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President Gayyoom and fellow NSS officers,
in happier days.
more information about this photo

Serious dissatisfaction with the Gayyoom regime among the National Security Service became apparent recently, according to a source inside the NSS. Due to the state of the economy, the Gayyoom regime was forced to tighten its belt, even within the financially sacrosanct National Security Service. Wide-ranging austerity measures were announced, including the virtual axing of NSS members' health and sickness benefits. Up until then, there was an open budget. NSS members and their families had free access to medical, dental and pharmaceutical services in Malé and abroad.

This was massively scaled down to a fixed grant of 150 rufiyaa (about US$12) per officer per month. A graffiti campaign commenced almost immediately within the main barracks in Malé. Gayyoom, his wife and other members of the general staff were generously insulted on the NSS walls, including officers' toilets and the mess. No one was apprehended and it became apparent there was widespread sentiment against Gayyoom remaining in power.

The same source inside the NSS confirmed that other senior officers instigated this campaign against Gayyoom. Within about 48 hours of the announcement of the austerity measures in the NSS, they were revoked. The unlimited budget is now reinstated. It is understood that Gayyoom had real fears for his stranglehold on power.


The Presidential Yacht
Meanwhile there is no austerity within the Gayyoom household. The multi-million dollar presidential yacht remains moored off Aarah, the luxury presidential retreat island. The yacht is awaiting the arrival of five crew who are completing their expensive training in Singapore.


Gayyoom appeals to a global Internet service provider
The hunt for the publishers of the email magazine Sandhaanu continues, and is proving to be a big drain on the already parlous state of the regime's finances. Indonesian experts have been working round the clock trying to crack cyber codes. When the nationality of Gayyoom's hired spies became known some embarrassment was felt. As a result, the NSS is spreading the rumour that the experts are US citizens. Gayyoom desperately wants to be seen as a friend of the West. Diego Garcia is too close for comfort.

In a desperate move similar to continual appeals to the government of Seychelles to stop a Dhivehi language Christian radio programme, the Gayyoom regime recently appealed to a well-known global web based email service provider to co-operate with the NSS. It was suspected that Dhiraagu firewalls were ineffective in blocking email passing via this particular service provider. The service provider acknowledged the request but suggested that the Maldivian regime buy out their entire service in order to control their servers. Gayyoom is understood to be recoiling at the idea that the global economy is market-driven.