.
“We know the lawful state broadcaster is MBC. But this is not the way they should take over. If the rule of law was respected as Dr Waheed promised in his first presidential address, he would not have let the security forces take control over us,” said a senior member of the MNBC staff.
Minivan News could not reach Maldives Broadcasting Commission at time of press.
The commission has however given a license to MBC, which is now preparing to take over management of the national broadcasting station’s assets, local media reports. President Waheed has replaced the MNBC board and tasked it with overseeing the transfer of assets to MBC, which the MDP has previously alleged has a board stacked with opposition figures.
Meanwhile, speaking to Minivan News, the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) President Hiriga Ahmed Zahir claimed that the organisation has not reacted to the take over of MNBC because the police were “enforcing the law”.
“MNBC was operating the state media unlawfully, despite repeated calls from us and court orders to hand it over to the parliament-created state broadcaster,” Zahir continued.
He claimed that MNBC was “abusing the state assets, and tax payer’s money” to make the state media a “propaganda machine” of MDP, in the non-existence of a fair editorial policy.
“I am not saying it was done in the most appropriate way. It was a chaotic situation. But we will always welcome bringing unlawful actions within the legal bounds. Police is the body to enforce the laws and I see no reason to object to the police taking over the state media to hand over it to the lawful body,” Zahir said.
He added that it would have been a problem if they had destroyed MNBC’s equipment or intimidated the staff, but said the organisation had not received any official complaints although some concerns have been raised informally.
Former National Security Advisor and former Defence Minister Ameen Faisal meanwhile observed that it looks “very strange” to see the police in the video firing a gun outside the MNBC office.
“It’s very strange to see. It’s very clearly seen in the footage that they were firing from the main outside gate inside [the MNBC compound] and our police force has never been issued with guns. The big question is how they got the guns. Evidently it was from the MNDF because they are the only people authorised to carry guns.”
He further added that the Maldives witnessed a “police mutiny turn into an armed mutiny” on February 7, which forced a democratically-elected president to resign.
“Any democratic country will not accept a government which used the police force and mutiny to forcefully resign a democratically-elected president. They have to condemn [the new administration], with this video footage and with all the torturing by the police. They should not accept the legitimacy of the government and should ask the people of the Maldives to decide who their president should be,” Faisal contended.
A photo circulating on Facebook apparently showing defected police and MNDF celebrating in the courtyard of the state broadcaster, after taking it over on Tuesday.
Police with the Maldives’ Drug Enforcement Department (DED) this evening removed alcohol bottles and what they claimed was evidence of other illicit substances from the home of former President Mohamed Nasheed, shortly after his resignation in dramatic circumstances today.
Elements of the police joined opposition protests last night and this morning attacked the headquarters of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) this morning in Republic Square. A further 60-70 MNDF soldiers joined the protesters. Shortly afterwards, the state broadcaster MNBC was taken over by police and opposition protesters, and rebranded Television Maldives (TVM), the name of the institution under Gayoom’s government.
A spokesperson for Nasheed said earlier this evening that the former President is currently being detained against his will, and dismissed the discovery of the bottles and illicit substances as an attempt to discredit Nasheed and gain popular support for what he described as “a coup d’etat”.
As of 11:00pm, the spokesperson said Nasheed has been allowed to return home.
“Gayoom controls the judiciary, now the executive, the media, and in couple of weeks probably the parliament. One thing he cannot control is popular support for President Nasheed, so he needs to find a way to jail or discredit him ahead of the 2013 election,” the spokesperson said.
Several individuals connected with the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) were seriously injured during the unrest, while two sources told Minivan News that a party activist was killed today after a metal pole rammed upwards through his jaw. Minivan News is seeking confirmation.
At 3:00pm Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan was sworn in as President. As per the constitution, Dr Waheed must now appoint a vice president to be approved by the Parliament. He may also reform the Cabinet.
Following his appointment Dr Waheed addressed the nation on TVM, and said he was grateful to the police and MNDF who had made “great sacrifices” to defend constitution.
“Today is the day the rule of law has been established in the country perfectly,” Dr Waheed said.
“I will not order the police, military or any person to do anything against the law – I promise it to the public. Everyone will have the protection of constitution and laws.”
According to Police Media Official Ahmed Shiyam, the DED investigation of the historical President’s Residence was prompted when a lorry emerged from the residence with “bags of trash”.
“Security stopped the vehicle and found a number of alcohol bottles in the bags. The police were notified of the situation and an investigation is underway,” Shiyam said.
While “there were many bottles,” Shiyam said the “investigation is ongoing.”
At 6:00pm this evening Minivan News observed Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) and police forces jointly guarding the left entrance to the residence from a crowd of approximately 500 members of the public, most of whom are affiliated with former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), according to onlookers. A police van was parked near the official entrance around the corner amidst throngs of people standing on the low walls to observe the event.
Minority opposition Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP) MP Riyaz Rasheed and PPM MP Ilham Ahmed were also present at the scene, speaking with security forces and directing the crowds to clear the road and stay on the sidewalks.
From the upper level of a nearby building bags and boxes could be seen moved into a security van parked within the residence. While bottles were not clearly visible, the scent of alcohol could be detected when the lorry was moved closer to the residence gate.
When asked whether further demonstrations were planned for this evening, onlookers said they believed the biggest ordeal was over.
“It’s done now, tonight we are celebrating,” one of the people outside the President’s residence claimed.
When asked whether Nasheed had been arrested, Shiyam reported that he has been taken to a secure location by security services.
“[Nasheed] is being kept for his own safety now under the surveillance of Maldives National Security Forces, which includes police and MNDF,” Shiyam said. “He is the main concern, as is anything that might happen to his family. Police will take anything related to the family seriously.”
Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which was brought to power in the country’s first democratic elections in 2008, appeared subdued today following clashes with police last night, injuries to key members, and the torching of the party’s headquarters this afternoon.
The party issued the following statement this evening:
“We strongly condemn the coup d’etat that has been brought against the constitutionally elected government of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives. Last night rogue elements from the Maldives Police Service in conjunction with the supporters of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom overthrew the democratically elected government of President Nasheed.
“The overthrow occurred after small numbers of police and army personal, in response to a call from leading opposition figures, Abdulla Yameen (former President Gayoom’s half brother) and Umar Naseer (former security officer in the regime of President Gayoom), joined with a group of protesters in the centre of Male, protesting against the arrest and detention of a judge accused of corruption.
“These police and army personnel, especially those from the notorious Star Force established by former President Gayoom then, ignoring the chain of command, moved around the capital in full riot gear, attacking MDP headquarters and the houses of MDP MPs and government officials.
“Many MDP members and government officials were badly hurt. Some are unaccounted for. MDP-associated property continues to be attacked. In this climate of chaos and fear, the rogue elements of the police and army helped to take over the main national TV channel, MNBC, replacing it with President Gayoom’s old TV Maldives (TVM), and also moved to take control of key installations.
“During this time, ex President Gayoom’s allies moved to retake control of the army and police. The opposition, supported by the army and police, then offered an ultimatum to President Nasheed: step down or be faced with a bloodbath in the capital.
“President Nasheed thus resigned in order to protect the public from further violence. His resignation was involuntary in that he had no choice.”
“President Nasheed was taken to the President’s Office under the custody of the security forces and subsequently resigned.
“We also condemn the violent attacks carried out against our members by the Maldives Police Service including Member of Parliament and our former chairperson Mariya Didi and other MPs from the party.
“We call upon the international community to assist us in establishing democracy in the Maldives and protect the officials of the government of President Nasheed. We fear for the safety of President Nasheed and senior members of his government.”
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