Raajje News Blog

#Maldives: The police arrest of ex-President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday sparked greater international coverage than the military arrest at the crux of the criminal case against Nasheed: Nasheed's arrest of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed. In contrast, in Maldivian social media, the military arrest of Judge Abdulla on Nasheed's order as Commander-in-Chief drew greater condemnation than yesterday's arrest of Nasheed. Although Nasheed's party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), repeatedly called for nation-wide protests yesterday, there was lacklustre response on th streets even in the MDP strongholds of Male' and Addu City. Despite concerted efforts by the MDP leadership and MPs from MDP on MDP aligned media station Raajje TV and on Twitter and Facebook, the support was lukewarm with most supporters making do with just a "LIKE" but stopping short of condemnation. The sharp contrast in yesterday's MDP response and that on February 8t...

Male’, Maldives. Maldivians are increasingly disillusioned and bitter as they and their country people are ridiculed and torn apart by international media following the resignation of Mohamed Nasheed as Maldives President after the Canarygate Scandal. The Canarygate Scandal is the final series of events leading to the end of the three years of Nasheed’s rule on February 7th 2012, a rule earmarked by abuse of executive powers, obstruction of justice, contempt and lockdown of the Legislature and Judiciary, corruption, graft and nepotism. Canarygate gets its name from Nasheed's family name, Canary, so named because of the countless evidence of nepotism, cronyism and corruption during his rule. While western commentators and the neighbourhood strongman India dismiss Canarygate as just a political fisticuff between Nasheed and his predecessor Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Maldivians call upon the new Government for justice, for the Maldivian people and for democracy in Maldives. They ask ...

Male', Maldives. A week after Mohamed Nasheed resigned as President of Maldives, Maldivians are being victimized and their livelihoods put at jeopardy by the countless allegations aired in international press by Nasheed and his supporters. Daily, international press continue to report about various "terrorists" who allegedly pushed Nasheed out of office and even now threaten his life. The first allegations were against the biggest "baddie" of all, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years. Next came, Maldivian "Islamist terrorists". Then, it was rich tourist resort owners who didn't want to pay taxes. Today, we are back to "radical" Islam. Terrorism has no single definition worldwide. According to US Law, the term “terrorism” means "premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents". Others define terrorism as the systematic us...

Male', Maldives. Last night, ex-President Nasheed again called upon his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, to assist him to immediately remove President Mohamed Waheed and reinstate him. The MDP cannot sit around with folded arms, but must take action to remove President Waheed from office, Nasheed told party members gathered at a rally in Male' last night. These statements come in the midst of international reports which say that Nasheed has agreed with foreign envoys such as US Special Envoy Robert Blake to join a unity government and work for reform leading to an election in 2013. However, neither Nasheed nor MDP have confirmed such a commitment. The international community which collectively expressed support for the new regime earlier in the week have modified its stance after Britain and Germany supported Nasheed's allegations of a forced resignation by a military coup. The international community now collectively call for an independent investigation into t...

Male', Maldives. Maldives remains in a state of tension as the ex-President Nasheed continues his condemnation of the new Government as unconstitutional and that his own resignation is not legitimate. He alleges that he did not resign, but was deposed by a military coup instigated by President Waheed and former President Gayoom. However, an analysis of Nasheed's public statements show that, fundamentally he too believes that he has resigned, and that his resignation is legitimate. If so, then by the Constitution, the then Vice President ascends to Presidency through due process, which VP Mohamed Waheed did that same day. Nasheed resigned on Tuesday 7th, after more than three weeks of civic protests against his unconstitutional arrest of a senior judge, interference with the Judiciary, and subsequent violations of fundamental freedoms. He was succeeded by his Vice President, Mohamed Waheed hassan Maniku. Presideent Waheed's government has been accepted by foreign governme...

Male', Maldives. ex-President Mohamed Nasheed's party, Maldives Democratic Party, is internally divided on the issue of Nasheed's proposed candidacy for presidential elections. Last night, Nasheed announced he would contest on the party's ticket in an election in two months. He assured his party that Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid would hold presidential elections in the next two month. Eyewitnesses report that, immediately after the meeting, there was a heated argument between top MDP officials, the subject being the validity of Nasheed's candidacy on the party ticket in a presidential elections. Some members of the top leadership have presidential aspirations themselves, so they want a primary first, the sources said. The MDP Party by-laws state that the party will elect its presidential candidate through a primary, and some MPs are insisting that this be followed, said one source. Others say that Nasheed has failed the party and should not be given the c...

Male', Maldives. Day 1 of President Waheed's infant presidency ended in street terrorism, arson and vandalism in some islands, backing a demand by ex-President Nasheed for Dr. Waheed's immediate resignation. In response, Dr. Waheed made three key political appointees, which drew widespread criticism from the public. Police and military response to the riots yesterday are being condemned as brutal and excessive. As Day 2 speeds by, the Judiciary has entered the fray with the Criminal Court reportedly issuing a warrant for the arrest of Nasheed and his Defence Minister DIK Tholhath Ibrahim. The riots in the capital Male' were led by Nasheed himself, while the arson and vandalism in strongholds of Nasheed's party MDP were led by MDP MPs and Municipal Council members. In scenes reminiscent of the last days of Nasheed's regime, large numbers of protestors and riot police officials suffered injuries. The scale and extent of Nasheed's rebellion give a clear me...

Male', Maldives. Day 21 of President Nasheed’s illegal military incarceration of Judge Abdulla Mohamed, and Nasheed is still unable to decide on the scapegoat for his wide step outside the country’s Constitution and laws. Nasheed and his town criers are seesawing back and forth between their two favorite bogeymen: 1) So-called Islamic extremists; and 2) Ex-President Gayyoom, Nasheed's punching bag for his every dismal failure. Of the two, the latter goes without saying and does not even merit discussion here. Gayoom is the scapegoat for every dismal failure by the Nasheed regime. According to Nasheed, Gayoom is an all powerful entity, who mysteriously controls the Parliament, the Judiciary, all Independent Commissions, non-profit organizations, civic watchdogs, opposition politicians. You name it, Gayoom controls it, like a Grand Master Ninja, through some inexplicable and mysterious network, of which Nasheed can show no evidence. Like the bogeyman in a child's imaginati...

Male', Maldives. President Nasheed's continued violations of the Constitution and strong arm tactics against the Judiciary need to be stopped, if the country is to return to the democratic reform process begun in 2004. The Constitution and hence the very basis of democracy has been ground under Nasheed's military boots. Cumulative violations of the constitution by the Executive have forced the Maldives to widespread civic strife which now encompasses much more than can be solved by the release of Judge Abdulla Mohamed, or even the reinstatement of the Judiciary. It encompasses the very liberties and rights on which the nation was created. When such a situation is reached, clearly the oppressor must be removed from office and the country liberated. All legal minds in the country agree that civic liberties and rights cannot be restored under a President and an Executive which has total and utter disregard for the rule of law. President Nasheed repeatedly refuses publicly...

Male', Maldives. President Nasheed now contends that the Judiciary is unconstitutional, alleging that Judges were not appointed as provided in Sections 285 and 149 of the Constitution. However, President Nasheed's so called legal argument against the constitutionality of Judges of the lower court, in reality has no legal leg to stand upon. In actual fact, a close look at the Constitution shows that it is Nasheed's position as President which is unconstitutional. It reveals that Nasheed, the Parliament and Local Council were elected in elections which violated specific sections in the Constitution. The Constitution specifically states that the first presidential elections to be held under the new Constitution shall be held before 10 October 2008 (Section 301). Further, Section 110 stipulates that elections for the office of President shall be held within one hundred and twenty days (120) to thirty (30) days prior to the expiry of the existing presidential term. Althoug...

Male', Maldives. Maldives Military wore black face masks to conceal their identity as they stormed the site of another civic protest against the military's forced disappearance of Judge Abdulla Mohamed. In doing so, the military obstructs justice and accountability by preventing the persons harmed and others from enforcing their constitutional right to hold military officers accountable for their actions. In the international scene, it is common to see Israeli security forces don face masks and this too, only when attacking innocent Palestinians. Hence, it is rather disturbing to see the Maldivian military dodging accountability and justice by wearing identity concealing masks when confronting civilians. The disturbing incident adds to the growing lengthy list of violations of fundamental constitutional rights by President Nasheed's military, police, administration and party. The wearing of face masks by protestors is banned in several countries. The issue is relate...

Male', Maldives. Freedom of speech and freedom of media, both guaranteed in the Constitution, are two of many constitutional casualties of President Nasheed's prolonged struggle to remain in power. Opposition politicians continue to be interrogated and arrested for making public statements negative to President Nasheed, while private media have been repeatedly threatened by Government Ministers and police and military. These arrests come in support of a campaign by President Nasheed's militant party Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) called, "Can't Say That", overtly to stop rising public outrage at President Nasheed's anti Islamic policies and action. However, the campaign has now explicitly shifted to attack all those who raise their voices against President Nasheed's unconstitutional arrest of Senior Judge of the Criminal Court, Judge Abdulla Mohamed. Nasheed's arrest of Judge Abdulla has sparked widespread civic protests against Nasheed and hi...