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Minister for Home Affairs Mohamed Shihab’s statement to the Maldives Parliament
30 June 2009
Translated by Maldives Culture
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Mohamed Shihab
2009
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Thank you, Honourable Speaker for this opportunity.
Honourable Speaker
and Honourable Members, I present to you a statement outlining government policy
regarding the protection of the safety of the people and maintaining public peace
and order in the country.
Our policy is to act in way that allows
the agencies responsible for peace and order to function professionally in line
with the principles of good governance.
The Maldives Police Services
members of today are not the type of policemen we have seen in the past. They
will not be ordered to violate the rights of the people, nor will they be left
with no choice other than obeying those orders without question, as was the practice
under the previous government. The police will not be used for the purposes of
political gain.
The previous government ruled with the use of the
fist against peaceful citizens of the country, and used the police force improperly.
Under the leadership of the present government the police now work with the people;
the police are considerate of the needs and feelings of the people when they enforce
the law, and they act within the law when serving the people.
Instead
of establishing public peace and order by use of the baton, today’s police use
intelligence, friendliness and discussion to resolve conflicts. They give priority
to maintaining peace. Today’s police will use force only in circumstances where
not using of force will endanger life, or allow the damage or destruction of private
or government property, and to the extent of preventing danger or harm.
Honourable Speaker, when police are acting in regions where incidents occur, the
peace and safety of the people, who are intentionally or unintentionally involved
in the incident, will be affected. It is a gross mistake to think that the police
will be required to act, or will act, the way they did in the past. Such thoughts
have no place for a democratic environment.
Honourable Speaker, the
police of today will not disperse harmless people, who gather and exercise their
right to give voice to their concerns, by spraying gas into the eyes of the people
while police wearing gas masks, simply because those who need to hear the voices
of the people do not want to hear it, or cannot tolerate the people's voice.
As you are aware, that in the last seven months, there were incidents that may
have caused harm to people and property, and threatened public peace and order.
During those incidents, the Maldives Police Service has acted to resolve them
with exemplary foresight and intelligence. There is no doubt that if the police
act thoughtfully and professionally, conflicts can be resolved peacefully without
any confrontation between the people and the police. By acting this way over the
last seven months, the police have achieved a peaceful outcome on several occasions.
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members, the police acted in line with these principles
during the incident of 26 June 2009 in Thimarafushi, where a large number of the
people living on that island blockaded the harbour entrance to prevent people,
who they suspected were arriving at the island with the intention to act violently,
and disturb the peace and order.
The police immediately acted to resolve
this incident concerning the well-being of a large number of people on Thimarafushi
island, and continued to work around the clock to resolve the issue peacefully.
As a result of the harbour entrance being blocked, the police tried to take the
women and children aboard the launch in a dhoani to the island under police escort.
Regretfully the people aboard the launch gave a blanket rejection to the police
escort.
As you know, if police do not have the cooperation of the
people involved in a conflict, the police will not be able to resolve the dispute
in the best possible way. If priority is given to a political outcome, ahead of
the health and safety of women and children, then women and children are being
used as political targets. This is unacceptable to us under any circumstances.
About two weeks ago, we sent additional police officers to Thimarafushi who accompanied
officials from the election commission and human rights commission. While the
situation in the island was considered to be normal, when the incident of 26 June
2009 occurred, the police acted to resolve the issue peacefully without the use
of force, because there were women and children involved in this dispute. [Women
and children were among the new arrivals who were being prevented from landing
by a large number of the people of the island.]
After considering
the situation that might develop if the new arrivals were allowed to land by force,
and through extensive discussion with the people involved in the blockade, the
police were able to resolve the issue peacefully during the afternoon of 27 June
2009. Vessels anchored at the harbour entrance were removed without use of force.
Among the visitors, people who are suspected of intending to disturb public peace
and order of the island are now being being checked, and the police have stepped
up their activities to maintain order in the island. It is a right of every Maldivian
to be free to travel around the country, and the government condems those who
try to prevent the exercise of this right.
I would like to inform
the Honourable members of the Majlis that those who were involved in this are
now being investigated, and the police are also investigating the root cause of
this problem. I also assure members that the alleged suspects responsible for
this will be investigated and they will be treated according to the law. Honourable
Speaker, I also would like to say that when the incident occurred, members of
this Majlis were present, and this is something I am particularly troubled by,
as I have been a member of this Majlis for many years. I express my sadness.
Thank you, Mr Honourable Speaker.
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The Presidency of Mohamed Nasheed 
