Home page News History Dhivehi Maps Fanditha Glossary Links Zipped E-mail

Mohamed Nasheed stripped of Malé Majlis seat Faiykolhu (pseudonym) Malé, March 2002 Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed is no longer a Malé member of the Maldivian Parliament, known as the Majlis. Nasheed was informed by letter from the Speaker of the Majlis, President Gayyoom's brother Abdullah Hameed, that after the loss of Nasheed's appeal over a disputed conviction for petty theft in November 2001, and in accordance with Maldivian law, he cannot be a member of the Majlis and would return to continue his sentence of two and half years exile in Angolhitheemu island in Raa atoll, northwest of Malé. There will be a by-election in Malé to select a new member. Ilyas Ibrahim Owing to its prominent position as the capital island and major population centre of Maldives, Malé has two members elected to the Majlis. The other remaining long-term member for Malé is Ilyas Ibrahim, the brother of President Gayyoom's wife, Nasreena Ibrahim. Despite being convicted of multi-million dollar corruption scandals in the early 1990s, Ilyas has retained his Majlis seat and is a minister in the Gayyoom government. He is also one of the most influential business facilitators in Maldives and a large property holder in Malé itself, where a single house can be valued in millions of US dollars. The election of Nasheed to the Majlis two years ago saw this formerly docile and obedient body begin to demand the reform of President Gayyoom's autocratic and nepotistic rule. Peaceful requests for permission to form political parties, and for procedures making ministers accountable to the Majlis, have prompted President Gayyoom to implement the present state of political suppression. Nasheed is only one of many activists who have been detained, imprisoned, and interrogated over the last nine months. Artist/cartoonist Naushad Waheed was secretly arrested several months ago, and he and five others were the subject of an Amnesty International alert in February 2002. He was brought home on a house visit a few days ago, accompanied by a contingent of NSS officers. According to family members, he had lost a lot of weight and looked run down and distraught. He was taken back to gaol after a short while. Apart from the people mentioned by Amnesty International, others have also been arrested including an unnamed woman, Vaitheyo Abdul Hannan, and high-profile businessman Mr. Nashid of ADK Hospital. Abdul Hannan (one of Mohamed Nasheed's leading campaigners during the last Majlis elections) was released after a week in detention and says he was treated well while he was in custody. The reality of the political power structure in Maldives is that the President, his inner circle of family-related ministers, and the heavily staffed President's Office, rule without any accountability to the general public. Among the duties of the National Security Service (NSS) are to function as 'enforcers' of the executive will, to intimidate opposition political activists and local journalists who dare to question executive decisions or raise issues of corruption and mal-practice. The ruthless use of sophisticated political and social controls in the tiny Maldivian land area has resulted in the country becoming one of the most absolute dictatorships in the world. Recently the Malé public got a surprise 'show' — a walk-about by the top ranking officers of the NSS. Observers link this theatrical presentation to the rumours of the 'graffiti-challenge' by dissatisfied officers inside the NSS HQ. Meanwhile the Gayyoom-controlled Maldivian media have been trumpeting the comments of Ms Christina Rocca, the Asst. Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, that Maldives is 'a shining example of democratic rule and moderation'. The reaction to this statement among Malé observers is that US State Department is either pretending to be the most naïve foreign office in the world, or they are collaborating with the Gayyoom regime in this masquerade. top

The News: Jang (Pakistan) Former CIA operative Christina Rocca put in charge of South Asia in US State Department by George Bush

Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldivian cultural issues.
Editors and translators: Michael O'Shea and Fareesha Abdulla, Australia
We invite contributions from Maldivians and others interested in Maldives.
Contributions and comments - mc_editors@hotmail.com