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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).

The auction, 7 October 2001 Photo: Haveeru

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.

Rooms under demolition on the day of the auction, 7 October 2001 Photo: Haveeru

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.