Raajje News Blog

#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: President Mohamed Waheed Hassan's Government today secured a major victory in Parliament. The Parliamentary Committee on General Matters unanimously approved a motion to amend Parliamentary Regulations to allow Government bills to be tabled to Parliament by MPs belonging to Dr. Waheed's coalition partners. Dr. Waheed's Government has been shackled in the Legislature due to the lack of even a single MP from his party Qaumee Itthihaadh. Parliamentary Regulations state that a Bill by Government can only be tabled by a member of the ruling President's Party. The amendment passed in Committee today states that a Government Bill can be tabled by an MP belonging to any of the parties in the ruling Coalition. The amendment will now go to the Parliamentary floor for a vote. The ruling coalition has a nominal majority in Parliament and can pass the motion if all goes well. However, one of the major coalition partners in Govrnment in terms of MP numbers, Dhivehi Rai...

#Maldives: September revenue collection is 2% less than forecast, announced Maldives Inland Revenue Authorty yesterday. In a fact sheet publicized yesterday, MIRA reported that revenue collection in Maldivian Rufiya for September totalled 6.6.3 million and 29.2 million in dollars. This was an increase of 16% over September 2011, but a decrease of 2% from the projected value. Tourism land rent contributed 36.4% to total revenue, while Goods and Services Tax contributed 28.6%. Business Profit Tax contributed 12.3%, Tourism Tax 11.3% and Airport Service Charge 4.3%. Over 50% of US dollar revenue was from Tourism Land Rent while Tourism Tax contributed 15.6%, thus making it 65.7% YS dollar revenu directly from the Tourism industry. These figures is brings into sharp focus the high dependence of Maldives on the tourism industry, and industry now being threatened by former President Mohamed Nasheed and his friends overseas.Mohamed Nasheed has consistently carried out campaigns over...

#Maldives: Days before ex-President Nasheed's trial for human rights abuse, international media and countries have stepped up efforts to assist Nasheed to block the trial. While international media such as AFP have reported the trial as a politically motivated, it is in fact a criminal case brought by the country's first independent Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu, for violation of human rights in the military arrest of the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court in January this year. The Prosecutor General's case is built upon an independent investigation by the country's Human Rights Commission, an independent institution headed by a 5 member panel appointed by the Parliament. The current Human Rights Commission consists of 5 members nominated to the Parliament by Nasheed himself.  The Report of the HRCM on the investigation of the Judge's arrest and subsequent solitary confinement at a military training camp for 22 days determined the said actions to be blatant ...

#Maldives' decisive win at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) may be the death knoll for ex-President Nasheed's political ambitions. The unconditional removal of Maldives from the CMAG Agenda and the invitation for Maldives to resume its seat in the group came without any restrictions on legal actions towards Nasheed. The rumor of such restrictions had been widely circulated by Nasheed and his party Maldivian Democratic Party in the days leading to the CMAg Report. The CMAG decision is the most recent in the line of a long list of victories by President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik,in the sustained attacks on the Presidency by Mohamed Nasheed who resigned on February 7th this year. Nasheed resigned after months of public anger and dissatisfaction with his corrupt and incompetent Administration, and amidst days of popular unrest at his violation of constitutional rights and human rights abuse. In addition to the CoNI Report, the landmark reports by two key...

Male', Maldives. A House of Representatives of the people (Parliament) is an integral institution of functional democracies. Finally, yesterday it too fell victim to the mobocracy presently taking over the Maldives. Following the hijacking of Parliament by a small group of MPs, Parliament sessions have been suspended indefinitely. At least, until it is able to proceed without the use of force, the criteria being given by the Parliament Speaker as the reason for suspending it. The reasoning given by the hijackers of the Parliament defies not only logic, but the very essence of democracy. The leader of the group of Maldivians who stopped Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed, Supreme Leader of the Maldives National Democratic Party (MDP) says that the objective is to force Maldives to an early presidential election. Nasheed, who resigned from the post of President on February 7th, claims that he was forced to resign at gunpoint by the military, and has called for his successor to step down ...

Male', Maldives. The public outcry is widespread over yesterday's defeat of democracy by mobocracy as the Maldivian Parliament was hijacked by a small mob of MPs who support Mohamed Nasheed, the titular Supreme Leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). With his hijacking of the democratic institution of the people's representation in governance, the People's Majlis (Parliament), Nasheed has successfully undermined all three powers of democracy, the Executive, the Judiciary and now the Legislature. Nasheed resigned as President of Maldives on February 7th after weeks of continuous public protests against his military arrest of a senior judge, his declaration of all lower courts of justice as invalid, and his actions to restrict fundamental freedoms including freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media. The hijackers, led by Nasheed's cousin by marriage MP Ibrahim Salih and Nasheed's cousin, MP Eva Abdulla, constituted of a mere 12 out of 77 elected M...

Male’, Maldives. As President Mohamed Waheed completes his first official trip to Addu Atoll, his political opponents claim all Addu Atoll is with them. Addu City Council lent credence to this claim by passing a resolution earlier this week, denouncing the National Unity Government as unconstitutional. President Waheed completed his visit amidst substantial support, significant at a time that Addu is still reeling from arson and vandalism by supporters of Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned from his post as President early this month. Nasheed had even warned President Waheed not to even attempt to step onto Addu soil. Addu is a crucial voting bloc in any elections in the country, a fact evidenced by voting history and acknowledged by all political parties. Unfortunately, Addu has also a dubious reputation of being for sale in any vote. With its distinct dialect and close knit society, Addu has a history of seeking self-recognition, in competition with the more politically powerful Male’...

Male', Maldives. On February 7th this year, the reins of the Maldivian Presidency passed to Mohamed Waheed Hassan Maniku, the fifth President of the country. Waheed, then Vice President, ascended to the Presidency when Mohamed Nasheed resigned after weeks of civic protests against him. Some say Waheed was a puppet of the leaders of an alleged coup to topple Nasheed. Nasheed accuses him of leading the alleged coup. Others accuse him being a cowardly man with a history or running away when the going got tough. Very few recall that the country's long road to political reform did indeed begin its modern phase with Mohamed Waheed. Political opponents seek to hide the fact that Dr. Waheed is the man who first introduced a Bill of Rights to the Constitutional Assemply, the first to introduce a Bill on Freedom of Speech to the Majlis. Nicknamed the Professor by his classmates for his studious nature, Waheed may not have a flamboyant history of a prisoner of conscience. Nor does he h...