POLITICAL CULTS. MAG vs ANNI

For those who avoid long articles, please scroll down and read the points.

I have made it clear from the time political parties were allowed to operate in Maldives, that I did not support it, nor saw it as a requirement for Maldivians to get the freedom and development they desired.

When Political parties were allowed to operate legally in 2005 few parties were registered, but for the purpose of this article I will only take Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)and Dhivehi Raiiyathun ge Party (DRP). Both parties were formed around two personalities, Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) and Maumoon Abdul Qayyoom (MAG) respectively.

Lets honestly look at both parties after 7 years, which comprise almost 80% of the total party membership among Maldivians. Did they turn out to be genuine political parties or are they cults?

The word cult in modern usage normally refers to a religious movement or whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. Surely MDP and DRP are neither religious movements but are their actions abnormal or bizzaire?

Warning signs to consider whether any group is a cult, there are few points which are considered. Cults always have a single charismatic leader.

DRP was registered with MAG as the leader. After he lost the 2008 election he gave the reins to Ahmed Thasmeen but continued to be the “charismatic leader”. When Thasmeen had differences with MAG. The split of DRP and forming of Z-DRP group within the DRP which was later registered as Progrssive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the sudden transfer of a high number of members from DRP to PPM shows that MAG continued to be the force behind the recruitment.

MDP has 2 positions President of the Party and The Chairperson, which are elected by a direct vote by the members. Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) was elected to the post of Party President and Anni as Chairperson during its first Extra-Ordinary Congress, but Ibra resigned as Party President on November 2006. Ibra noted his turbulent relationship with MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed (Anni): We don’t see eye to eye. This was a critical factor in my decision to resign.

Dr.Munavver followed Ibra as Party President and again resigned followed by an appointed temporary President who Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, who was Anni’s choice. In order to run for election Nasheed resigned as Chairperson to be replaced by Mariya Ahmed Didi considered one of the closest to Anni. After being elected as Presidential Candidate the Party Constitution was changed to enable Anni to be the “supreme” leader. The Party’s next internal election saw Dr.Ibrahim Didi being elected as President. While the party regulations indicate that the top leader of the party is the President, it is not seen as such and Anni’s endorsed “appointed” Chairperson was seen to be the power in the party until Anni resigned as President of Maldives on 7^th February 2012.

While Anni has no official status in the Party after his resignation, the immediate title given as “Supreme Leader” by the Congress strengthens the belief that MDP is also revolving around one charismatic leader.

Consider the following points and decide for yourself whether we are having a party system in Maldives or the major players are cults following their leader, come what may!

Written based on information from http://www.howcultswork.com/

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The Partial Truth.

Call it whatever name, the fact is it is a coup, and what Pr.Nasheed said at the podium is most likely the closest to the truth. However we now have enough reasons to believe that it may not be the whole truth. He indicated that should he continue to stay in power, there maybe foreign influence which he did not want.

However Indian Express quotes the President’s Adviser Paul Robets that “Ameen Faisal and some other senior officials were making calls from the president’s office at about 11 am on Tuesday, asking about the possibility of Indian military assistance to put down the coup,”. India refused.

In 2010, India had responded to an urgent message from Nasheed that he feared a coup after his decision to place the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazir under house arrest had provoked almost all entities in the fragile Maldivian system. He found himself in a stand-off with the Opposition, the police and judiciary. The military was still taking his orders, but its top brass was getting restive at being asked to follow instructions which had been deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.

A Navy ship did make an innocuous port call at the height of the 2010 crisis. Also, an aircraft from the ARC (RAW’s aviation wing) was flown to Male just to assure Nasheed that his safety was a priority for India. In fact, after this, a regular contingency plan was put in place for Maldives, which included Indian para commandos taking control of Male airport within four hours of any emergency. This alert was in place even now, but the government decided against any overt intervention.

These are information few Maldivians were aware of. While it is based on a report by Indian Express, the paper is not likely to write this without a reliable source.  Hence it is obvious that the military while carrying out his orders had difference of opinion on the legality of the orders.

Having publicly announced his resignation, the President decided to change his story in a highly charged atmosphere among thousands of MDP Members at Dharubaaruge. This was where the version of him being forced to resign at gunpoint came. From the hall he led the supporters on to the streets.   Placards carried by protesters “Badi jassaigen majbooru koggen verikan feyrunee”  indicate that the street protests were not spontaneous and was planned.

Our President who just stepped down does not have to go on the streets, with a crowd numbering thousands, which he himself discouraged only few days ago. Wouldn’t it have been better that he look back on the last 3 years, identify the mistakes and come back stronger in the next election? Instead on February 8th we have seen destruction and violence never seen before in Maldives.

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Whatever happened has happened. MDP needs to study how a government which came into power with 54% was forced to resign with the help of the security forces. The Opposition should not think this is a victory for them. The victim here are the security forces and lawmakers need to look into this really carefully and place a mechanism where the top brass are safe when they disobey unlawful orders. If this had been in place, Pr.Nasheed may still be in office as he will know very well that he has to operate within the “chart” and armed forces will not enforce unlawful commands, even if it is from the Commander in Chief. Meanwhile the only people who can find am immediate solution are us, the people. We have to realize that every politician uses his supporter to achieve their goals. Think or your nation as your first priority, consider what your actions will have on the stability of your nation. 

Pr.Nasheed’s 3 years, did anyone get a message?

Part – I

On November 11^th 2008, the 4th President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed took oath of office after defeating sitting President of 30years Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, in the first Presidential Election after the New Constitution came into force.

On 12^th November he appointed his Cabinet consisting of members from the Alliance of political parties which campaigned for his election in the runoff election. He got an immediate interim approval for his cabinet from the Parliament. It should be noted that in the first round he got 27% of votes and the coalition’s win was close, with 54% hence in a bitterly fought campaign, he had 45% of the electorate to win over.

Cabinet.

1. Gasim Ibrahim  – Minister of Home Affairs
2. Ali Hashim -  Minister of Finance and Treasury
3. Dr. Ahmed Shaheed  – Minister of Foreign Affairs
4. Dr. Aminath Jameel – Minister of Health and Family
5. Ameen Faisal -  Minster of Defence and National Security
6. Dr. Musthafa Luthfy – Minister of Education
7. Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed – Attorney General
8. Mohamed Rasheed – Minister of Economic Development
9. Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad – Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture
10. Hassan Latheef – Min. of Human Resource, Youth and Sports
11. Mohamed Aslam -  Minister of Housing, Transport and Environment
12. Dr. Ibrahim Didi as Minister – Fisheries and Agriculture
13. Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed – Minster of Civil Aviation and Communication
14. Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari -  Minister of Islamic Affairs

Dr.Hassan Saeed, was appointed has his Advisor.

Challenges.

The first Constitutional challenge for him did not wait for long. After his election, President Nasheed announced his intention to replace Gayoom’s appointees with his own. The DRP opposed this move, citing the constitutional provision which states, “The People’s Majlis in existence at the commencement of this Constitution shall continue until such time as the first elections of the People’s Majlis under this Constitution are held.” Nasheed decided to go ahead and removed Gayyoom’s appointed members and appointed 8 members.

The Coalition’s collapse

Within just a month of appointment, Home Affairs Minister Gasim  Ibrahim resigned citing his reason as “The constitution specifies how to proceed with decentralization; things cannot be done against the constitution by forming a dummy without the approval of the Majlis, the constitution has given a deadline to elect a new Majlis, it also specifies a deadline to elect atolls and island councils, all the principles are in it, therefore if the decentralization is seen to be in contravention legal counsel should sought, while the constitution binds the (government), what other course could be sought in decentralization?”

However it is also believed that the fall out and resignation was following an admission to the press on Tuesday that Gasim had ordered police to go to One and Only Reethirah Resort subsequent to a request made.

Dr.Hassan Saeed resigned from the post of the Presidents Advisor in Feb 2009, just 3 months after Nasheed took office. ”I have done my best to win the election for the President in the second round. I have also done my best to make President N asheed’s Government a success. I have given my sincere advice to him on several matters without any remuneration Appropriate arrangements have not been made for me to provide my advice as Your Excellency’s Adviser. As a result, there are increasing occasions where I have to give advice on issues where decisions have been made contrary to my advice. These decisions have implications on the national  and relate to major economic, social, constitutional and legal matters. Because of this Your Excellency and I have to face various difficulties. In view of these reasons, I have with effect from today tendered my resignation from the post of Your Excellency’s Adviser”

President Mohamed Nasheed on 18th Monday, May 2009, sacked his Attorney General Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed. The President’s Office cited Article 115(f) and 137(a) of the Constitution for the dismissal.

President Mohamed Nasheed sacked Civil Aviation and Communication Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel on 30^th May 2009. According to the president’s office press secretary, he was sacked for failing to make progress in his post. Howevr Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed said Jameel’s dismissal might have been due to complaints from grassroots MDP members over his “position” during his campaign for DQP in the parliamentary elections.

Within 7 months from taking office three Cabinet Minister and an Advisor all from his Coalition had left over disagreements and the coalition was no more. Hence when the President’s Maldivian Democratic Party ran for the Parliamentary elections of 2009, in theory they will have a 25% support base, unless his policies during the short period had won him additional support. This however was unlikely due to the appointment of hundreds of highly paid councillors to the islands, who many believed were uneducated and unqualified and appointed as a way of gratitude for their support to MDP.

This was quite obvious in the results with the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) coalition with People’s Alliance (PA) winning the majority of 34 seats, and MDP winning 26 seats. The balance 17 seats were won by DQP,JP and Independent Candidates.

This started a chapter of an added polarised and confrontational politics, which in many cases could have been prevented.

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