| Main | News | Dhivehi | Editorials | Opinions | Open Forum | About Maldives | Downloads | About us | Links | 09 December 2005 08:06
Lies used to justify emergency rule in Maldives
Saturday, 14 August 2004
Maumoon Gayyoom is justifying emergency rule of the capital by claiming
democratic reformists launched violent attacks against NSS officers and
property. There is no photographic evidence from government or
independent witnesses to back these assertions by the President's
Office. Large public meetings over the last few weeks have been peaceful
without serious incidents or damage to property.
Minutes after the declaration of emergency rule, when a Maldives Radio
reporter said the NSS were chasing people in the streets, he was
instantly taken off the air. Internet communication between Maldives and
the outside world has been cut under Gayyoom's orders.
The declaration of emergency rule for the capital is the second major
crackdown in Maldives this year, coming exactly six months after a
series of early morning NSS raids on Maldivian Democratic party
supporters in February.
Since then, the reform movement has grown significantly in numbers and
sophistication. Elections for a Special Majlis, to prepare changes to
the constitution, saw many democratic reformers selected in the atolls
and the capital, and large meetings in Male' have consolidated public
understanding and support for the reforms.
Crowd in Male' Republican Square on Friday morning
A
rump of Maldivian Democratic party members in the Special Majlis walked
out of the opening session in protest against controls imposed by the
president's brother Abdullah Hameed. Over the following days and nights,
large crowds gathered in defiance of Gayyoom's arbitrary bans. The
crowds openly supported the reformist agenda to restrict the power of
the president, make ministers and officials accountable to parliament,
and specifically allow multi-party elections.
This threat to Hameed's control of the majlis and the atolls could not
be tolerated by the President who appointed him. Hameed's role as
Gayyoom's enforcer is legally and morally indefensible so it is not
mentioned in the government media. Grave allegations of corruption,
maladministration, and sexual assault and misconduct surround Abdullah
Hameed but the president needs him as the kingpin holding together
Gayyoom's unofficial Baathist party in the majlis and enforcing
obedience among the atoll and island chiefs outside Male'.
Gayyoom has been harassing and provoking the reformists for weeks. They
responded with non-violent tactics that frustrated the NSS's attempts to
stop meetings. Abdulla Yameen, the Minister of Trade and another brother
of the President, organised a gang of thugs which operated with impunity
but also failed to disrupt the crowds.
On 11 August Miadhu issued a public notice in English:
|
Organization and participation in unlawful gatherings prohibited It is illegal to organize and participate in unlawful gatherings, said the Ministry of Defense and National Security. In an announcement published by the Ministry yesterday it said that a number of people were gathering at various locations in Male' each night, and said that at these gatherings writings encouraging criminal activities were distributed and posted and acts were carried out to disrupt the public peace. The Ministry said that this has caused anxiety and alarm amongst the public and reminded that such meetings were illegal. The Ministry also appealed the general public to cooperate and assist in stopping these sort of activities as they are like to have lasting negative affects on the whole country. |
Public notices like this
were ignored by much of the population of Male'. Out-manoeuvred by the
Maldivian Democratic Party, Maumoon Gayyoom resorted to arresting
several reformist media technicians and then provoked the conservative
Islamic community by taking Preacher Ibrahim Fareed to court on
Wednesday for sentencing on charges of encouraging religious disunity.
Fareed, educated at Qatar university, is a licenced Maldives government
preacher and a vocal supporter of multi-party elections and legal
reform.
Maumoon Gayyoom has spread false information that Fareed is a violent
terrorist. In May 2004 the Ministry of Information broadcast blatant
lies accusing Fareed of terrorist crimes and the same lies were repeated
again in Dhivehi by the Aafathis newspaper on 12 August.
Unidentified woman addressing the vigil at Republican Square on Friday
Despite these incitements
by Gayyoom, the reformists assembled peacefully and in huge numbers on
Thursday night in a vigil at the Republican square which continued with
speeches and occasional brief disturbances into Friday.
President Gayyoom has made many public promises of democratic and legal
changes over the last few months, but his paid civilian and NSS
supporters at the vigil clearly opposed any real reforms.
Fathmath Nisreen made a powerful speech against her conviction for
publishing Sandhaanu. There is compelling evidence that she was totally
innocent of the charges, yet she is still officially serving her
sentence and has to return to exile in Faafu atoll.
No political prisoners have been pardoned by Maumoon Gayyoom. The
president has the delusion that he is the saviour of Maldives and he
finds blunt personal criticism deeply offensive. The president believes
dissent from his will is treason and that fear is the key to remaining
in power. He revels in hours of official pomp and ceremony, and enjoys
watching videos of his prisoners being tortured and beaten at NSS
prisons around Male'. He boasts to his fellow NSS officers about the
letters he receives from his victims' families begging for the release
of their loved ones.
Maumoon Gayyoom is enraged that Male' would dare turn against him and
demand his resignation. He is responding as he always does when his hold
on the presidency is threatened – with lies and NSS violence.
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