The death of MDP and the birth of Gayyoom’s Saviors!

Sad as it may sound, I have to say that MDP is a dead force in the current political situation. To use a metaphor, MDP was the hardworking donkey who brought us to the current junction of political freedom. It toiled and worked hard for us, but riders of this donkey (the party leaders) selfishly abused the party, which has taken MDP to the brink of irrelevance. I believe that Anni has to take the largest share of responsibility for, perhaps inadvertently, shattering the very foundations of the party. The incumbent president of the party, Dr. Munavvar, too has to take some share of this responsibility; but as said above, Anni has to take the largest share of responsibility.

MDP came into being to promote democracy and freedom of expression and equality and fairness. The first major election held under the auspices of the party was expected to be a beacon of transparency and democracy for us. Sadly though; it was rampant with nepotism, favoritism, strong handedness and shadiness. Anni used a pseudo-militia (aptly named: the party grassroots) to stretch the rules of the party; and in some cases even bend and abuse those rules, to gain an upper hand in the election.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a discontented supporter of Dr. Munavvar who suffered this loss at the hands of Anni, in the election. As I’ve mentioned in this blog, I didn’t even support Dr. Munvvar in the election. But it saddens me, and many neutrals like me, that Anni had the audacity to hijack and abuse the very party that he professed to die for. Anni perhaps calculated that his political cunningness could get him out of any consequences.

Has MDP shown Gayyoom how to conduct a free and fair election? Absolutely not! If anything, it was a carbon copy of what Gayyoom has been feeding down our throats for the past 30 odd years. Anni’s ways are frighteningly similar to the ways of Gayyoom. Like Gayyoom Anni too seems to favour nepotism. Like Gayyoom, Anni too seems to use some sort of pseudo-militia. Like Gayyoom, Anni too, doesn’t seem to have anything sacred which he wouldn’t trample, just to get his way. Democracy? Freedom? Fairness? No! Nothing is more sacred than winning. Winning at any cost! We should be wary of a leader who takes such a dangerous attitude.

Many reformists respected and trusted Anni. He has abused that trust and trampled it. Like Gayyoom, perhaps Anni too thinks that he knows what’s best for us and so he has the mandate to trample our most sacred things just to take us to the other side of the proverbial sea. Anni and Gayyoom and many other so-called leaders has shown that we are a nation abound with selfish and shortsighted leaders. No visionaries or true leaders of the people. Anni perhaps aspires to be the Che Guera or Mandela of Maldives but he should perhaps close his eyes and contemplate his actions over the past few years and judge himself. He would fall short of such lofty credentials by a long margin.

Even though the reform movement has made substantial advances, it is ironic that as the first multi-party election approaches, MDP (the so-called biggest opposition party) has become almost irrelevant and toothless. The so-called leaders of the party are mainly to blame for this. The situation has taken turns and twists, like a cruel comedy, whereby the two leading contenders in the upcoming election are emerging to be Gayyoom’s half brother (Yamin) and Gayyoom’s current Finance Minister (Gasim). Whether we want to accept it or not, it is a fact that these two heavyweights will polarize the public; and it is becoming increasingly likely that the next president could very well be either Gasim or Yamin. How cruel and ironic could that be?

Umar Naseer’s ID-Party and Ibra’s SD-Party and Adhaalath Party seem to be backing Gasim, while Yamin could forge some partnership with his half brother. Rumours are ripe that Gasim and Dr. Munavvar are joining forces to form a new party which will promote Gasim’s candidacy. Yamin is also in the process of registering his own party. These two new parties could brush aside MDP and DRP – which have hitherto been the two leading parties. It remains to be seen what sort of coalition or group that Dr. Hassan can assemble to contend with the ambitions of Yamin and Gasim.

It is safe to assume that Gasim and Yamin would both be sympathetic to Gayyoom and will try to shape the next government so as to protect the “legacy and family” of Gayyoom. Whoever wins the next election, it is becoming increasingly likely that Gayyoom may not be among the losers! His “great escape” seems to be working just fine! Gayyoom may rule this country even from his grave. That may perhaps be his greatest “personal legacy”!

Could Hassan Saeed and Anni do a deal with Yamin?

The news coming of MDP is that Anni has - contrary to the predictions of some analysts – agreed to become the running mate (Vice President) of a leader from the alliance. There are five major players in the alliance – i.e. MDP, Dr. Hassan Saeed’s association, Adhaalath Party, Umar Naseer’s IDP, and Ibra’s SDP. Of these five groups, MDP of course has the largest number of members and has the proper mandate to contest in the presidential election.

So, why then is Anni willing to recede and let another candidate run for president, while becoming such a candidate’s running mate? Umar Naseer has publicly said that this is a “political trick” of Anni. Umar didn’t explain how and why it is a “trick”. Maybe he thinks that anyone who isn’t cozying up to his “great leader” (Buruma Gasim) is playing tricks. Umar has of course, quite expectedly, proposed the name of his business partner (Buruma) as the “best” candidate to contest on behalf of the alliance. Ibra isn’t of course so forthcoming, even though it is obvious that Ibra’s party is backed by Buruma and his partner (Ilyas Ibrahim). Ibra says that his party will back a candidate that is elected from a primary held amongst the members of all the parties in the alliance. This is a delaying tactic, and Ibra and Umar very well know that Gasim has the necessary funds to “buy” the votes of such a primary.

A source within Adhaalath Party told me that the party’s Spokesman, Sheikh Shaheem, favours Buruma Gasim (who incidentally financed Shaheem’s studies for a PhD). It is also rumoured that Gasim gives a hefty monthly cheque for Adhaalath Party and hence some members in the party’s leadership (including Shaheem) backs Gasim for his “generous” help. But this source tells me that Adhaalth’s leader, Sheikh Hussain Rasheed and Sheikh Ilyas are against making Buruma the alliance candidate.

In short, it could be assumed that three of the five major players in the alliance favour Buruma Gasim. But this figure is quite misleading. MDP and Dr. Hassan Saeed’s association actually has more combined members than the combined total of members in the other three parties. It is also a fact that very few people will actually back IDP and SDP in a national referendum even though Adhaalath Party may acquire a significant vote.

It would be ironic if Adhaalath Party endorses Buruma Gasim. Being a basically Islamic party, Adhaalath would be hard-pressed to explain why they would back a candidate whose major earnings are from the business of liquor (alcohol), which is deemed an illegal trade by some Islamists. Adhaalath would also be hard-pressed to explain why they would back a candidate who probably uses and gives more “Ribaa” (bank interest) than any one individual in the country. Bank interest is considered to be Ribaa which is haraam (illegal) in Islamic Sharia.

Probably the best option for MDP would be to forget about SDP and IDP and try to come to an understanding with Dr. Hassan Saeed’s association and of course convince Adhaalath Party that their best interests does not lie with Buruma Gasim. If MDP and Adhaalath Party and Dr. Hassan Saeed come to a common understanding, then the arguments of IDP and SDP would become irrelevant.

It is obvious that if Gasim becomes President of this country he would most probably not allow any other person to even competitively run a small corner shop. He now controls all the fisheries zones and is a major player in the tourism industry and controls major shares in the petroleum market and cement market and cooking-gas market and shipping market. He is also into poultry farming and even education (Villa College). Gasim has become a business giant that is too cumbersome and could drag the economic development of the country if he gets to be president of this country. It is obvious that, despite claims to the contrary, Gasim would save Gayyoom from the public, if Gasim becomes president. It is Gayyoom and his brother-in-law Ilyas who made Gasim so rich. He cannot bite the hand that fed him for all these years.

It is widely believed that three of the biggest business groups in the country - Universal Group and Champa Group and Dhamas Group – are behind Hassan Saeed. This is understandable given the fact that none of the big businesses would want to be ruled by a person who is their direct competitor. Would Universal and Champa get a fair deal if Gasim becomes President? - Most probably not.

It would be a major coup for Hassan Saeed and Anni if they could bring Yamin and his PA group into the alliance-fold. Despite the fact that Yamin is a half-brother of Gayyoom, Yamin is unhappy with the close relationship between Buruma Gasim and Gayyoom. Yamin and Hassan Saeed are political foes but Yamin’s dislike for Gasim could override whatever disliking he may have for Hassan Saeed. So if Anni could become an intermediary, MDP and Hassan Saeed could bring Yamin into the fold of the alliance. This could become the most significant political coup of the current impasse.

There isn’t any faultless candidate. No one is perfect. Gayyoom has made sure of that. From the “damaged goods” that we have; the best possible choice would be to back a team of Dr. Hassan Saeed and Anni. For obvious reasons, Ibra and Umar Naseer and Gayyoom and even Dr. Munavvar will work against such a team; but there’s the possibility that Yamin may come to support such an alliance. Let’s think of the country and forget about individuals. Let’s look beyond the façade and rosy words. Let’s give Dr. Hassan Saeed and Anni a chance to take us out of the quagmire that Gayyoom consciously created to divide-and-rule us. @

Anni may not stand by his word!

In my previous article here, I argued that it would be best if Anni stood aside and let a more charismatic and genuine leader come out of the “Inthigaalee” movement to compete for the presidency. I argued that as the winner of the MDP primaries, Anni could perhaps be the running mate of such a candidate. One of the readers commented that who else (other than Anni) has the mandate to contest the election. The reader argued that Anni has just won the primaries of the biggest opposition party and no one but he has the mandate to contest the presidential election. But our reader has forgotten one very important point. Anni contested the MDP-primaries on the platform that he would work with the alliance to find one single “Inthigaalee” candidate.

Many MDP members voted for him, trusting him to do just that. But the signs coming out of Anni’s camp in the aftermath of the landslide victory are very ominous. One source close to Anni said that Anni – when pushed about finding an “Inthigaalee” candidate – became enraged and said: “Kon Inthigaalee Eththa?”

The ex-foreign Minister, Dr. Shaheed, who is the spokesman for the alliance was reported by Haveeru Daily to have asked Anni to honor his statements about finding an “Inthigaalee” candidate. The fact that Dr.Shaheed had to make this request on a public forum instead of discussing it directly with Anni shows that there could very well be a breakdown of communication between Anni and the alliance. A source close to Anni has told me that they have video clips that could discredit Dr. Hassan Saeed and Umar Naseer and other alliance leaders. These video clips, claims this source, will be part of the propaganda campaign that Anni’s camp will initiate soon to discredit other alliance-leaders and make him the alliance-candidate.

Now there’s an sms circulating among many MDP members, apparently sent by Anni’s camp, directed towards the southerners, which says:
“Dhekunu Meehun Vathanee Vegen Kurevunee Kon Kameh. Dhen Ves Party Ga Thiben Beynumeeyaa Madun Thibey.”

It is unfair to say that the people of Addu were “Vathanee”, when Anni got a higher percentage of votes from Addu than Munavvar got from Male. It is also unfair to belittle the immense contributions made by the masses of Addu Atoll and other southern atolls in bringing MDP and the reform movement this far. There are wild elements within Anni’s camp that are blind to reality and believe every rosy word that Anni says. The fact of the matter is that Anni won the election based on his promise to put the “Inthigaalee” movement first. If he turns his back on that this wouldn’t of course be Anni’s first u-turn. If he goes on to become president, I bet this would be one of many u-turns that will come out of the rosy tongues of a leader who has an abundance of political cunning.

The onus is now with Anni to prove his detractors and doubters wrong. If he is a genuine reformist who doesn’t want to mislead the public he should dissociate himself from radical elements in his camp and come to a unifying platform and genuinely discuss the possibility of finding an “Inthigaalee” candidate from within the alliance. @

Munavvar: A defeat of his own making! (Looking beyond Anni)

The results may have been shocking for the supporters of Dr. Munavvar but frankly I wasn’t surprised by the victory for Anni. What was a bit surprising perhaps was the huge margin of victory. For the last week or so many of us have seen this coming. I view this more as a defeat of Munavvar’s own making, rather than a clear-cut endorsement of Anni.

Friday night a friend of mine asked me if I had voted. I said none of those three deserve my vote. ‘Why’ he asked me. I said that from what I had seen in the preceding days of the campaign none of the three had convinced me that they can lead this country out of the quagmire that Gayyoom has leisurely created over the last 30 years!

My friend assumed that, as I was from Addu, that I would naturally vote fro Dr. Munavvar. Friday’s vote has shown that the people of Addu – just like the people from any other atoll – are more concerned about finding a leader for this country, rather than trying to satisfy the ego of one particular atoll. I told my friend that over the period of the campaign, Dr. Munavvar couldn’t show me one single reason why I should vote for him.

I first started suspecting Dr. Munavvar’s capabilities after listening to the first debate of the MDP-primaries. Munavvar’s answers in that question-and-answer session were labored and he seemed nervous. This was surprising given that fact that he had been our Attorney General for ten years and that he ahs a PhD in law. His in cohesive statements lacked any substance. Whereas Anni talked about the need to introduce “less-labor-intensive-industries” and the need to workout a way to reduce “the country’s international debt” and “erasing the debts of the poor families”.

Many people criticised the unpreventable way that Dr. Munavvar was. Some of Munavvar’s supporters thought that Anni was egoistic by wearing a suit; but the fact of the matter is that Anni and Moosa looked more presentable and Munavvar shot himself in the foot by appearing like a cat out of a dustbin. His campaign team should have advised him to be more presentable and more aggressive in his answers. He wasn’t dressed for the job and he wasn’t showing any enthusiasm to lead either. It was a limp and spineless performance. Even Reeko Moosa got more points.

Now some of Munavvar’s supporters are hanging on to the flimsy idea that somehow there was some fraud in the vote. I think it’s time that we all gracefully agree that the defeat was of Munavvar and his team’s own making. This is a bitter lesson for all politicians in the future. Let’s take an example of two sales men. One is selling branded Armani shirts and the other one is selling non-branded shirts. A good sales man could convince the buyer that his non-branded shirt is a better buy. This is the case in politics too. Even though Dr. Munavvar is perhaps better qualified to lead, his team wasn’t able to package him and sell him to the general public. Munavvar himself was, I believe, too arrogant and over-confident.

Let me state one good example of the arrogance of Dr. Munavvar’s team. In the run-up to the election, a senior member of Reeko Moosa’s team approached Dr. Munavvar’s team and proposed a deal. Moosa’s team proposed that Moosa would withdraw his candidacy and put his support behind Munavvar in exchange for some political deal. This is common practice in the many developed democracies. This proposal was rejected without even due consideration. Munavvar’s team said that they were “one hundred percent sure” of victory. Now they are paying the price for arrogance (or perhaps ignorance).

Many of us remember the famous saying of Presidential candidate Bush Senior, during his campaign. He said “read my lips, no more taxes”! But did he standby that statement? No he didn’t. We all lookup to the ideal case of being truthful, but the fact of the matter is that in politics some little white lies are always used. Whether we agree with it or not, that’s the reality. Anni talked about wiping the debts of the poor in the corner shops (Kanmathee Stores). Anni himself would know that it would be nearly impossible to ascertain the right figures of this debt and carry it out as he stated. If he gets to a position of influence he may carryout this promise in some half-baked way but this policy for sure cannot be carried out as comprehensively as Anni stated. But Anni got a lot of votes from the islanders for this stating this policy.

The same can be said about Anni’s policy of introducing a minimum salary of Rf 4000. We all know that the new constitution is being revised to make way for a minimum salary. The question is not whether there would be a minimum salary but how much. I can bet on my house that neither Anni nor any other leader could set the minimum salary at RF 4000 without raising the inflation. If Anni get’s to a position to make this decision he may set the minimum salary at RF 2000 and explain why he couldn’t set it at RF 4000 as he promised! This is all part of the white lies of politics. The fact of the matter is that Anni got plenty of votes for this too. Dr. Munavvar didn’t seem to know how to score vital political points in this way. Surprisingly he seemed to lack the cunning of politics – something that he professed that he had.
Anni also scored points when he said that he will reduce the costs of the presidency, and specifically stated that “Hilaaleege” would be big enough and good enough as a presidential residence! This was sweet news to a public who hate Gayyoom for torturing us and hiding behind the iron gates of a huge presidential palace. We all know that our future president will not reside at Hilaaleege. He may more likely reside at Muleeaage – but Anni scored political points from this statement whereas Munavvar lacked creativity and political ingenuity in his statements and lack of specific policies that touched the hearts of the people.

Another little political game that Anni played was criticizing China as a dictatorial communist power. He specifically said that the communist’s were atheists who didn’t believe in any god. This was a challenge to Gayyoom’s party (DRP) which is cozying up to the Chinese Communist Party. Anni knows that if ever he comes to a position of influence he will try his utmost to strengthen the trade and diplomatic relationship between China and the Maldives. His criticisms of China most probably were meant for the ears of the unassuming islanders and not really meant. This is how you package and sell a candidate to a political mass. If Dr. Munavvar has political ambitions he should learn to be a bit more creative and start cultivating some political cunningness. Anni for sure has abundance of it.

In conclusion let me repeat that I did not vote in the MDP-primaries because I didn’t find any of the three contenders worthy of our presidency. Anni had the political cunningness but that’s probably all that he has. It’s time that we hold him accountable for his words on an “Inthigaalee” candidate. I look forward to see a more charismatic and genuine leader come out of the “Inthigaalee” movement – and as the winner of the MDP primaries, Anni could perhaps be the running mate of such a candidate.

2008 would mark a point of no return!

The year 2008 would be written in our history as a pivotal juncture in the broader picture. Whether it gets recorded as a starting point of a bright future, or whether it gets recorded as a point of decline and destruction, is up to us. Either way it appears that 2008 would mark a point of no return.
The most important thing that would decide the fate of 2008, and the fate of our future, I believe, is who will win the upcoming presidential election. If, as Gayyoom wishes, he gets elected - by hook or by crook – it will be the darkest day in our life. The country and its entire people are crying for a change; yet the old man who has suppressed and controlled us for the past 30 years is still running for presidency. He has overseen the systematic destruction of our religion and economy. A whole generation is drifting with no cultural or religious anchor.
Widespread corruption and favoritism and nepotism in the Gayyoom regime has stifled the need for hard work. Weak and corrupt characters are rewarded while hard working and ethical people are suppressed. The creation of the Civil Service Commission and its fair functioning may go a long way in changing this culture. It is the collective hope of all of us that we start to change this corrupt culture this year.
The shape of our future will also be decided by whether we are able to control the mushrooming drugs crisis in the country. When I say “drugs crisis” I include the current problems in dealing with the medical drugs as well. As reported in the local media recently, many pharmacies are selling so-called controlled drugs without any prescriptions from doctors. Some youth are abusing “cough syrup” as an alcoholic drink. Many elderly people are being slowly poisoned because they are taking medical drugs that were prescribed by doctors long ago but without renewal. There seems to be no control in the business of medical drugs. Quality control is also an issue here. Maldives seems to be a dumping ground for poor-quality medical drugs from third world countries such as India and Pakistan.
Coupled with this grave problem in the medical drugs, we have even graver crises in narcotics drugs. This crisis needs no further explanation, as it is clear to everyone that the growing gang violence and robberies and many other social ills are directly or indirectly related to the mushrooming narcotic-drugs crisis in the country.
The dramatic growth of the tourism industry without a proper plan for the expansion of the related infrastructure is another crisis that is looming high. Gayyoom couldn’t care less. He wants the millions of dollars in advance, for these islands. He doesn’t care how the tourists are transported or whether the investors can recover their investments. Naturally, as an old man in his seventies, he is thinking of the short term – maybe the next five years. But the lack of a proper infrastructure for the growing tourism industry could become a major economic problem if we do not plan for this.
Another crisis that is cooking is the incredible rising of the food prices in the world market and in our country. There does not seem to be any signs that the food prices could go down in the near future. Coupled with the rise in the price of crude oil, the increases in food prices could escalate in to a worldwide depression. Being a small country with a fragile economy, the middle class and the lower class of the country could be hard-hit if we don’t get a responsible leadership who could plan and guide us through these murky waters.

Caught between a brutal regime and a bunch of selfish figures who call themselves “opposition-leaders”!

Whether this is a process to amend the constitution or the formation of a new constitution is really irrelevant. The spirit of the constitution is that no one who has served two presidential terms in the country can run for a third term in office. Gayyoom and his cronies (with much twisted help from Buruma Gasim) have “raped” the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.
This isn’t a constitution that is being amended or formulated for the people of this country. It is more like a constitution that is being tailor-made for the benefit of one old man who is hell-bent on ruling this country for the rest of his life.
This country is being hijacked by a gang who appears to do whatever they want. They have control of the two houses of parliament and they seem to be winning the tussle with the opposition. While all this is going on, the leaders of the main opposition party (MDP) are engrossed in a bitter fight for the party ticket to contest the presidential election. Neither Dr. Munavvar nor Nasheed (Anni) has said anything about the desecration of the constitution by the ruling gang.
Many of us still believe that we Buruma Gasim is a “reformist” who is “forced” to join the ruling regime; and that we cannot free the country from Gayyoom’s grip without the help of Buruma. This is a misconception. Even in the recent events in the Special Majlis, Gasim has shown that he a weak character that cannot stand up to the dictator. We can never achieve anything fruitful as long as we continue to believe that Gasim is our messiah. He will continue to make moves for the benefit of his empire and take our side only when that benefits him. The same could be said of Gayyoom’s brother Yamin and his diabolical association (PA).
While Gayyoom and his cronies continue to twist events in their favour, the opposition leaders (i.e. Anni, Dr. Saeed and Dr. Munavvar are fighting for their egos). We are caught between a brutal regime and a bunch of selfish figures who call themselves “opposition-leaders”!
Many ordinary citizens who have made great individual sacrifices for the reform process are disillusioned while the hyenas of the regime seem to be laughing all the way back to their bureaucratic offices.

Herethere’s bid has been cancelled: Gayyoom’s new political game!!!

It hasn’t been officially released to the media, but the bids for Herethere Resort have been cancelled. MTDC demanded fifteen million Us Dollars (interest free) advance from the person who won the bid. The interest of 15 million dollars for 15 years would be more than ten million dollars. This is the dictator’s way of siphoning money for his upcoming election. When the winner of the bid disagreed about the legitimacy of this demand, MTDC promptly cancelled the bid.
Herethere currently has occupancy of less than 25 percent. It is estimated that the occupancy of Herethere would fall to 20 percent over the next four months. While most of the other resorts are full year-round, Herethere is being neglected and managed by a government-owned public company that seems to want to destroy Herethere.
The government brings one bureaucratic obstacle after another in to the Herethere project. First it was the refusal to disjoin Hulhudhoo and Herethere due to environmental. Now it is the refusal of the government to handover the management of the resort to capable private bidders. This is the only way to develop the resort. As long as MTDC holds onto the management of Herethere the resort would continue to decline, just as resorts such as Bandos and Kurumba declined when the government managed those resorts some decades ago.
The people of Addu Atoll have waited patiently for over two decades to taste the rewards of tourism in their atoll. Now that it is so close, Gayyoom’s regime is continuing to cerate unnecessary bureaucracy and obstacle to the successful operation of Herethere. This is a regime that hates the people of Addu and we should all join forces to say “No” to Gayyoom and his dictatorial cronies.
We demand that Gayyoom and his political and private-sector cronies give back Herethere to us – the rightful owners of the island.