Tag: waheed

Comment: Master or puppet?

This article first appeared on DhivehiSitee. Republished with permission.

The Maldives does not have a leader and is currently under the control of an unidentified shadowy ‘group of leaders’, according to… the President. It is an astonishing statement for any leader to make.

There is much to suggest Waheed is as helpless as implied by his public whingeing. He does not, for instance, seem to have any authority to keep his own house in order. There are several examples.

Very early on in his presidency Waheed’s Special Advisor Hassan Saeed was secretly recorded describing Waheed as: “politically the weakest person in the Maldives.”

In the United States, decorated Army General Stanely McChrystal had to resign after his aides were reported mocking Vice President Joe Biden. In the Maldives, Saeed, with his Jekyll and Hyde personality, remains in position.

Same with Abbas Adil Riza, the President’s Spokesperson. Riza’s ‘emotional outburst’ against the Indian High Commissioner left Waheed with diplomatic egg on his face. Yet, Riza remains authorised to speak for the President.

Would Waheed get rid of them if he had a choice? Judging from how quickly he fired his Transport Minister and Human Rights Minister, the answer is ‘yes.’ Abbas and Saeed made Waheed look an even bigger fool than did Shamheed and Dhiyana.

Waheed is a man particularly fond of his reputation. He recently wrote:

If he had a choice, it is unlikely Abbas and Saeed would ever be gainfully employed again, let alone be his closest aides.

When Waheed fired Shamheed and Jamsheed, supporters cheered the President’s ‘decisiveness’. But firing them exhausted the extent of Waheed’s authority. This is why: after February 7, like generals divvying up the spoils of a war, each party in the so-called Unity Government claimed for itself ‘slots’ in the Cabinet.

This dodgy power-sharing agreement is what has come to be known as the Coalition Government and appears to be the cabal of equal leaders Waheed was referring to.

Under the new system, cabinet portfolios can only be given to individuals nominated by a particular party. If a close aide or a cabinet minister offends the President beyond his tolerance, he is free to fire them (depending on which party’s nominee it is). But he cannot hire the replacement. Only Party Greats have the authority to do so.

Party Greats, the elected leaders and leading personalities of various parties in Waheed’s Unity Government, are also beyond Waheed’s influence. This applies regardless of how often they mock, patronise or harm Waheed’s presidency.

Among these petty generals, Sheikh Imran Abdulla stands out. Imran is currently heading one of the stupidest political campaigns in history—a ‘Jihad’ to take back the ‘Maldivian Airport for Maldivians’. For God’s sake.

Imran is the President of the Islamist Adhaalath Party and runs a lucrative Rent-a-Sheikh business. That is, in exchange for the right sort of political or financial returns, he agrees to bring his religious ideology to bear on whatever issue is causing headaches for his paymasters.

In the last two weeks, Imran has given the President not one but two ultimatums. Currently, the President has until the end of the month to fulfil Imran’s demands, or else.

Even under such circumstances, Waheed poses for pictures with leaders and nationalistic paraphernalia of Imran’s ‘Airport Jihadists’.

Hard to believe any President would willingly look such a fool.

Maldives Police Service also seems well beyond the reach of Waheed’s leadership. In the early hours of last Friday the 16th, it ran what has been named an  ‘Intel-led Drug Bust Operation’ resulting in the arrest of two MPs and several senior members of MDP. It involved scores of officers swimming onto a desert island in the dark to ambush the targets at a weekend getaway.

Police found a hefty stash of alcohol on the island, and kept the arrested in handcuffs for hours. Family members are alleging they were badly beaten up in custody.

Waheed appeared as ambushed by police behaviour as were the targets of their Operation. Commissioner of Police Riyaz Abdulla said:

Such operations are not carried out by Police after informing the President or the Home Minister. This institution does not have any political influence.

For a president with any real authority, there would have been at least a courtesy call from the police, not a flippant explanation like Riyaz’s.

Is the President a puppet? Not according to…the President. In the same letter cited above, he wrote:

Nasheed accuses me of being a puppet of the former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. This is an accusation I reject.

There is currently a no confidence motion pending against Waheed in the Parliament. Last monday, MPs were due to decide whether or not the impeachment vote could be kept secret. The general opinion seems to be that if MPs are allowed to vote secretly, they will choose to get rid of Waheed.

MPs were ambushed in Operation Alcohol just two days before the vote. With the desert island debacle still fresh in everybody’s minds, the motion to put the impeachment to a secret vote failed narrowly.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has said it is difficult not to see the arrests as politically motivated. It really does not take a conspiracy theorist to link the arrests with the no confidence motion.

If Waheed is pulling the strings, then he ordered the arrests. And, if the arrested MPs’ families are telling the truth, he also ordered them humiliated, intimidated and beaten up. No puppet can pull strings like that.

There are more ways to see Waheed than suggested by Waheed. He is neither puppet no master but the curtain behind which the show was planned. He was the fig-leaf that gave the appearance of legitimacy to a coup. In return for ‘ascendency to the Presidency’, Waheed promised he will not resign until 2013, not matter what. Even if it means looking like a right puppet.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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Civil Court orders DRP MPs Azim and Nashiz to hand over mortgaged property as payment for BML loans

The Civil Court has ruled on Thursday that the properties mortgaged in relation to the Funaddoo Tuna Products unpaid loans are to be handed over to the Bank of Maldives (BML) within a period of 15 days.

The ruling permits BML to then sell the property in order to settle the payments. The mortgaged properties are Madivaru Yacht, Reethi Beach Resort and Funaddoo.

BML said in court today that as a result of delaying payment, the due amount has now risen from MVR 117 million (US$7,587,549) to MVR 206 million (US$13,359,274) , once the loan interest is added.

Representatives of the bank said in court today that the accounts of the individual guarantors have been frozen, according to local media. The guarantors are Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party MPs Ali Azim and Mohamed Nashiz, and Ahmed Rasheed of Rafeeguge.

The bank also said that the passports of the DRP MPs have now been held, preventing them from departing the country.

BML declined from commenting on the issue at time of press as the matter is an ongoing case.

Voted against Waheed’s wishes, court summons again: MP Azim

DRP MP Ali Azim has stood by his earlier allegation that the case being carried through now is politically motivated.

The police were given an order to present MPs Nashiz and Azim to court under detention, while the hearing was scheduled for the same time as the taking of votes in parliament to approve secret balloting for impeachment votes.

The court order was first cancelled a few hours after it was issued. Police Media Official Sub-Inspector Haneef had at the time said that the reason provided by the court was that the presiding judge had been abroad, and other cases had been scheduled.

Azim stated in parliament that he had received calls from President Mohamed Waheed Hassan, President’s Political Advisor Ahmed Thaufeeg and Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza, asking him to cast the vote on secret balloting in a way they preferred. He alleged that they had offered to stop the summons if he voted in line with them.

Azim had said in parliament then that he was “not the least bit surprised” that Waheed had called, adding that Waheed had called previously for similar matters, including the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) elections.

However, the MP subsequently voted in favour of secret balloting.

The Civil Court then summoned the MPs to court again, and the hearing was held Thursday.

“We were summoned to court, and then there was the attempt to intimidate me. When I voted against his wishes, the court immediately summons me back again. I believe this is politically motivated,” Azim said today after the hearing.

DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, MP Mohamed Nashiz and Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid were not responding to calls at the time of press.

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Maldives sacks Human Rights Minister, “now under military dictatorship” says ruling coalition MP

Jumhoree Party (JP) Deputy Leader and MP Abdulla Jabir has challenged the legitimacy of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan and his current government, alleging the country is now run by the police and military.

His wife Dhiyana Saeed, President Waheed’s Minister for Gender and Human Rights, was subsequently sacked.

At a press conference regarding the police raid of  arrests of himself, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, former President’s Special Envoy Ibrahim Hussain Zaki and other persons on charges of consuming alcohol, Jabir strongly criticized Waheed and the current government.

“They were so violent at first I thought they were some pirates or terrorists, they didn’t have badges or identification. Only after hours of brutality did they claim to be police and tell us we were arrested under charges of drug abuse,” Jabir said.

“I kept asking why theywere  acting in such a violent manner, but no one provided a reply.”

He said that they had been handcuffed for close to 12 hours before they had been transferred to the Kulhudhuhfushi court.

Jabir, who had refused to provide urine samples to the police, explained his stand: “I repeated this to the judge too. I said I’m ready to give urine, or even shave off all the hair on my head and give it to them, or even blood,but that they had to follow laws and procedures when making arrests.”

The MP in the ruling coalition party further alleged that “some persons” in the executive had lately been finding it “hard to digest statements in Majlis which were made in the public interest” and had resorted to tactics such as phone tapping. He also said that since military vehicles were involved, it was “reason enough” to believe that Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim were complicit.

Jabir said he had made a phone call to the Minister of Home Affairs Dr Mohamed Jameel right after he was released by the court.

“The Home Minister, Dr Jameel, said he had no knowledge [of the arrests]. So I have to say now that this country does not even have a home minister.”

“I am a JP MP who has supported Waheed and voted with his interests in parliament. I am also a deputy leader of JP, which is a coalition member of this government. Why did they then beat us up like this?” Jabir continued.

“Zaki nearly died. I almost died, too. I must say now the government is trying to kill off MPs.”

Speaking of the ministers, Jabir said: “No one has yet submitted a case on their cabinet posts to the courts, and the courts have not decided whether they are in their posts legitimately.”

“Even though the CNI said that this is not a coup, under what law does that CNI even qualify as a legal court?” Jabir said, questioning the legitimacy of the government – of which his own party is a coalition member.

“I see no reason why the President does not have to take the responsibility for this. That is, if there is a president. I now question whether there even is a president here. I guess the courts will provide us with an answer to that,” Jabir stated.

“I was giving Waheed my full support. But now I have been brutally beaten up for no reason at all. How can I support him after this? I can only describe the people behind this as devils disguised as humans,” he continued.

“I now see that what we have in the Maldives is a military dictatorship. We need to hold early elections as soon as possible. I will do everything I can in my capacity as a parliament member to facilitate early elections.”

“You were not even elected”: former HR Minister to President

Waheed administration’s Human Rights Minister, Dhiyana Saeed,  also attended her husband Jabir’s press conference the previous day “as moral support to [her] husband who has been badly brutalised.”

She was subsequently dismissed from cabinet.

“In my career, I have always had to take the side of the police and defend their actions, although I have never found it easy to accept their brutality towards citizens,” Saeed said, adding, “But this time, I have seen too close the violence they dealt out. No one should be beaten up, regardless of what the charges for arrest are.”

Saeed then proceeded to demonstrate through role play the exact manner in which the police had brutalised her husband, acting out how and where the police had hit him.

“Police even hit Jabir on his private organs so hard that he is still bleeding. I would know, I have seen for myself,” Saeed said, sharing the doctor’s reports to support the point.

According to Saeed, she had sent a text message to Waheed upon learning of Jabir’s arrest: “I said to him that he would know very well which of the cabinet ministers have spouses who consume alcohol, and that I knew very well why Jabir was arrested. I was implying that it was politically motivated and had to do with Monday’s vote in parliament. If it honestly is about alcohol consumption, then I believe there’s a huge number of people that need to be arrested.”

“I also told him that I am very shocked to see the levels he is stooping to to hold on to his post, and said that he was not even elected by a public vote. I have quite a lot of things I can say under oath too.”

Saeed then claimed that Waheed had responded stating that he was unaware of the arrests, adding that he himself was questioning who could have done this and for what purpose. According to her, Waheed himself said that he suspected it had been done in connection to Monday’s vote, in order to create more hostility towards him among the MPs.

Dhiyana Saeed was terminated from her post as the Human Rights Minister on Monday, following her public criticism of the current administration.

Abbas quits JP over Jabir’s comments

Meanwhile, government spokesperson and council member of JP Abbas Adil Riza has quit the party today, stating as a reason that judging by the statements made by people in the party leadership, he did not like the direction the party seemed to be moving in.

“Jabir’s statements are not sentiments that I can agree with. I don’t accept that it is within my principles to stay with people who evade taxes and defame police and other people. That is why I am leaving the party,” Abbas said.

We acted professionally during the arrest: police

Police have made public their official video of the arrest on Monday. Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef denied that police had caused any physical harm to any of the arrested persons.

He however said that those who had restricted arrest had been pushed to the ground and handcuffed, adding that any damage caused through showing resistance was the responsibility of the arrested.

Haneef stated that police had followed normal procedures and acted professionally in the operation.

Abdulla Jabir and Dhiyana Saeed’s press conference:

Police footage of Jabir’s arrest:

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“Everybody running the state as they please”: President Waheed

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan told a rally on the island Kinolhas in Raa Atoll over the weekend that the Maldives “does not have a leader now.”

“As some people [say], the Maldives does not have a leader now. Lots of leaders are here, and all are of the same level. And so then everybody runs the state as they please,” Waheed told the rally.

“And the senior leader should not say anything. If he does, then it’s time to take away his post quickly,” Waheed said.

Waheed’s remarks came amid rising tension between parliament and the executive following the arrest of two opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs and an MP from the ruling coalition, Abdulla Jabir, on charges of a consumption of alcohol.

The Civil Court on Sunday also ordered the arrest of two MPs in the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) – another ruling coalition member – in connection with unpaid loans of several million dollars with the Bank of Maldives, through companies with ties to DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

DRP MP Azim alleged that President Waheed and other senior members of the executive had approached him, offering to cancel the court summons if he agreed during Monday’s vote on secret balloting to vote in the way they preferred.

The court hearing was scheduled at 1:00pm – the same time as the vote. The court order was subsequently cancelled.

“It is difficult to believe that the court order for the arrest of the two MPs, Azim and Nashiz, at the time the vote is scheduled is a coincidence. It proves the allegations made by a huge section of society that the courts are politicised,” said the MDP in a statement.

The wife of Jumhoree Party (JP) MP Jabir, Gender and Human Rights Minister Dhiyana Saeed, said following her husband’s arrest that President Waheed had sent her a text message denying any knowledge of the arrests.

“The leader of the country is saying that he himself is questioning the motivation behind this and who it was that did this. Police made the arrests, right? So this is an allegation against police by the President. And he said in the SMS that there is a possibility that some people might have done this to antagonise people against [the President] with regard to the vote on Monday,” Saeed told an emergency meeting of parliament’s privileges committee.

According to Saeed, President Waheed had alleged that the arrests were “directly connected to Monday’s vote.”

That vote concerned whether to allow a ‘secret vote’ in an as-yet unscheduled no-confidence motion against President Waheed. The MDP-initiated proposition was ultimately defeated during Monday’s parliamentary vote by a narrow margin of 34 to 39 votes.

Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz meanwhile declared that President Waheed had no prior knowledge of the arrests of the MPs.

“Such operations are not carried out by police after informing the President or the Home Minister. This institution does not have any political influence. We have the room to function with professionalism,” Riyaz told local media.

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Civil Court issues, cancels order to detain DRP MPs Nashiz and Azim over BML debts

The Civil Court issued an order on Sunday to take Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs Mohamed Nashiz and Ali Azim into custody and present them in court.

The order was cancelled later the same day, on the grounds that the judge presiding over the case was out of the country.

Police Media Official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said police had been working to implement the order. He confirmed that the hearing had been scheduled for 1.30pm on Monday.

After the cancellation of the order, Sub-Inspector Haneef said that the reasons stated were that the judge was currently out of the country and other cases the same judge were presiding on had now been scheduled.

Following the initial issuing of the order, the DRP declined from making any comments on the issue. MP Dr Abdulla Mausoom said then that the case involved a personal matter and had no relation to politics or the party.

Dr Mausoom was not available for comment after the cancellation.

Department of Judicial Administration Director Ahmed Majid confirmed that the MPs were being taken to court in relation to a case submitted by the Bank of Maldives Pvt Ltd, asking the court for assistance in seeking due payments from the two persons.

This is in relation to a verdict by the Civil Court ordering Mahandhoo Investments and Kabalifaru Investments – two companies with ties to DRP Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali – to repay millions of dollars worth of loans to the Bank of Maldives Plc Ltd (BML). The verdict was also upheld by the High Court in October 2011.

“This is the normal procedure. The courts have summoned them numerous times, and they have continued to fail to attend, with no acceptable reasons presented. It is then legally at the court’s discretion to have police intercept and present them to court,” Majid said.

He further confirmed that the members would be released from custody after Monday’s hearing.

Meanwhile, the vote to determine if secret ballots can be taken during the taking of no confidence votes have been scheduled for Monday’s parliament session.

Waheed attempting to influence vote: MP Azim

DRP MP Azim has alleged that President Mohamed Waheed Hassan and other senior members of the executive had approached him, offering to cancel the court summons if he agreed to vote for the secret balloting in a way they preferred.

Azim alleged that in addition to Waheed, his Political Advisor Ahmed Thaufeeq and Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza had called him and made similar statements.

Azim further said in parliament today that he was “not the least bit surprised” that Waheed had called, adding that he had expected as much. He alleged that Waheed had previously called him with similar intentions, including during the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) elections.

Following the arrest of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and Jumhooree Party MP Abdulla Jabir last Thursday alleging use of alcohol, many opposition politicians claimed that this was a political stunt to jeopardise Monday’s vote.

Both the Maldivian Democratic Party(MDP) and the Human Rights Minister Dhiyana Saeed alleged that there was a “political motivation” behind the arrests.


The Civil Court issued an order on Sunday to keep Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs Mohamed Nashiz and Ali Azim in custody and to present them in court. Later in the day, the order was cancelled, claiming the judge presiding over the case was out of the country.

Police Media Official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said that the police had been working to implement the order. He confirmed that the hearing had been scheduled for 1.30pm on Monday.

After the cancellation of the order, Sub-Inspector Haneef said that the reasons stated were that the judge was currently out of the country and other cases the same judge were presiding on had now been scheduled.

Following the initial issuing of the order, DRP declined from making any comments on the issue. MP Dr. Abdulla Mausoom said then that the case involved a personal matter and had no relation to politics or the party.

Dr. Mausoom was not available for comments after the cancellation until the time of press.

Department of Judicial Administration Director Ahmed Majid confirmed that the MPs were being taken to court in relation to a case submitted by the Bank of Maldives Pvt Ltd asking the court for assistance in seeking due payments from the two persons.


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President decides to issue special passport, ID card, to National Award of Honour recipients

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan has announced that the government will issue a special passport and identity card to persons who received the National Award of Honour at the Republic Day ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Waheed said that although the government has not to date provided any special privileges to the winners of the award in past years, it was highly important to start doing so as these persons had contributed significant services to the nation.

He detailed that plans were now being made to introduce a special identity card, local media reports. These card holders will be be given priority over the general public when obtaining services from any government office. They would also be issued special passports upon request.

This year, the National Award of Honour was received by three persons: Sheikh Usman Abdulla Umree for his services in the area of religious education, Adam Ali for his services in the area of traditional medicine and Abdulla Mohamed for his services in the areas of architecture and construction.

Thirteen individuals were recognised for achieving the highest academic qualification in the Maldives National Qualifications Framework.

These included members of Waheed’s cabinet: Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed for Doctorate of Philosophy in Criminal Justice System from the University of London in 2008, Education Minister Dr Asim Ahmed for Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Policy from Victoria University of Wellington in 2011, as well as Supreme Court Judge Dr Ahmed Abdulla Didi for Doctorate in Political Sharia from Al Azhar University, Misr, in 2008.

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Coalition government “abusing religion”, “spreading xenophobia”: former President Nasheed

Former President Nasheed has expressed concerns over what he alleged was the current government coalition’s deliberate spreading of xenophobia, abuse of religion for political gains and negligence in bringing MP Afrasheem’s murderer to justice.

Speaking to a gathering of an estimated 2000 attendees at Sunday’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) gathering on the occasion of Republic Day, Nasheed strongly criticised the political opposition to the contract with GMR to develop the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).

“With the direction Maldivian politics are going in now, we may have to face consequences where the country’s citizens become prey to powerful foreign countries,” Nasheed warned.

“For the purposes of justifying this coup, people who are passing themselves off as religious scholars are spreading hatred for foreigners among our citizens. Under the guise of religion and nationalism, they have instilled xenophobic sentiments in the hearts of a few Maldivians.”

“A few politicians, for their personal gain, have brought the Maldives to the edge of a very dangerous precipice. The political actions of people who are nearing the age of hundred to try and revive their personal pasts, to repeat what has happened in a different century, will prove to cause a loss to us citizens in the end,” Nasheed said.

He added that it was impossible to “chase the Indian High Commissioner” out of Male’ in this day and age as might have been done in the distant past, and that GMR could not be sent away either.

Nasheed once again asserted that the contract with GMR was one beneficial to the people of the Maldives, “although some businessmen may not be benefiting from it.”

At a recent meeting, Nasheed had shared figures detailing the financial benefits the GMR contract had for the Maldives, while denouncing the Dhivehi Qaumee Party’s economic criticism of the same contract.

“Creating rifts was a common strategy during the long 30 year old regime [Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s administration]. Some Maldivian politicians see creating a rift to then take political advantage from it to be a strategic and inventive skill. Baaghee (“Traitor”) Waheed may possibly have read in some book that creating rifts would be beneficial, but Maldivians will get no benefits through setting up India and China against each other and creating problems between them,” Nasheed stated.

Nasheed stated that the country’s foreign policy needed to be clearly laid out, with the aims and objectives clearly defined.

“Stop hiding Afrasheem’s murderer” : Nasheed to CP Riyaz

Nasheed expressed disappointment that the police had to date failed to uncover details in the case of PPM MP Afrasheem Ali who was found brutally murdered in early October.

“There seems to be none among us who is even concerned about it anymore,” said Nasheed. “On the first couple of days, we were very vocal about giving money to Dr Afrasheem’s widow from state funds, but we have not taken any steps to bring the murderer to justice.”

“This government has been negligent in the case of Dr Afrasheem’s death,” said Nasheed. “We assure you that an MDP government will bring his murderer to justice.”

The former president further alleged that the police had failed to find any relevant information about the case, saying “Baaghee [‘traitor’] police claim they have uncovered a lot in their investigations; that it was indeed Afrasheem who had been killed, his identity card number, that he was a member of parliament, his wife’s name, who his friends and relatives are… these traitor police claim to know all the details, except what concerns the actual case of the murder.”

Stating it was a direct message to the Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz, Nasheed said: “Stop hiding Afrasheem’s murderer. You know who Afrasheem’s murderer is. Please send the related details to the judicial institutions and courts of the Maldives. Ensure Afrasheem’s murderer is brought to justice immediately.”

“A republican government is one that belongs to the people”

“The current people in government came to power through a coup. What we see today is a violent, illegitimate, coup government kept in power through the force of pepper spray and batons of a few police officers and MNDF soldiers,” Nasheed said.

He further stated that it was a national obligation of all Maldivian citizens to bring down the coup government and establish a democratic government voted in by the people.

“It is because of that coup that today the country’s economy is being destroyed for the benefit of a handful of businessmen,” Nasheed said.

“This coup government has broken up the social protection programme that we established in our democratic government. Their intention is to create dependency and keep us citizens forever at the mercy of these traitors or some rich businessmen. We need to bring an end to this coup government for the sake of the country’s development.”

Nasheed ended his speech by calling on the Speaker of the Majlis to assume leadership of the country and to hold presidential elections within two months. As a final word, he led the crowd of supporters to chant “Elections Now!”

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MDP to hold nationwide protest following Nasheed’s travel ban

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced its intention to conduct a nationwide protest on Friday following the decision to place former President Mohamed Nasheed under island arrest.

The Department of Judicial Administration yesterday told local media that the travel ban was “standard procedure” followed by all courts.

Nasheed has also been charged with two cases of defamation, for calling the Defence Minister and Police Commissioner traitors. He has been summoned to the Civil Court on September 30 in relation to the defamation charges.

The party has refrained from larger demonstrations since the release of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) at the end of last month.

In their observations, the CNI’s international observers were critical of the MDP’s tendency to demonstrate on the streets, describing it as “bully-boy tactics involving actual and threatened intimidation by a violent mob.”

Following apparent absolution by the CNI, the Maldives Police Service announced that it would arrest anybody found using the word ‘baaghee’ towards police.

Nasheed will also appear in Criminal Court on Monday, October 1, in relation to the detention of Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed which preceded his ousting in February.

Should he be convicted of the latter offense, Nasheed would be constitutionally barred from standing in next year’s scheduled presidential elections.

The MDP – still the nation’s largest party by membership – has previously declared that it would boycott such elections should Nasheed be blocked from participating.

Tomorrow’s protest will coincide with a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in New York, where the issue of removing the Maldives from the group’s investigative agenda will be discussed.

President Waheed’s government has insisted that the CNI’s verdict of ‘no-coup’ regarding the February transfer of power means the Maldives should be removed from the agenda, while the MDP have pointed out that institutional deficiencies exposed in the report demonstrate that the Maldives case still falls firmly within CMAG’s remit.

Whilst in New York, Waheed spoke before the United National General Assembly (UNGA) where he aimed a thinly veiled attack at the Commonwealth’s understanding of the rule of law during its recent dealings with the Maldives.

Impunity Watch

The restriction on Nasheed’s movements came days after the party released a document titled ‘Impunity Watch Maldives’.

The document, stated to be the first of a monthly summary of human rights violations, follows two damning reports earlier this month by both the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Amnesty International.

Amongst the figures included in the ‘Impunity Watch’, the report stated that the number of MDP MPs having faced prosecution or questioning by the government was now seven, a figure which party spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor stated was a third of the party’s representation in the Majlis.

This number jumps to twenty nine if party officials are included such as Nasheed himself, and the party’s chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, who is facing charges of disrespecting the judiciary.

It lists the number of instances of police brutality against protesters since February 7 as 130 and the numbers detained by police in relation to opposition protests as 851.

The MDP criticised what it sees as the failure of the government or of United Nations Resident Co-ordinator Andrew Cox to condemn these human rights violations.

Meanwhile, the document gives the number of police officers arrested in relation to human rights violations as zero, as well as highlighting the case of one officer who was promoted twice after the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) recommended he be prosecuted.

PIC Chair Shahinda Ismail has named the officer in question as Ali Ahmed, stating that his promotions came after the commission had recommended his removal to the Home Minister.

“It is really upsetting – a huge concern – for me that the police leadership is showing a trend where unlawful officers are acting with impunity. This can only lead to further violence,” said Shahinda.

In the first of three PIC reports into the events surrounding the transfer of power, nine separate incidents were highlighted, with the commission unanimously pledging to pursue further legal action in five of the cases.

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Waheed’s lack of solid policies led to increase in state expenditure: MP Jabir

Amid rising concerns about state expenditure, debt and the economic stability of the country, some political actors who are part of the unity government coalition have started expressing concern about the government’s actions publicly.

The government-aligned Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP) earlier this month expressed concern over Waheed’s handling of the coalition’s dispute with the GMR contract to develop the airport, while one of the party’s MPs called for his resignation should he be unable to settle the matter.

More recently, Jumhoree Party Deputy Leader and MP Abdulla Jabir on Sunday criticised President Waheed’s commitment to bring down state expenditure.

“Spending money he does not have”

MP Jabir said Sunday that President Waheed was acting with no consideration for the extremely high levels of state expenditure.

Jabir claimed that while the norm elsewhere in similar circumstances was that the president would work to cut down on spending, Waheed was continuing to appoint people to new political posts and campaign with “money he does not have”.

“He picks people off the streets and gives them posts,” Jabir said. “Why hold on to such a pointless formula?”

Jabir asked Minister of Finance and Treasury Abdulla Jihad if Waheed had discussed his pledges with him prior to making them public, speaking at the Public Accounts Committee meeting on Sunday. Jihad responded that he had no documents detailing Waheed’s presidential pledges and only become aware of them as they were reported in local media.

Jihad also stated that Waheed mostly consulted the leaders of the coalition parties when appointing people to head the state companies, although he said he had been consulted about a few appointments.

The Finance Minister on Monday revealed that the country’s budget deficit for 2012 was set to reach MVR 6 billion, (US$390 million), MVR 3 billion (US$195 million) over estimates.

In addition to Jabir, DRP MP Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed also expressed his disapprovement of government actions.

“The government does not seem to be serious in its efforts to bring down expenditure,” Maseeh said. “Some ministers just make bold statements without even considering the budget. These statements lead to fancy headlines. This needs to be stopped.”

Interference in parliamentary duties

Meanwhile President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza, himself a member of Jumhoree Party, denied the allegations. He is reported in local media as saying Jabir was disappointed regarding ongoing issues with the government concerning the lease of his personal restaurant business, West Park. Riza claimed this is the reason why Jabir was critical of the government.

“We are seeing members of the government coalition criticising the government because some personal interests cannot be gained. This itself shows that the government will not be involved in any unconstitutional actions,” Riza has been quoted as saying.

“Jabir has expressed disappointment over the West Park issue many times, but this government will not make any decisions which are not aligned with the values of equality and justice,” he said.

In response to the government’s statement, Jabir spoke to Minivan News today.

“Of course I am disappointed over the West Park issue. It is part of my personal business. But I am questioning the state and its ministers in my capacity as a member of parliament, in the best interests of the country. My personal disappointment does not cloud my seeing Waheed constantly making trips to islands and making pledges. Even the Finance Minister has said he has seen these on media,” he said.

“I am saddened that such an incompetent man is using the resources of the President’s Office to make such unfounded claims,” Jabir said. “I am not sure that man was in his right senses when he said that.”

Jabir stated that according to the regulations of the parliament, no one could raise questions or take action against statements made by a member through the work of the legislative as long as it conformed to constitutional and islamic principles.

“The three powers of the state are separated. The president’s spokesperson seems unaware of even this. By making such a statement, he is interfering with another branch of the state, and is breaching democratic norms,” he further said.

Jabir said that it was his duty as a member of parliament to make the government and the president accountable. He pledged to continue with the work and condemned what he said was the government’s attempts to inhibit it.

However, Jumhooree Party’s Chief Spokesperson Moosa Rameez told Minivan News today that the party did not share Jabir’s opinion of the government.

“This party is part of Waheed’s government. We have not noticed any instance where Waheed has spent money he does not have for campaigning,” Rameez said.

“We are very concerned about Jabir having made such a statement. He did not discuss this in the party’s council. Our concern is that this might create problems within the unity government.”

President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza was not responding to calls at the time of press.

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