Raajje News Blog

#Maldives Liberation Day Feb 7: As Maldives today celebrates its Liberation from the dictatorship of Mohamed Nasheed, it is noteworthy that his allegations of a military are still unproven. This, with revelations of mass corruption and graft during his reign, plus the association to the brutal murder of MP and moderate Muslim scholar Dr. Afraasheem Ali in October 2012, have seen significant loss in grass roots support for Nasheed. Nasheed can no longer muster street riots of significance in his previous stronghold of Male'. Insiders report attendance at Male' party rallies are made mandatory. Nasheed's trips to the islands have been marred by lacklustre reception, requiring huge expenses by MDP to transport followers from Male' each time to make up the numbers. However, a cult like blind followership still behind Nasheed, mainly the top elite of MDP who received numerous benefits from the state treasury during his short reign. The MDP front ranks lost their politica...

#Maldives today celebrates one year after its Liberation Day, February 7th 2012. It was liberated on that day from the dictatorship of President Mohamed Nasheed who resigned amidst an Arab Spring of popular uprising against him. Nasheed's violations included overturning of the Constitution, violation of fundamental civic rights and usurping extraordinary powers over the Judiciary. Maldivians on social media and local media are today jubilant and expressing hope and dreams for a better future after one stable year of incumbent President Dr Mohamed Waheed's strong and unwavering leadership in which he has steadfastly defended national sovereignty and independence against foreign countries and foreign rich elite in support of resigned President Nasheed. Nasheed's short presidency was marred by rampant corruption, nepotism, cronyism, sale of national assets to foreigners, graft, and wholesale violation of fundamental rights and liberties. Nasheed locked down the Supreme Cou...

#Maldives: As November 3, 2012, the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attack on Maldives approaches, public sentiment against the Indian multinational GMR's lease of the Maldives' international airport has gained momentum. Inflammatory speeches by local politicians and local media reports associate the GMR-MACL lease agreement on a scale with the November 3rd 1988 terrorist attack. The 1988 terror attack was by a group of Maldivians headed by Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku (uncle of former President Nasheed) who brought 80 Tamil mercenaries to overthrow the government of the time. India's role then was that of the knight in shining armor, the Indian military and navy charging to the rescue in Operation Cactus. Nineteen people were killed in the terror attack. Amidst the increasingly strident calls on the Maldivian Government to "throw GMR out" and to recapture the "Maldivians' airport for Maldivians", Maldivian commentators on social media question t...

#Maldives: November 3rd, 2012 marks the 24th anniversary of the bloody massacre that left the blackest of stains on Maldivian hearts and history. Nineteen innocent Maldivians were slaughtered and several injured. Hundreds were held at gunpoint for hours, many later taken away as hostages. Immense damage was given to public and private property. Maldives was rescued by troops sent by Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi. The leader of the failed coup was a man called Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku, a man who had previous convictions for coup attempts against previous governments. The coup leader's nephew, Mohamed Nasheed, was installed as President in 2008, at the head of a political party whose top leadership comprised of family members and others involved in the 1988 November 3 massacre. Nasheed's cabinet, senior political advisors and state ministers included terrorists convicted for their involvement in the November 3 massacre. As Nasheed denounces the current government of Dr. Mohame...

#Maldives: The Parliament's Counsel General Fathimath Filza told media today that the impeachment motion against President Mohamed Waheed by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is legitimate and can be put on the agenda accordingly. According to the Counsel General, the motion meets the criteria set out in Section 100 (b) of the Constitution. Section 100 (b) stipulates that the impeachment resolution as provided for in subsection (a) of the same Section, must be submitted to the Parliament (People’s Majlis), under the hand of at least one third of the members (amounting to 26 members presently), specifying the reasons. The motion was submitted to the Parliament on October 10th, signed by 28 MPs of the MDP, thereby meeting the criteria of number of MPs required to table the resolution. An impeachment motion requires a 2/3 majority of the Parliament to vote in favor of the motion. With the current composition of the Parliament, presuming that a member would be elected to th...

#Maldives: Four senior members of former President Nasheed's administration were culpable is a MRF 24 million scam, Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim told the Parliamentary subcommittee on Finance yesterday. The individuals named included two high profile members of former President Nasheed's party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who had been given political posts when Nasheed came into power. They were Ahmed Assad, the younger brother of Nasheed's Housing Minister and close confidante Aslam and Abdulla Shahid (pic), one of the 11 involved in the November 3rd coup led by Nasheed's uncle Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku in 1988. Assad had filled the post of State Minister of Finance in Nasheed's government, while Abdulla Shahid had been State Minister of Defence. The scam involved embezzlement of state funds amounting to MRF 24 million, paid from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury for falsified invoices for services claimed to have been rendered to the National Centre fo...

#Maldives: Over a week after the brutal murder of MP and moderate Muslim scholar Dr. Afraasheem Ali, authorities have yet to reveal details of the murder and subsequent arrests. Police confirmed three days ago that a fifth arrest had been made in relation to the murder. Social media report that all five are activists from former President Mohamed Nasheed's party Maldivian Democratic Party. Dr. Afraasheem was a public target of Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party, which went so far as to call him "Dr. Ibilis" (translation, "Dr. Devil). The MDP's hate speech against Dr. Afraasheem was part of their campaign against the country's Judiciary and the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). The murder victim, at one time the JSC's Vice-President, was accused by Nasheed and his party as a "traitor" who violated the Constitution and appointed a "corrupt" Judiciary consisting of "his friends". The campaign against Dr. Afraasheem ...