High-level conspiracy keeps Mohamed Nasheed in exile
by Michael O'Shea with assistance from Faiykolhu, Faarumathi Koi,
Dheyvaani, Bandharumathi Meedhaa (pseudonyms) and others
Malé April 2002
with translations by Maldives Culture editors
Many top Maldivian politicians and bureaucrats were eyewitnesses to
the events which led to the imprisonment and exile of Mohamed Nasheed,
a popular elected Malé member of the Majlis (Parliament).
Mohamed Nasheed attended the auction of a house, belonging to former
President Ibrahim Nasir, in October last year with the Minister for
Construction and Public Works Umar Zahir and his assistant director
Ibrahim Fayaz. In the same group were the Minister for Women's Affairs
Rashida Yusuf, her deputy Aneesa Ahamed and the Majlis member for
Lhaviyani atoll Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Other senior bureaucrats were
also present.
They laughed and joked as Nasheed pulled scraps of discarded paper
from the dust and rubble of the partially demolished house. Minister
Rashida Yusuf was delighted when she recognised Nasir's children's
schoolwork that had been marked by her when she had been a teacher
many years ago.
These papers were collected by Nasheed who later packed and labelled
them for donation to the National Council of Linguistic and Historical
Research. It was at this point that Nasheed was arrested and held in
solitary confinement for a month before being charged and then found
guilty of theft and sentenced to two and a half years exile in Raa
atoll, away from his family and children who live in Malé.
In 2001 Mohamed Nasheed attempted to implement political reforms such
as the introduction of a party system and procedures for ministerial
accountability to the Majlis. Many members of the Maldivian elite and
their supporters justify the present autocratic situation by arguing
it is a necessary precondition for economic prosperity.
The removal of Mohamed Nasheed is not the first time President Gayyoom
has acted against popular Malé Majlis members. In the 1990s,
Dr.Mohamed Waheed who now works in the US for UNICEF, and Ahmed
Mujuthaba, a prominent Maldivian businessman in the tourist sector,
found themselves in orchestrated difficulties when they began to rival
Gayyoom in popularity.
It is little wonder that next month's Malé byelection, prompted by
Mohamed Nasheed's loss of his seat due to his imprisonment, conviction
and exile, is being conducted in an atmosphere of barely suppressed
cynicism and indignation among large sections of the Malé electorate.
In March this year Mohamed Nasheed's appeal against his sentence was
rejected. Lawyers who have examined the case can see grave flaws in
the judgment.
In the opinion of these lawyers, the lower Maldives court 'erred in
reaching the view that Nasheed's actions constituted "theft" as
defined in section 149 of the Maldives Penal Code.' In their view, the
arguments submitted on appeal were 'legally sound and sustainable'.
The lawyers believe the points raised by Nasheed in his appeal create
sufficient doubt to quash his conviction under section 149. 'In a
criminal trial,' they said, 'the onus is on the prosecution to prove
beyond reasonable doubt that the alleged offence was committed. That
is the minimum requirement of "guilt" in a criminal case. The
prosecution did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Nasheed was
guilty of theft. If he is not guilty then he cannot be prosecuted.'
They pointed out that Article 16 of the Maldives Constitution says
that 'every person shall be presumed innocent until proven "guilty".
Hence the conviction should be quashed and Nasheed's name should be
cleared.'
Because of its political sensitivity, Nasheed's appeal must have gone
to President Gayyoom for final judgement. (The President's position as
head of the Maldivian legal and religious system was constitutionally
ratified in 1998.) Shortly before the appeal was lodged, Nasheed's
lawyer, the President's nephew Shaheen Hameed, was pressured to drop
the case by a third party acting on behalf of the President. Shaheen
is the third son of President Gayyoom's brother Abdullah Hameed, the
Speaker of the Majlis and Minister of Atolls.
Events like these, combined with the campaign by the National Security
Service against the people at the forefront of a peaceful campaign for
party democracy and ministerial accountability, are major reasons for
the Malé electorate's disenchantment with their country's political
process.
Such sentiments are reinforced by President Gayyoom's constant demand
for public praise and honours. The irony of his speech was not lost on
his audience when he spoke at a recent graduation ceremony held at the
Islamic Centre for Malé's Shariah and Law Diploma course. 'Those
serving in the legal profession should be exemplary in their conduct
and character,' he said. 'Professionals were entrusted with dispensing
justice and protecting the rights of the people, they were indeed
providing an important national service. Even though the provision of
legal services was remunerative, those working in the field must rate
as their foremost goal the safeguarding of the rights of the people
and the upholding of the rule of law, rather than pecuniary gain.'
In an attempt to counter the cynicism that his own actions have
generated, the President has also been making public appeals to
Islamic unity and nationalism. During the last month, the President's
Office staff have been promulgating news of Gayyoom delivering a banal
speech at Azhar university in Cairo and then receiving awards and
acclaim from his Egyptian hosts. The President then arrived back in
Malé to attend the celebrations of an elite boys' high school jubilee
celebration. Once again his speeches used the themes of Islam and
Maldivian nationalism under threat from unnamed forces, this time with
an added component of nostalgia for the old school days.
For many Maldivians, these weary formulas are only reinforcing the
perception that he is a leader out of touch with his people. Young
people in Malé are now a large majority of the population, much like
the situation in the West in the 1960s and 1970s. They find their
inspiration in Indian and particularly Western mass-marketed culture.
Gayyoom's staid but hypocritical performances attract politely bored
audiences, and for Malé's youth, real emotion and dreams of the future
are to be found elsewhere.
Early in April at the Godown Billiards and Games House, one of
Maldives' best bands Zero Degree Atoll gave 'an electric reggae
performance' according to an eyewitness account:
A masterfully executed oil painting by local artist Nasif adorned the
backdrop of the band. All the game tables were surrounded by hordes of
chic youngsters talking and whispering universal friendship, in a town
where they can often barely manage to say 'hi'. They were enjoying
themselves... light and shadow, the musky sound of laughter and
bubbling joy created the illusion of peace and harmony, rarely
experienced in daylight. The atmosphere was pregnant with
possibilities.
Zero Degree Atoll fulfilled the crowd's need to connect with each
other. The cover charge was only 50 rufiyaa [US$4], and the place was
exploding with friendship, love, romance, and an unknown vibe of
madness. There was tons of gossip and hints of secret endeavours, not
all legal and politically correct, maybe.
Coffee, tea and all sorts of non-alcoholic beverages flowed. Small
groups began mingling and moving with the funky island reggae. A few
expatriates were there with their local friends, quite at home in this
secret vibe in a 100% Sunni Indian Ocean Moslem state. While the
carnage continues in the South Asian War Zone and Arafat counts the
final days of his glory, a group of blissful young decided to forget
reality for an evening and pay loving tribute to the spirit of reggae
and the hope for freedom.
Some would not allow the band to stop when it came to the time of the
unofficial curfew at midnight. Their bloodstreams were lit by Bob
Marley's powerful song 'Stand Up For Your Rights'. Lost hopes were
rekindled; this was the song people sang when their candidate Mohamed
Nasheed was campaigning for his Malé seat. The mood was electric and
upbeat. All these girls and boys were expressing a universal wish — to
seek happiness in peace.
Byelection candidates have been given permission to campaign after
submitting their applications and campaign material to the
Commissioner of Elections.
They are:
Ms Zahiya Zareer (Zafna house, Galolhu ward in Malé)
Mr Hassan Shafeeg, (Nivaidhoshuge, Hithadhoo island, Seenu Atoll)
Mr Abdullah Kamaluddeen, (Everlast, Machchangoalhi ward in Malé)
Mr Nazeer Ahmed Jamaal, (Thinadhooge, Machchangoalhi ward in Malé)
Mr Umar Naseer, (Dhonjeymuge, Henveiru ward in Malé)
Mr Ali Asim, (Raiykashimaage, Henveiru ward in Malé)
Mr Mohamed Shareef, (Winterhouse, Galolhu ward in Malé)
Mohamed Ibrahim Haleem, (Nooraanee Villa, Galolhu ward in Malé)
Yusuf Rafeeu (a.k.a. Yusay), (Bigfish, Maafannu ward in Malé).
Election returns for the two seats in the previous Majlis election
gave Mohamed Nasheed second place behind the President's notorious
brother-in-law Ilyas Ibrahim. Informed sources in Malé insist that
Nasheed was the most popular candidate but he could not be seen to
beat Ilyas for the first position.
In this byelection many Nasheed supporters seem to favour Zahiya
Zareer. She is probably best known for her directorship of the now
disbanded Educational Development Centre. Her major opponent is
probably Abdullah Kamaluddeen who is a Minister in the Gayyoom
government and therefore likely to receive a lot of official and
backroom help. Yusay, Malé's foremost comedian, may attract votes
because of his personal integrity, and the same can be said for former
Presidential candidate Nazeer Jamaal.
