Wearing of veils in girls’ school uniforms and for civil servants to wear the veil during office hours

Gayyoom has consistently challenged the wearing of the veil. To put the record straight we need to do certain things. First, we need to increase Islamic awareness so that girls’ schools can redesign girls’ school uniforms to include the veil and long pants.
We also need to introduce a regulation so that all ladies who serve in the Maldives civil service need to wear the veil during office hours.

Establish an “Islamic Center” in each capital island of each atoll

This Islamic Centre would not be just a mosque. It would have a capacity for at least one thousand people to congregate for prayer and it would have a conference hall, an Islamic Library, a set of classrooms to teach the Holy Koran and other Islamic teachings, an Audio Visual room, a computer lab and some recreational or sports facilities allowed under Islam.

“Air force” to protect the seas and the exclusive economic zone

A special program, in collaboration between the Coast Guard and the Fisheries Ministry, should be carried out to protect our seas. We could also introduce some “Air force” component to MNDF or under the “Coast Guard”, which will have at least a few helicopters and some light aircraft that could patrol our exclusive economic zone. Such an “Air force” could be vital in blocking the entry points for drug traffickers and smugglers as well.

Privatize TV Maldives and Voice of Maldives

As Dr. Hassan Saeed has mentioned in his manifesto, we need to privatize Television Maldives and Voice of Maldives. If TVM and VOM are privatized then there is no need to have a ministry for “information and arts”. Arts component could go to the "Ministry of Sports, Arts & Vocational Education".

Vice President’s Official Residence should be e Hilaaleege

After converting Muleeaage as the Official Residence of the President and after converting Theemuge into the main campus of the University of Maldives; we need to make Hilaaleege (where Nasheed is residing now) the Official Residence of the Vice President.

Stop addressing the President as “Anni”!

Though he is the “friend” of all of us, we need to recognize the fact that his post deserves some respect. He is after all our president and we do not want even foreign dignitaries calling him “Anni”. So I suggest we stop addressing the president as “Anni” and start using his real name. Some of us have nicknames such as “Kokki”; but would we want us to be addressed as “Kokki” if we become president? Imagine being called “President Kokki”!

Form a “Truth and Reconciliation Council”!

A South African style “Truth and Reconciliation Council” could be formed and headed by an independent Judge. The purpose of this council would not be to punish the criminals of Gayyoom regime but to find those crimes and make a sentence and keep the sentence as a suspended sentence or forgive altogether. But it is important to establish the crimes. But in the case of any corruption, such money should be directly retrieved from their bank accounts or businesses or it should be retrieved as much as possible by liquidating their assets such as land.

Change the National Anthem and the National Flag!!!

The national anthem of our country fails to inspire the new generation of Maldivian. I feel that even the anthem “Wathan Edhey Gothah” compiled by our first president (Mohamed Amin) is also a better tune and a better anthem than our national anthem. Perhaps this wouldn’t be a very popular idea, but I feel that we need to think and debate whether we could change our national anthem.

We have to give a lot of credit to Mohamed Nasheed for his gutsy and unwavering vision

I have got unofficial news that the outgoing president (Gayyoom) has telephoned the president-elect Nasheed to congratulate him. Alhamdulillah. The Maldivian people have won, and the dictator has lost. While we bask in this glorious victory, let us remember a few points that may help us along the way as we prepare to take this country to a new level.

1. A major part of this victory is the dhua of many pious people. Hence we need to acknowledge this by organizing a two-rakath namaaz where all reformists and supporters of the Iththihaadh gather to pray and say thanks to Allah.

2. As we celebrate we should avoid DRP-style shows where we see lewd dances and vulgar language. We should thank Allah and accept this victory humbly and with grace.

3. Of course we need to celebrate this victory with lorry rounds and cycle rounds and rallies but we should avoid rallies of the type organized by Gayyoom when former president Nasir left this country.

4. Gayyoom and his family and his cronies and friends have a lot to answer for, but we should let the natural course of justice take its path instead of taking the law into our own hands. Our main task now is not to vilify Gayyoom but to think, plan and reshape our country and our future. The state and the individuals can bring Gayyoom and his cronies to justice.

5. My advice to Gayyoom is to concede defeat gracefully. If this country goes into any type of chaos due to actions of Gayyoom or his supporters, he will lose the last piece of legacy that he can leave behind. We invite Gayyoom to keep his word and stay in the country despite the defeat. If he believes he ruled the country fairly then he has nothing to fear. The justice system of this “Aneh Dhivehi Raajje” will not be as corrupt as the one he presided over.

6. I ask president-elect Nasheed to honour his promise and make Muleeaage his presidential palace and convert the presidential retreat Aarah into a resort for locals.

7. We need Nasheed to honour his promise of a mid-term election but I humbly suggest that Nasheed should be given at least four years before this mid-term election. He needs at least four years to lay the groundwork of most policies and projects he promised in his manifesto. During those four years I suggest that Nasheed propose to the Majlis to shorten the length of the presidential term from five years to four years (as in the case of the United Sates). This means that MDP-Iththihaadh could hold the mid-term election in 2012 and then following elections would be in 2016 and 2020.

8. Congratulations to all those who worked incredibly hard with great faith and determination. May Allah guide us all to reshape our future and this country of ours. This is a momentous victory and the gravity of it has yet to sink in. We have achieved this against all odds and we have to give a lot of credit to Mohamed Nasheed for his gutsy and unwavering vision.

Insha Allah the Maldivian People Would be Victorious!

Gayyoom is restless and sleepless. Winds of change have braced these fragile shores of ours. Maldivians have finally woken from the hypnotic sleep that they have been forced to endure. We now know the truth. The international community is aware of the Maldivian people's predicament. Together we will overcome this regime that has taken so much away from us. We do not need a leader who plants seeds of doubt in our minds about the Holy Koran. We do not need a leader who has very little knowledge of modern economics and the dangers of the current world recession.

Imagine! If a baby had been born on the first day Gayoom was sworn in as president, that baby would be 30 years old now. That's a lifetime. Imagine a young person who was only 35 years old on the day Gayoom was sworn in as president. That person would be 65 years old now! Indeed that's a lifetime.

This old man has been the president of Maldives for all these years and what has he got to show for it? An international airport that his predecessor (Nasir) built? A tourism industry that Nasir established? A fisheries industry that Nasir established? An English language education system that Nasir established? A land reclamation program that Nasir initiated? What exactly has this Egypt-educated sheikh brought to this country that Nasir hadn't already thought about? Nothing. Obviously Gayoom had nothing to offer for this nation when he came to power 30 years ago; and he most definitely has nothing to offer for this nation now. Its time that he leaves us to fend for ourselves. We can do much better and in a shorter period of time. We don't need Gayoom and his comical cabinet and his brutal police force to take us towards 2020 and beyond.

Imagine you are 35 years old now. I'm sure many of the readers would be of that age. Imagine you got a new president today. Would you want that same person to lead your country until you are a 65 years old? Surely not. Gayoom has taken a large chunk out of this generation and he is greedily holding on to power with the obvious intention of taking a large chunk out of the next generation as well.
His diabolical lying machines (TV Maldives and Voice of Maldives) are at full throttle. His comical cabinet is at full swing. His police force has the license to kill (and indeed they have killed innocent Maldivians). Anonymous websites sympathetic to the regime are propping up like popcorn to brainwash unassuming Maldivians. He has got the whole treasury and the provident funds of staff and the expatriate-laborer-deposits and the parastatal companies such as STO and the atoll offices at his command. He has absolute power to rule this country whichever way he so pleases.

But enough is enough! We do not need this old man. We need a leader who can bring meaningful change. Both Dr. Hassan and Anni have said that they will not live in Theemuge if elected President. Anni has gone as far as to say that when he becomes President he will convert Theemuge as the main campus of the first University of Maldives. We need a leader who has no desire to have a multi-million-dollar presidential retreat (Aarah). Anni has said that he will convert Aarah into a resort exclusively for locals. We need a leader who does not want to boost his ego by sailing in million-dollar yachts and speed launches at the expense of public money. If elected president, Anni has said that he will auction most of those presidential-yachts and reinvest that money in a nationwide project for an inter-island transport network.

We need a leader who will not use the cynical and Machiavellian trickery of divide-and-rule. Gayyoom divided our atolls into 20 groups. We need to rejoin the Boduthiladhunmathi and Ari Atoll and Huvadhu Atoll. That will give us 15 atolls instead of 20 atolls. That will save us unnecessary bureaucratic expenditure and unite our people more. Along the same lines, we need to abolish the four wards of Male (Maafannu, Machnagoalhi, Galolhu and Henveiru). Male can be managed by the Male Municipality. We can save millions by abolishing the ward offices. The same can be done with wards in other islands as well.

Along the same policy line of uniting the people, we need a leader who is willing to abolish the “Atolls Ministry” and unite the whole county under the “Home Ministry. Having a separate Ministry for the “Atolls” and then again a “Home” Ministry suggests that the people of the atolls are somehow inferior to those that reside in Male. If elected president, Anni has said that he will combine the works of the Atolls Ministry and the Home Ministry as one single ministry. This unified ministry would be named as the “Home” Ministry.

Similarly, Gayyoom wanted to reduce our population growth so that he will have less people to resist his dictatorial rule. Anni will reverse this outdated policy.
When we talk about “gender and family” we need to rethink our current stand on population control. Is it helping our economic development? In a way we have limitless land, so if we let our populations grow freely, that could help our development instead of controlling population growth. As testimony to the end of Gayyoom’s divide-and-rule policy and as testimony to our newfound policy of unity, MDP-Iththihaadh will initiate a gigantic project to reclaim the whole of Vaavu Atoll to form one giant island. We can reclaim the whole atoll by doing deep-sea dredging. The reclaiming should be done to a height of at least ten feet above sea level - the ultimate safe-island which could accommodate almost 300,000 people. This landmass would be big enough to accommodate at least a population of three hundred thousand.

Under this same policy of unity and better utilization of land we could relocate the five cemeteries in Male. Despite the fact that land in Male is limited, it has five major cemeteries. These five plots of land could be used for much better purpose if we could relocate the cemeteries to Thilafushi or Hulhumale. Under advice and guidance from the Islamic Majlis, we could devise a project to meticulously relocate all remains of the deceased from these five cemeteries.

We need a leader who will be brave enough to say that, in order to promote social and family unity, we need to close all shops at 9.00 pm. Many staff who works at shops starts their work at about 9.00 in the morning and goes on until 11.00 at night. This restricts the amount of quality time that they could get with their families. It would help boost family relations and improve the social fabric of the nation if we regulate the shops to be closed at latest 9.00pm.

We also need a leader who can address difficult issues such as changing the national anthem and the national flag – perhaps after a national referendum on the issue. The national anthem and our flag fails to inspire the new generation of Maldivian. I feel that even the anthem “Wathan Edhey Gothah” compiled by our first president (Mohamed Amin) is also a better tune and a better anthem than our national anthem. Our national flag also needs to incorporate the blueness of our seas and the whiteness and greenness of our islands.

We also need a leader who will bring down the walls surrounding the presidency. Not a president and ministers who live behind a “Karaamaathuge-Dhuli”. When we mention the title “Minister” we immediately get the connotations of power and influence. We need to change this mentality and mindset. One thing we could do to initiate the change of this mindset is to change the title of “Minister” as “Secretary”. This is the case in many developed countries such as the United Sates and the United Kingdom. For example, instead of having a Home Minister we could have a Home Secretary and instead of a Defense Minister we could have a Defense Secretary.

All these years we thought that we had to be grateful to Gayoom for whatever he grants us when we beg from him. Now we know that we do not have to beg from him. We demand and he has to eventually budge. We demanded for the establishment of political parties and he had no choice but agree reluctantly and grudgingly. We will now Insha Allah vote him out of office. He has been trying to repackage himself and sell this outdated and useless package to us as a gift from him but Maldivians can no longer be fooled by this man.

Listen to us carefully Mr. Gayoom. This country does not belong to you. We do not have to be grateful to you for whatever little token gestures that you grant us. You don't own us; and most definitely you don't own our children. You have no right to dictate anything to us. You are just a servant elected (I guess) to serve us. Try to get that through to your head. You can jail us and beat us and let your police force do sadistic things with us (like they did with Evan Naseem), but we are not scared of you or your lovely little Star Force.

We only fear Malakul Mauth, and Nakeer Munkir and Allah's Judgement Day and Siraath Magu and Hell. Even you and your police force would be paraded on the same Mahushar Ground that Day. Do you know that? Do you know that Allah is the Great Planner? He knows all your plans and Insha Allah the Maldivian people will be victorious.

The important spiritual message of the number 28.10.2008!

Did anyone ever pause to think about the incredible message hidden in the date of the second round of voting? Look closely at the date, 28th October 2008!

If you add the two digits in “28” you will get a total of 10. In digital numbers the number for the month of October is 10. If you add the two digits in “2008” you will get a total of 10. Hence, the date of 28th October 2008 is a representation of three tens! If you add these three tens it will be a total of 30! This is the number of years that Gayyoom would have ruled by the end of this term.

Another interesting observation is that if you write the numerical value of ten and add the two digits that makeup the number ten, you will come up with a figure of one! As we all know, one is the number that represents Allah – (Gulhuva Allah Ahad - one).

Hence we are voting on a day that numerically represents thirty. Insha Allah Gayyoom will not be able to rule over us for more than 30 years. That is one message we see in this auspicious date. Another message that we see is the message of one! Allah! This shows that the will of Allah will overrule any vicious and sinister forces that are arrayed against us. We should overcome fear and increase our faith and belief in Allah. This is a struggle for freedom and a struggle for our Islamic faith and the future of our children.

Please vote for change. This isn’t about Anni or MDP or anyone else. It’s about us. Our prosperity and our freedom. It’s about our Islamic faith. It’s about the future of our children. It’s about getting our country back to us. So vote for the MDP-Iththihaadh. Say “no” to Gayyoom and his nepotism. Think about the auspicious message hidden in the date of the voting. Its 10+10+10 equals thirty. The end of Gayyoom’s brutal regime. The day that we finally fly out of the cage – as free spirits - with the whole, wide world open before us.

We have to be prepared for a scenario in which Gayyoom “wins” the election on 28th October!

At a press briefing today, the CEO of MIFCO, Adil Saleem, endorsed MDP candidate, Mohamed Nasheed, for the upcoming election. This was a pleasantly surprising announcement by Saleem. While congratulating Adil Saleem for standing up against this dictatorial regime, I call upon the Managing Directors and chairmen of other parastatal companies such as MTCC, Island Aviations, etc. to put country first and take the side of the reformists. We should not sell our souls and our country for an old man and his ambitious half-brother.

No dictatorship has ever been voted out of office through a free and fair election. This is an ominous statistic. I believe that we are not about to see history been set through the ballot box in this small country. Gayyoom and his two brothers (Hameed and Yamin), and Gayyoom’s two sons (Farish and Gassan) and his two daughters (Dhunya and Yumna) and Gayyoom’s influential wife (Nasreena) and Nasreena’s brothers (Abbas and Ilyas) and this whole extended family have too much to lose. Look at the expensive palace being built at Endherimage by Nasreena. Look at the businesses being setup and run by members of Kaamineege Family and Endherimage family. Will they give up all that and just migrate abroad?

Will Nasreena be willing to give up Theemuge Palace and Aarah and the luxury yachts and the weekend trips to Singapore where she can shop with unlimited-platinum-credit cards? Can you ever imagine Hameed and Yamin and Gayyoom and Nasreena and their families living amidst us while someone other than Gayyoom rules this country? They will not leave even a single stone unturned just to stop that from happening.

All this shows that this is a do or die situation for the Endheri and Kaaminee clans! For these two clans there are two options in front of them. First option is that they will win the election by hook or by crook. The second option is that they will stamp out any win for the reformists by the use of brutal force. The new law of assembly currently being debated at the Parliament would be passed before the election and that law will be used as an excuse to use brutal force to suppress any protests that may result from the reformist camps when Gayyoom “wins”!

We all patted ourselves on our backs and congratulated ourselves for having a very “peaceful” and “civilized” first round of voting on 08th October. As I have said in a previous post in this blog, we are currently experiencing the calm before the storm. The confusion at the Corona Printers last night and the attack on the Adhaalth Party member and the appointment of Fazeel Najeeb as the Governor of MMA and the leaked agreement between Yamin and Gayyoom all point to one thing! The regime will not give up power that easily. In fact they will have a death-grip on it as a drowning man will hold onto even a straw.

We all want change. We are all impatient for that change. But don’t be fooled by overconfidence. Don’t think that we can dislodge Gayyoom through the ballot box on 28th October. Don’t get me wrong. I believe that if a free and fair election is held in this country Gayyoom will lose by a huge margin. But the point is that the election that will be held on 28th October will not be a free and fair election. MDP Vice President Ibrahim Hussain Zaki has also said this quite categorically. So, the chances are high that by hook or by crook Gayyoom and Yamin will make sure that we lose and they win.

The leaders of the MDP-Iththihaadh and all reformists should be prepared for this scenario. Don’t be fooled by over-confidence. Believe that this is the calm before the storm. Understand the fact that no dictatorship can be voted out of office through an election. We have hard times ahead of us! We need all the help we can get. Endorsements and support from potential leaders such as Adil Saleem of MIFCO should be sought and encouraged. The country is tilting at the mouth of an erupting volcano.

As I have said before, the leaders of the MDP-Iththihaadh and all reformists should be prepared for this scenario. What will we do if Gayyoom and Yamin steal this election from our hands in broad daylight? Will we complain to the Elections Commission which is likely to rule in Gayyoom’s favour? Will we complain to the Supreme Court which too is likely to rule in Gayyoom’s favour? Will we complain to the international community which can do very little to stop Gayyoom! If we don’t help ourselves then no one else can help us!

For Gayyoom and Yamin and their family members, losing is not an option!

People! Wakeup! This isn't about Anni or MDP or Dr. Hassan. Our country is precariously tilting at the edge of an erupting volcano. We have two paths in front of us on 28th Oct. One is that the MDP-Coalition wins. Even then Gayyoom and Yamin may not accept defeat. They may use the police and the MNDF and their private militia and thugs to create havoc and push this country down the volcano. People could be slaughtered...killed...mutilated.

The second path is for Gayyoom to win. In such a scenario there is the possibility of the opposition taking to the streets in protest. Gayyoom and MNDF and police could brutally stop such an uprising. Even then there could be bloodshed. So we are all now experiencing the calm before the storm. Things aren't as rosy as it may appear. We are all victims trapped. For Gayyoom and Yamin and their family members, losing is not an option! THEY HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOSE. FOR THEM THIS IS A DO OR DIE SITUATION AND.....MAY ALLAH HELP US!

It is a fact that in politics, sometimes parties of different philosophies can come together to work for a common good. This does not mean that they are enemies. No one has a monopoly on the support of the Maldivians. Dr. Hassan has supporters just as Anni has supporters and Gasim has supporters. Dr. Hassan has a PhD and Anni has a Masters Degree. As far as public records are concerned neither of them have taken part in any corruption. So, no reformist who loves this nation should try to stir up hatred between Hassan and Anni and Gasim and the rest.

We should all be united behind these leaders to achieve our common goal. As Hassan himself said, it would serve no one's interest to let Gayyoom and Yamin win. If some of Hassan's supporters stir up hatred and cause disunity in the coalition, and because of that, if Gayyoom wins, imagine what will happen to all opposition leaders, including Dr. Hassan! Then the people of this country will be orphaned and we will lose all hope for at least another twenty years. So, people; please unite and work with focus. When we dislodge Gayyoom on 28th Oct, we could then decide the way forward.

As I said before, things aren't as rosy as it may appear. We are all victims trapped. For Gayyoom and Yamin and their family members, losing is not an option! THEY HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOSE. FOR THEM THIS IS A DO OR DIE SITUATION AND.....MAY ALLAH HELP US! Stop the hatred and stop the divisions. If we don’t help ourselves then we will have no one to blame but ourselves for the rest of our lives!!

Revised government / cabinet for a “Wathan-Edhey-Gothah-Iththihaadh”!

President: Hon. Mohamed Nasheed
Vice President: Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik

President of the Guardian Council for Islamic Affairs & Dhivehi Culture: Sheikh Majeed
(Deputy: Sheikh Hussain Rasheed)

Foreign Minister: Dr. Shaheed
(Deputy: Dr. Farahanaz Faisal)

Home Minister: Dr. Hassan Saeed
(Deputy: Hon. Shaheed Zaki)

Min. of Defense & National Security: Brigadier Moosa Jaleel
(Deputy: Hon. Amin Faisal)

Chief of staff: Colonel Ahmed Shiyam
(Deputy Colonel Ahmed Shahid)

Commissioner of Police: Major Latheef

Minister of Presidential Affairs: Hon. Maria
(Deputy Doctor Didi)

Speaker of the People’s Majlis: Hon. Mohamed Shihab
(Deputy: Hon. Hamza)

Attorney General: Hon. Muththasim Adhnan
(Deputy: Hon. Dhiyaana)

Min. of (Planning), Development and mega Projects: Hon. Gasim Ibrahim
(Deputy: Dr. Mohamed Shareef - Sarippey )

Min. of Justice: Dr. Jameel
(Deputy: Husnu Sood )

Min. of Sports, Arts & Vocational Education: Hon. Shafeeq (DO Sappe)
(Deputy: Hon. Hamidh Abdul Gafoor)

Min. of Education and Youth: Hon. Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra)
(Deputy:Dr. Amal Ali)

Min. of Housing, Construction & Public Infrastructure: Hon Ahmed Shahid (Saabey)
(Deputy: Fathimath Rasheed (Thaathu)

Min. of Fisheries & Agriculture: Hon. Solah Shihab
(Deputy: Dr. Shiham)

Min. of Health: Dr. Abdul Sattar Yousuf
(Deputy: Dr. Aminath Jameel)

Min. of Tourism & Civil Aviation: Hon. Mahmood Razi
(Deputy: Hon. Abdullah Solih)

Governor of MMA: Hon. Shafinaz Abdul Sattar

Min. of Environment, Energy, & Water: Dr. Riza
(Deputy: Dr. Mohamed Ali)

Min. of Trade and Industry: Hon. Ahmed Mjuthaba
(Deputy: Hon. Ali Shiyam)

Min. of Finance & Treasury: Hon Arif Hilmy
(Deputy: Dr. Riyaz )

Some of the many changes we need to bring to the county when a new government comes in!

When a new government comes into power on 11th November, we will need a complete rethink on how we run the government and how we run this country. A completely new way of thinking will be required. As a new government tries to trim the wasteful budget of the current regime and cut unnecessary recurrent expenditures, we need to restructure many ministries and offices. Below mentioned are few of the many such cases we need to address.

Full-fledged embassies should be run in only four countries:

The current regime has gone to extreme in wastefulness by establishing expensive embassies in unnecessary locations. I believe that full-fledged embassies should be run in four countries, namely, Sri Lanka, India, United Kingdom and Singapore. It will be suffice to hold trade-representative offices in the rest of the countries such as Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.

President to reside in Muleeaage;

Presidential Residence should be changed to Muleeaage instead of Theemuge. Muleeaage is big enough to provide a very comfortable residence for the President and his family. This would reduce the number of staff required and many other overheads. Theemuge could then be used for another pressing purpose – perhaps as the main campus of the “University of Maldives”.

Presidential retreat (Aarah) is an unnecessary luxury?

Ok our President should have a retreat. We could build such a retreat in Hulhumale or perhaps even at Funadhoo, but it would be better for our economy if we utilize Aarah as a tourist resort as a holiday-island for Maldivians (A resort for local Moldavians). This way we can reduce millions of Rufiya of unnecessary overheads, and at the same time provide a luxurious retreat for the President.

What about the Royal Luxury Yacht that Gayyoom has?

Yes, the presidential yacht built in Germany, at a cost of millions of dollars is rarely used. The incumbent President uses a fleet of speed boats and yachts and launches (one for each type of flower: Finifen Maa, Kudhi Maa, A Maa, etc.). Does he have time to use all of those? Definitely not. There are some yachts in his fleet that he hasn’t set foot on for the last decade. But even those yachts have fulltime staff and captains and so on. Is this manic addiction to waste taxpayer’s money? We need to auction off most of these speed boats and yachts (especially the big yacht). The president could have three speed boats (a small one, a medium one and a large one). That’s enough. The rest should be sold. I’m sure there will be many bidders from the tourism sector in this country. Imagine the huge amount of money the treasury could save in terms of reduced labor cost and maintenance cost when we reasonably reduce the presidential boat fleet and relocate the presidential palace to Muleeaage and relocate the presidential retreat (Arah).

Having 15 Atolls instead of 20 Atolls!

The people of Maldives should live in approximately 200 islands, over fifteen atolls. I would encourage uniting Haa-Atoll as one administrative unit and similarly unite Alif Atoll as one administrative unit. I would also encourage uniting Huvadhoo atoll as one administrative unit and also the union of Fua Mulah and Addu Atoll as one administrate unit.
This would let us save millions of Rufiya in recurrent costs – whereby we would have 15 Atoll Offices and 15 Atoll Chiefs instead of 20 Atoll Offices and 20 Atoll Chiefs. This would also cut bureaucracy – and even more importantly this would unite the peoples of Haa Atoll and Alifu Atoll and Huvadhoo Atoll and Fua-Mulah and Addu Atoll.

National Anthem!

The national anthem of our country fails to inspire the new generation of Maldivian. I feel that even the anthem “Wathan Edhey Gothah” compiled by our first president (Mohamed Amin) is also a better tune and a better anthem than our national anthem. Perhaps this wouldn’t be a very popular idea, but I feel that we need to think and debate whether we could change our national anthem.

No need for a “Planning Ministry”, but the planning process could be centralized at the President’s Office (PO):

It could be argued that there’s no need for a “Planning Ministry” but we could have a solid “Planning Section” at the President’s Office. The current practice is that various ministries such as the Construction Ministry, Planning Ministry, Tourism Ministry, etc, do various components of the planning process. This duplicates a lot of planning work and creates unnecessary bureaucratic inertia when it comes to planning. To avoid this, the planning process could be centralized at the President’s Office (PO), and this section could carryout their work based on feedback and data from various ministries. Then the PO could allocate various segments of the planned work to different ministries for implementation.

Restructuring MNDF and Police to prioritize Coast Guard and Civil Defense!

Our defense forces should be reshaped and reequipped towards the priority areas in terms of economic and civil priorities. I believe that the most important areas in the current defense setup are the civil defense areas such as the Coast Guard, Fire and Rescue, etc. We need to pool the bulk of our defense expenditure on civil defense. In the unlikely case of another country attacking us, we would be defenseless even if we spend our entire budget on military defense. So we should take Japan’s excellent example and concentrate more on civil defense and economic development. We should strengthen especially the coast guard to protect our fishing resources. Most of the defense work done by the current MNDF could be done even by the police. So we need a complete rethink on how we shape our police force and the MNDF and the civil defense component currently under MNDF.

No need for a separate ministry for “gender and family”!

Of course gender and family issues need utmost attention, but I in order to trim the number of portfolios in a future cabinet; we should remove gender and family from the cabinet list and create a “Department of Gender and Family” that could be operated as an independent department.

Ministry for “Mega Projects”:

Other adjustments could also be brought to a list of ministries. We could change the name of the planning ministry as “Min. of (Planning), Development and Mega Projects”.

Combining Housing Ministry and Construction Ministry / planning:

We could also combine housing ministry and construction ministry and call the combined ministry the “Ministry of Housing, Construction & Public Infrastructure”.

A ministry for "Education and Youth" and a ministry for “Sports, Arts & Vocational Education”!

We need to combine youth with the Minsitry of Education and form a ministry called the "Ministry of Education and Youth". The way we name certain ministries also shows our deficiencies in thinking. Let’s take the example of “Ministry of Youth & Sports”. By associating youth with sports, the current regime is saying that the youth of this country need to entertain themselves with sports while the regime does the serious work of running the country. Don’t get me wrong. I value and respect the role of sports, but perhaps it would be more appropriate to have a ministry for “Education and Youth”. Our younger generation is quickly losing their value system and their respect for our religion, history and culture. So why not have a ministry for “Education and Youth”! The Sports component could join with "Arts and Vocational Education" to form a ministry called the "Ministry of Sports, Arts and Vocational Education".

No need for a separate ministry for “Higher Education, Employment and Social Security”:

Similarly, I also believe that we do not need a separate Ministry for “Higher Education, Employment, & Social Security”.
Education Ministry can cover the “Higher Education” component and we need to establish a national employment agency that would keep a database and any relevant indexes on employment and social security.

No Ministry for “Islamic Affairs” but a "Guardian Council for Islamic Affairs and Dhivehi Culture"!

It is due to this reason that I’m against the idea put forward by Gasim Ibrahim to create a ministry for Islamic or religious affairs. It is better to have an independent body such as the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. Everything important need not be politicized as ministries. Gayyoom has created ministerial positions just as gifts to his cronies and friends and family; not out of developmental necessities. This culture of political rewarding needs to be changed by any new government. We need to join the work of promoting Islam and at the same time promoting our culture. Why not have a "Guardian Council for Islamic Affairs and Dhivehi Culture"!

No need for a separate ministry for “Atolls”:

Having a separate Ministry for the “Atolls” and then again a “Home” Ministry suggests that the people of the atolls are somehow inferior to those that reside in Male. In a future government we need to combine the works of the Atolls Ministry and the Home Ministry as one single ministry. This unified ministry would be named as the “Home” Ministry.

No need for a separate ministry for “information and arts”:

Ministry of Information and Arts is basically used as a propaganda tool by the current regime. If that ministry is inherited by a new government it could again be used as a propaganda machine to mislead the public. As Dr. Hassan Saeed has mentioned in his manifesto, we need to privatize Television Maldives and Voice of Maldives. There is no need to bring “Arts” under a ministry. If TVM and VOM are privatized and if we establish an independent organization to promote arts, then there is no need to have a ministry for “information and arts”. Arts component could go to the "Ministry of Sports, Arts & Vocational Education".

No need for a separate ministry for “transport and communication”:

I believe there’s no need to have a separate ministry for transport and communication also. Of course we need to have department-level regulating bodies to regulate transport and communication but to give it a cabinet portfolio seems wasteful and pointless. To establish the kind of inter-island and inter-atoll transport network that coalition-candidate Anni is talking about, we need to establish a responsible body that could both regulate and promote transport and communication activities in the country - taking those two areas to new heights. But we do not need to glamorize every important activity with a ministerial portfolio.

Do we need “population” control or should we leave population to grow freely?

When we talk about “gender and family” we need to rethink our current stand on population control. Is it helping our economic development? In a way we have limitless land, so if we let our population grow freely, that could help our development instead of controlling population growth.

Specialized “Advisory” Committees under the President’s Office:

We need to appreciate that our biggest resource would be to build a “knowledge-based” workforce in the country. It is not enough to say that our biggest resource is human resource. Instead of just saying that, we need to work towards using that human resource. It is critical that a number of special “Advisory Committees” are setup at the President’s Office. There could be committees for “Information Technology”, “Civil Defense”, “Youth and Culture”, “E-eEnterprise”, etc. Each such Committee should be headed by a senior official of the PO. But the rest of the ‘advisors” in the committee would be picked from the private and public sector, not as full time employees but as members who would be on standby, and who would be paid on a per-sitting basis. We have plenty of young and knowledgeable people who can contribute immensely on the huge task that lies ahead – to develop this country on multiple fronts and even in new areas.

Compulsory Civil Defense service of one year for every student who completes O’Level or A’ Level exams:

As in the case of countries such as Singapore and many European and Asian countries, we need to make it compulsory for all youth who complete grade 10 or grade 12 to serve for at least one year in the Civil Defense area (such as Coast Guard, Fire & Rescue, Emergency Relief, etc.). This would prepare the youth in vocational areas and also make them in to a more disciplined workforce.

Not a “Minister” but a “Secretary”!

When we mention the title “Minister” we immediately get the connotations of power and influence. We need to change this mentality and mindset. One thing we could do to initiate the change of this mindset is to change the title of “Minister” as “Secretary”. This is the case in many developed countries such as the United Sates and the United Kingdom. For example, instead of having a Home Minister we could have a Home Secretary and instead of a Defense Minister we could have a Defense Secretary.

We need to see Dr. Hassan Saeed also sitting with Anni tonight!

Last night we saw Anni, Gasim and Sheikh Hussain Rasheed give a joint press briefing. The most glaring absentee on the panel was Dr. Hassan Saeed. In the next conference of the MDP-coalition, we hope to see all the major leaders of the coalition on one stage. Only such a unified front can give a strong message to, especially the undecided voters, that the reformists can mount a serious challenge to Gayyoom and that we can win and rule this country much better than Gayyoom.

We need to see at least the following people on the stage, as a unified front:

1. Mohamed Nasheed (Anni)
2. Dr. Waheed
3. Dr. Hassan Saeed
4. Dr. Shaheed
5. Dr. Jameel
6. Gasim Ibrahim
7. Sawaadh
8. Shaheedh Zaki
9. Mohamed Shihab
10. Mohamed Ibrahim (Modee)
11. Jabir
12. ADK Naashid
13. Sheikh Hussain Rasheed
14. Sheikh Majeedh
15. Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra)

We are at the most critical juncture of the reform movement. This is the time to reap the freedoms of our struggle. Many simple people have contributed to this struggle.

Personally it’s been eighteen years since I first started writing on Haveeru Daily. Since then I have wrote for Adduvas, Fiyes magazine, and for Minivan Daily as well. I have also been Editor of the English weekly magazine, Monday Times, for two years and wrote extensively for Dhivehi Observer website who spearheaded the anti-Gayyoom voice over the past few years. Throughout these past 18 years I have stood firm in my criticisms of Gayyoom who has ruled with an iron fist and a tongue that knows no bounds when it comes to lying.

Gayyoom is a liar and his track record proves that he has very little regard for the constitution or the law and very little for the religion of Islam. This is a person who – together with his brothers Hameed and Yamin, and together with his brothers-in-law, Ilyas and Abbas – has basically rule the country for their personal benefits. Now the younger generation of his family – Hamdhoon, Shaaheen, Fathin, and his sons and daughters – are laying the groundwork to ensure that the 30-year-old carnage is extended for at least another thirty years.

Their plan is to keep Gayyoom in power for the next ten years (two terms) and then give the helm to (Gayyoom’s brother) Yamin for the following ten years and then give the helm to either (Gayyoom’s daughter) Dhunya or (Gayyoom’s son) Farish for the following ten years. That would keep the presidency of this country in the Gayyoom family until 2038!

The upcoming referendum isn’t a vote about Anni or DRP. It is about the people of this country. Do we want to let Gayyoom and his family to effectively make this country a monarchy? Do we want to handover a blank cheque and the keys of our treasury to Yamin and the Kaaminee-Endheri family?

The outrageous lies and dirty tactics of DRP to mislead the people, and to vilify Anni and MDP, could still lead us to our own trap! My message to those who have various disagreements with ANNI is that, in the second round we are not voting for Anni. Any vote for MDP-Iththihaadh will be a vote for Anni and MDP and Dr. Hassan and Gasim and Adhaalath and Ibra. The way things have turned up, it’s even better than having an exclusive government of MDP. Now we have the chance to vote for a truly coalition government - a government of national unity that Dr. Hassan Saeed described during his campaign.

Voting for Gayyoom and DRP is like keeping the doors of your house open and saying that you trust the thieves will not rob you. Wakeup my beloved brothers and sisters. Wakeup by beloved countrymen. This is a once in a lifetime chance. We cannot let it pass. Place your trust in Nasheed, Dr. Waheed, Dr. Hassan Saeed, Dr. Shaheed, Dr. Jameel, Gasim, Sheikh Hussain Rasheed, Mohamed Shihab, Shaheed Zaki, Ibra, etc.

Gasim and Dr. Hassan has shown that they can overcome the differences and form a coalition with MDP in order to achieve the ultimate objective of all reformists – to establish a government of the people for the people. Let’s make achieve this reality. Let’s vote for MDP.

Seven major parties and fourteen prominent reformist leaders are on one side (MDP), whereas Gayyoom just has his half-brother Yamin and himself.

In a press conference that ended a few minutes ago, Jumhoree Alliance’s presidential candidate Gasim Ibrahim has endorsed Anni as there preferred candidate in the second round of the presidential election. The two Deputy Leaders of Jumhoree Party (Jabir and ADK-Nashid) also spoke glowingly about MDP’s candidate. Adhaalath Party’s leader (Sheikh Hussain Rasheed) also gave his support to an alliance that will back Anni in the second round of voting.

Few days ago, Dr. Hassan Saeed and Ibrahim Ismail who were both candidates in the election, threw their support behind Anni. This shows that currently seven major parties and eleven prominent reformist leaders are on one side (MDP), whereas Gayyoom just has his half-brother Yamin and himself.

The seven parties (or associations) that are now behind Anni are as follows:

1. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)
2. Gaumee Iththihaadh
3. New Maldives Movement
4. Jumhooree Party
5. Adhaalath Party
6. Maldivian National Congress
7. Social Liberal Party

The fourteen prominent reformist leaders who are now united are as follows:

1. Mohamed Nasheed (Anni)
2. Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik
3. Dr. Hassan Saeed
4. Dr. Shaheed
5. Dr. Jameel
6. Gasim Ibrahim
7. Jabir
8. (ADK) Nashid
9. Sheikh Hussain Rasheed
10. (Monaza) Naeem
11. Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra)
12. Shaheed Zaki
13. Mohamed Shihab
14. Mohamed Ibrahim (Moddy)

As testimony to this united front, all the above parties and all the above leaders (in unison with many other reformist leaders and ordinary reformist members) are holding a meeting at the Artificial Beach tonight at 9pm.

DRP is suddenly organizing some sort of ad hock meeting near the same location. This could be a deliberate attempt by DRP to create conflict and violence in order to discredit the opposition. MDP and all the united parties should think about this point very seriously.

Gayyoom and Yamin and Abdullah Hameed (the three brothers who are the axis of evil in this country) should leave us alone. We the people of this country do not need them. Let’s all unite behind the MDP-Iththihaadh and give our presidency to Anni-Hassan-Gasim-SheikhHussain-Ibra! It will insha Allah be a new dawn.

Will Dr. Munawwar take Gayyoom’s side to take revenge on Anni? Or will he take the side of the Maldivian people?

Will Dr. Munawwar take Gayyoom’s side to take revenge on Anni? Or will he take the side of the Maldivian people?
“HimeynInqilaab” website claims that Dr.Munawwar and Gayyoom’s brother (Yamin) have formed an alliance to create chaos and boost Gayyoom’s chances of winning. (pls refer to the link http://himeyn-ingilaab.com/2008/10/10/)
If this claim is true that is a sad state of affairs.

IT'S TIME FOR DR.MUNAVVAR TO SHOW THAT HE ISN'T A SELFISH PERSON WHO PUTS PERSONAL ISSUES BEFORE THE ISSUES OF THE NATION. HE MAY HAVE CAUSE TO BE UPSET WITH ANNI. But if Dr. Munavvar wants to be seen as a leader of the future he has to come forward and tell the people (as Dr. Hassan did) that, at least for this election, he is willing to back and support the reformist candidate (Anni), just to oust Gayyoom. If Munavvar doesn't do that, no Maldivian should forgive him.

Staying silent is also just the same as taking dictator Gayyoom's side. Come on Doc, there’s still time to show that you care. Think of your promise to us that you will not allow Gayyoom to take part in (leave alone win) this election. Now that Gayyoom is taking part in it, at least help us defeat him.

Those who claim that, if elected as President, Anni may work against Islam, should note that MDP’s Islamic Committee vetoed Anni’s wish to appoint a woman as his running mate. This shows that even if Anni wished to work against Islam the democratic mechanism inside the party will not allow him to do so. It should also be noted that, with the current freedoms in the newly amended constitution, no leader can rule with absolute force as Gayyoom did.

Looking at the way that Gayyoom has undermined Islam and the Holy Koran, and abused the trust kept on him by the people, it is evident that electing Gayyoom for another five years means that he will remain for ten years (2 terms) and he will make sure that either his brother (Yamin) or his son (Faarish) or his elder daughter (Dhunya) becomes President after he retires in 2018). No sane person and certainly no one who loves this country would take the immense risk of backing Gayyoom in the upcoming second round of voting. This is our last ticket to get out of hell. If we waste this chance then we are sure to be doomed for another ten years or more.

Anni, Dr. Hassan and Gasim to form an alliance to beat Gayyoom!

A second round of voting is now almost a certainty. In the second round, all reformists, even some of the ex-MDP members who, for various reasons, may hate Anni too need to think deeply and put country first. If you vote for Gayyoom in the second round because you hate Anni, then you are effectively condemning yourself to slavery for the next five years.

Despite all the shortcomings and possible vote rigging, one positive that will hopefully come out of this "Circus" called the “election” is that it could go for a second round. If, as expected, it goes for a second round, it is intrinsic that MDP’s candidate Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), Dr. Hassan Saeed, Republican Party’s candidate Gasim Ibrahim and IDP’s candidate Umar Naseer come to a common platform and form an alliance to try and topple the dictator through the ballot box! Current indications make it quite clear that Gayyoom and Anni will go to the second round as the top two candidates.

It is not a time to find petty differences. True leaders are those who overcome differences for the good of the nation. I deliberately (but sadly) omitted Ibra's name from the above list. It is obvious for all to see; the divisive role that Ibra played. Let's hope that we learn from this and find a compromise that can bring Anni, Saeed, Gasim and Umar together, so that we can finally see the back of dictator Gayyoom.

There are unconfirmed reports that Dr. Saeed and Gasim Ibrahim’s representatives are meeting with representatives of Anni. If Anni, Dr. Saeed and Gasim cannot form an alliance it would be nearly impossible to beat Gayyoom in the second round of voting. There are unconfirmed reports that DRP’s candidate Gayyoom, who is expected to win this first round, is already preparing for the second round and that Gayyoom is trying to meet Dr. Hassan and Gasim.

Even if Gayyoom can somehow arm-twist Gasim into joining a DRP alliance, it is hard to see Gasim’s alliance member, Adhaalath Party, going along with Gasim to join DRP. After all the attacks from DRP to Dr. Saeed in the campaign leading to the election, it is hard to see Dr. Saeed joining a DRP alliance in the second round. But in politics one can never be 100 percent sure of anything. In politics one can find many strange bedfellows. Hence it is intrinsic that these three leaders (Anni, Dr. Saeed and Gasim) overcome any possible differences and form an alliance that can beat dictator Gayyoom in the second round. All three leaders have to compromise!

Even some of the ex-MDP members who, for various reasons, may hate Anni too need to think deeply and bring country first. If you vote for Gayyoom in the second round because you hate Anni, then you are effectively condemning yourself to slavery for the next five years. I’m not saying that Anni is perfect. Far from it. But, don’t listen to bitter failures that have a personal vendetta with Anni. Listen to leaders of the future such as Dr. Saeed, Anni, Gasim and Umar.

Let’s join hands to defeat Gayyoom. This is a once in a lifetime chance. A chance that we could not afford to waste.

Insha Allah this Comedy Circus called “the election” will go for a second round!

As an Adduan who now resides at Male, I went to the Galolhu Stadium, where the Hithadhoo voting booth is held. Voting started with a delay from the announced time.

The first thing that struck me was that most of the Observers from the Commonwealth were huddled at booth number S-01 at the stadium. I wonder how the Commonwealth can ‘observe” the election nationwide if most of them reside in Male and are huddled near just one voting booth.

After casting my vote I came home, soaked in rain. The first thing I noticed after coming home was that the so-called “indelible” mark that was put on the left thumb had been washed by the rain. This mark was supposed to me from a permanent ink that would last for days. This is the same ink that had been guaranteed by the recently established, so-called “independent” Elections Commission. What a joke! This is either utter incompetence or unashamed corruption!

As has been well documented by now, there are innumerable problems in the Voter Registry compiled by the Elections Commission. There are also many problems at the numbers of ballot papers sent to various booths. There are also documented cases of some people’s names being repeated in more than one voting booth. The sheer volume of problems in the voting process has made it very difficult for the authorities to establish any credibility in the final outcome of this election.

After vociferous protests from the public, in front of the Elections Office (at Nasandhura Palace Hotel), the Commission is now trying to appease the people by applying cosmetic makeover to cover their incompetence and shortcomings. With the plethora of problems in the whole voting process, this election cannot be called a free and fair election. It is full of possible corruption and fraudulence and incompetence. It is impossible to accept that this is a free and fair election! It is clear that this is an election designed to mislead. It is setup with a predesigned agenda. It is not a process held to find the voice of the people.

Despite all this, one positive that will hopefully come out of this "Circus" is that it could go for a second round of voting. If, as expected, it goes for a second round, it is intrinsic that Anni, Saeed, Gasim and Umar Naseer come to a common platform, for some sort of alliance and try to topple the dictator through the ballot box! It is not a time to find petty differences. True leaders are those who overcome differences for the good of the nation. I deliberately (but sadly) omitted Ibra's name from the above list. It is obvious for all to see; the divisive role that Ibra played. Let's hope that we learn from this and find a compromise that can bring Anni, Saeed, Gasim and Umar together, so that we can finally see the back of dictator Gayyoom.

Call to Chief Mohamed Zahir and Commissioner Adam Zahir!

As the first multiparty presidential election in the country looms close we have to seriously consider some of the political maneuverings of the incumbent president. Let’s consider the following:

1. The appointment of President Gayyoom’s half-brother Yamin Gayyoom as the Tourism Minister only days before the election.
2. The appointment of six new Atoll Chiefs only days before the election.
3. The apparent influence of Gayyoom’s sons and daughters in Gayyoom’s party, DRP’s, election campaign.
4. The joint press briefing given by the Police and MNDF, in which they basically said that they will take strict action against any individuals or parties that ‘violate” the election law.
5. The confident mood in the DRP camp and their claim that they will win the election in the first round.
6. The fact that DRP controls the so-called “independent” Elections Commission.
7. The fact that DRP controls the “Supreme” Court.

Imagine the following scenario:

Many people turnout to vote on 08th October. Half way through the day, DRP realizes that they are behind in the exit-polls. Some volatile DRP supporters create trouble near some voting booths in Male and other islands. Trouble flares between DRP supporters and supporters of “reformist” candidates. Right on cue, the Police move in to “control” the “Violence”. The police “fail” to do so, and ask MNDF for help. MNDF “tries” to control the conflict but things go out of control! Suddenly a state of emergency is declared by Gayyoom and the voting is suspended until further notice. In the ensuing days, Gayyoom asks the Elections Commission to investigate and make a ruling on the suspended election.

The so-called “independent” Elections Commission (which is incidentally controlled by DRP) will of course rule that the elections law has been violated and that the guilty parties are MDP and other reformists. For a further opinion on this, Gayyoom asks the “Supreme” Court! It too rules in favour of Gayyoom. The election will then be nullified and a new date will be set for the election, possibly in January 2009. In the ensuing violence, many reformists and reformist leaders, including some candidates are arrested and sent for trail.
By the time the new Election Day approaches, the opposition is weakened and terrified.

We hope and pray that this gloomy scenario does not come to pass. But if it does happen, the country could go down a bottomless pit and some irreversible damage could be done to our democratization and to our social and economic fabric.

I plead to the Chief of Staff (Two-Two) Mohamed Zahir and the Commissioner of Police Adam Zahir to put country first and not to get entangled in the web of deception spread by the current regime. Mohamed Zahir should realize that Gayyoom’s coalition-partner (his half brother) Yamin doesn’t look too favorably at Mohamed Zahir. Koimala, a website favorable to Yamin has often attacked Mohamed Zahir as “Bodu-Kakkaa” and called him numerous other names. Does Mohamed Zahir believe that if DRP and Yamin’s coalition win the election that they will keep Mohamed Zahir in the same post! I somehow doubt it.

Adam Zahir should also realize that he too could become a liability to Gayyoom if Gayyoom wins the lection. Afterwards he too could be dumped. I believe that these two gentlemen have the opportunity to redeem themselves as leaders of the people rather than saviour of Gayyoom. I call upon Mohamed Zahir and Adam Zahir to respect the freedoms and the rights granted to the people by the constitution. I call upon them to help us (the people of Maldives) in these difficult times.

We are willing to forgive and forget whatever shortcomings that you may have had. In return please take the side of the people and help take this country towards a more democratic, free and fair government.

What happened to the DhiFM Presidential Poll held on 02nd Oct 2008?

For an opinion on the result of the DhiFM Poll on the presidential election held on 02nd Oct 2008, please refer to the following link on "himeyn Inqilaab" website.
http://himeyn-ingilaab.com/2008/10/03/

"Our Hero"

Following is an article I published on Dhivehi Observer about three yars ago (on 01st Sept 2005)
Despite the efforts by the state owned media to portray him as a villain, the Chairman of MDP (Nasheed) is seen by many Maldivians as their saviour.,Many of us look up to him and his party, to free us from the undemocratic political system that is prevalent in this country. In the face of virtually insurmountable odds and difficulties, Nasheed is leading his struggle to bring democracy and legitimate human rights to this miniscule country of ours. Even though many Maldivians look at Nasheed as a hero, the government doesn't think so. This is the main reason why he is currently in prison, accused of sponsoring and coordinating terrorism. Mind you, he is only accused and not proven guilty. Mohamed Nasheed (Anni); the Chairman of MDP is indeed a hero of this generation.

Perhaps the police would look at me as a terrorist too, for granting hero status to Nasheed. If anyone in this country could be legitimately described as the father of modern democracy in Maldives, that person is Nasheed. We have seen pictures and video clips of how Nasheed was dragged to the police station, like a sack of potatoes. His crime was taking part in a peaceful demonstration earlier this month. About two weeks after his arrest, we saw Nasheed being bundled into the court. Fortunately he wasn't dragged this time, but he was carried like a rag doll, by a muscular policeman. The picture looked like a fat mother trying to breast feed an unusually large baby. Welcome to multiparty democracy, Maldivian style.

The makeshift assembly hall (Haruge), where MDP holds party meetings has been dismantled, the grounds dug up and the party has been denied the rights to use that facility ever since. Police personnel carried out this, while the Attorney General seemed to pronounce judgment on MDP, without even a trial. People say that Attornry General, Hassan Saeed, is a law graduate. Personally I haven't seen his university certificate. I may not know legal jargon as much as Hassan Saeed but I'm pretty sure that the constitution doesn't grant anyone (not even the Attorney General) the right to pronounce judgment on someone while the matter is being investigated by the police.

Listening to Hassan Saeed chatting to Shakeeb'be on Television Maldives, I made a silent vow that I would never send my daughter to the same university that Saeed studied in (if my daughter decides to study law). I also decided that I would never send my daughter to the same institute where Shakeeb'be learnt the intricacies of ethics. Wherever that maybe.

Listening to the state sponsored propaganda on the national television; I was struck by the contrast in the programs of the national radio. At least the radio programs aren't as one-sided as that of TVM. The difference is perhaps in the styles of Hussein Mohamed (TVM) and Badhuru Naseer (Radio). Maybe Badhuru would have a clearer conscience when the dust settlers finally.

Perhaps I shouldn't describe the words of Shakeeb'be and Heena Waleed as propaganda. Well, propaganda is something that penetrates into the minds of unassuming people. What was coming out of TVM was more like gibberish. Only fools would believe that.

The Acting Government Spokesman was indeed acting. His versions of Nasheed's arrest were contradictory. I believe that MDP has to thank Gayyoom for having this guy as the Acting Government Spokesman. With his acting he seems to be doing an awful lot of good for MDP's cause. His predecessor (the Chief Government Spokesman), said that Gayyoom is the father of Maldivian democracy. The women's rights groups should perhaps lobby that the Great Leader should be described as the "Parent of Democracy" instead of being called the father.

Recently I spoke to a senior official of a European embassy in Colombo. He assured me that, as far as he can see, there is no legitimate case against Nasheed. He believes that Nasheed would be released soon and that Maldivians would get the chance to cast their votes at a multi-party election pretty soon. How soon, I asked. He believes that the inevitable would happen later this year. Would that make Gayyoom the Father of multiparty elections as well? If his party wins that election I'm sure that his spokesman would pronounce that title for him.

Personally I believe that the chances of finding aliens in space is higher than the chances of Gayyoom's party winning a free and fair election in this country. That's my humble opinion. Gayyoom has to of course hold elections if he wants to prove me wrong. I hope he takes the democratic path in proving me wrong, instead of arresting me for expressing a personal opinion.

Dictator Gayyoom will rig it to win it

(Following article is by Dhivehi Observer (DO) Sappe)Are you on the electoral register? Does anyone know the total no of eligible voters? Does anyone care?

Although some opposition groups are wishfully thinking that this could possibly be a "fair and free" elections, the Maldives Dictator has all the plans in place to rig the vote on October 8th, the first ever multiparty presidential election to be held in the Maldives, after almost 5 years of campaigning and hardships.

Firstly, the procedure by which eligible voters needing to register to vote in this election is also marred in controversy. Several thousand people are left out because they could not meet the deadline. This day and age, with advance technology, especially with internet database softwares, with such a small voting population like the Maldives, the entire voting list can be pulled out from an online national ID card database at any location within seconds, verifying all personal details, so proof of identity should have been sufficient. Once a person votes in a location, it can be recorded and the voter cannot vote again at a different location. However, Golhaabo decided to do otherwise because he knows that this time around, the vast majority of the Maldivian people will be voting against him and he wanted to keep a broad number to rig the vote.

Secondly, Golhaabo is keeping the eligible voters list, or Electoral Roll as known elsewhere, as a closely guarded secret. No one it seems knows the total number of eligible voters in any ward of Male’ or any specific island. Last month the election commission put up a list of people eligible to vote, without an index, so you could not get the total no. of voters from any list. It also had several deceased people and a revised version was not uploaded later. A source within the government assured last week that the final list will be put on display with the total no of voters in each island and ward of Male’ but instead, what they have done now is provide a search form for individuals to see if they are on the database.

Go and check if you are on the database... here is the link given on the official Election Commission website. Search link http://www.maldiveseligiblevoters.com/

If you search with your national ID number, it should give you the name of your house and voting booth code. And, if you search with the other option, it gives your name and details. What is interesting here is, if you are not in Male' or near your booth on the day, you are doomed as well. You can't vote!

According to most analysts, vote rigging would be done in the outer Atolls mostly, where the reach of election observers will be minimal. Opposition is strong in vote shares there. Rigging in Male’ will be based on number of eligible people who live in Male’ but are not registered to vote due to the time constraints. That will be a bulk number for Golhaabo to add to his tally in Male’.

Also heavy rigging is planned abroad. For example in India more than 3000 eligible voters exist but no one knows how many registered. The same is true in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia.

UNLESS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS ARE CLEARLY GIVEN, GOLHAABO WILL RIG THE VOTE WITH EASE.

We all recall how the eligible voting population inflated several times in the last referendum we had. So, the refusal to make these data public is a clear sign of what Golhaabo and his regime are intent on doing next week. We demand that the Election Commission gives out the exact number of people on the electoral roll.

Furthermore, while the Election Commission appears to have been "independently elected" by the Majlis, it is hard to accept that the Commission would be independent of Golhaabo's influence. Take a look at these facts.

1. The President of the Election Commission Mohamed Ibrahim was the one who was in charge of DRP elections during the DRP Congress
2. He was fostered by the parents of the Defence Minister Ismail Shafeeu and grew up with him in the same household (H. Orchid Maage).
3. The majority of members in the Commission are known supporters of DRP.

We may hope that this would be a free and fair elections. We may even allow ourselves to fantasize a little bit that this could indeed be possible. We may dream that this time it would be a truly independent elections commission dedicated in the service of the people of Maldives that is finally in control of our electoral process. One can understand to some extent why people hope and dream this - that this is indeed the goal that all of us have worked so hard towards achieving - a fair and free elections in the Maldives for the first time. And after all, without dreaming of bigger goals, very little can be achieved. So in a sense, it is understandable that some of us are allowing ourselves to cling on to the flicker of the light at the end of the tunnel.

But sadly, we maybe badly deluding ourselves. It maybe the Parliamentary-Presidential Referendum all over again where we hoped that there will not be rigging but Golhaabo stole the referendum right under our noses.

This time again, we are probably in for a very rude awakening when the Dictator rig it and win it in the first round.

People, brace yourselves! This old man will not give up his grip on power and the ownership of the chicken that lays ‘Golden Eggs’.