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Maldivians
clamour for democracy despite Govt. intimidation “The cases will be sent to Court shortly. It doesn’t need much investigation. Videos and photos show who participated in the rally”, the AG said speaking to Haveeru daily, hinting that more prosecutions may yet follow. Nearly 4,000 supporters of the opposition MDP gathered at the artificial beach in Male’ for a peaceful rally on Tuesday, despite intimidation, coercion and threats by the Government. The rally – organised by the MDP following a series of attacks on MPs and MDP leaders and general lawlessness witnessed last week– ended without incident, although the Government had pre-empted violence all week. Following Tuesday’s peaceful rally, the United Nations in the Maldives issued a press statement welcoming the tolerance shown by the government in connection with the public display of divergent political opinion in the Maldives” and the “restraint shown by law enforcement agencies and participants during demonstrations held across the Maldives”. The statement further reiterated hope that “this spirit of tolerance and the right to hold dissenting views will be carried forward into a sustained and genuine dialogue that is crucial for the transition to multi-party democracy”. The
Government said “not even 400 people turned up and most of
those who did were family members, relatives and employees of MDP
senior officials”. The Home Affairs Ministry issued a public notice saying that demonstrating on streets and public space is prohibited under Maldivian Law, and that Regulations on Political Parties forbid political parties from holding gatherings in mosques, hospitals, streets, public space and sports grounds. It said all previous rallies had resulted in physical injuries to many, disruption of livelihoods, traffic congestion, and financial and other hardships to the people. The Home Ministry notice – although not the authority in trust of the civil service – also threatened action against the jobs of civil servants who joined the rally. The Gender and Family Ministry expressed concern about children joining the rally. The MDP, concerned about security, had by then extracted its earlier call to bring children to the rally. However, Government media failed to report this and continued condemning the MDP, insisting it was exploiting children for political gain. On Monday morning the police were seen on the artificial beach, aligned in rows like mine-clearers, combing through the area. TV Maldives showed video clips of police picking up sticks, iron bars, and what appeared to be filled-up bottles. A police spokesperson reported on TV that they had gone to the artificial beach following reports from the public and had discovered “weapons” including “petrol bombs” hidden on the site. He said there was evidence that petrol bombs had been tested there. MDP responded by thanking the police for their vigilance and for clearing the area where the opposition rally was to be held the following day. On Wednesday afternoon, a few minutes past 4.00 pm, MDP shadow Minister of Law and Justice, Ms. Mariya Ahmed Didi, who resigned from her top-post as Director-General of Public Prosecutions last year and joined the MDP, carried the MDP flag as she marched on to the artificial beach leading the MDP leadership and a crowd of supporters. More people joined and the crowd swelled to thousands. The police, had hoisted powerful loudspeakers on top of a eight-storey building, were, by then, already declaring the rally to be unlawful and urging the crowd to move away from the area. MDP supporters, heedless of the loud messages kept converging onto the beach side, as two lorries packed with security forces in full riot gear drove through the crowded street. A coastguard vessel was already stationed on the sea outside, and convoys of security personnel in full riot gear were assembled on both ends of the artificial beach. Forty five minutes into the rally, security forces took over from the police, and ordered the crowd to move warning that they were ready to disperse the crowd. Participants in the rally, nor the crowd on the street, moved. MDP leaders addressed the crowd even though the powerful police loudspeakers drowned out most of what the MDP leaders said, and the crowd chanted calls for the removal of Police Commissioner Adam Zahir, release of MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed and all political prisoners, and voiced concern at the job security of those within. ust before evening prayers, nearly two hours into the rally, after the warning by the security forces had been repeated at least 40 times, MDP leaders announced the rally was over. Participants walked away peacefully as the security forces, waiting expectantly for trouble, watched in shock and confusion. Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, who is the former Chief Government Spokesperson, went on national TV to say that the MDP rally was going to be “MDP’s funeral”. The Attorney General Hassan Saeed and Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, among others, called the planned MDP rally unconstitutional, pre-empted that it would end in violence and prosecution, and urged the public to refrain from joining in the opposition rally. MDP, which claims to have a broader public support base than President Gayoom’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), maintains the rally is in no way unlawful and is a fundamental constitutional right; following from the right to freedom of assembly and expression. Now, as the UN praises a new chapter in the Maldives’ transition to multi-party democracy, it seems that the Government will go ahead in persecuting those who defied the Government to show the world that the Maldives can indeed be a multi-party democracy. (The writer is editor of the Adduvas Weekly, a Maldivian publication) Poor
show at MDP rally: a confidence vote for President Gayoom Chief Government spokesman, Mohamed Hussain Shareef said Tuesday’s failed street demonstration organized by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was an overwhelming public vote of confidence for President Maumoon AbdulGayoom's sweeping agenda for democracy, human rights and reform. Mr. Shareef speaking to the media said: "Not even 400 people turned up, and most of those who did were family members, relatives and employees of senior MDP officials. Normally there would be a crowd of onlookers, but they stayed away too. The whole thing ended in disappointment and embarrassment for the MDP. The Police took no action. The crowd dispersed just before sundown, after the MDP leadership realized they had no public support or sympathy for such direct action tactics. "I sincerely hope that yesterday's failure has sent a strong message to the MDP that the way forward is not through unlawful action, street demonstrations, incitement to violence and orchestrating civil disturbance. MDP must embrace the constitutional route to reform; the Maldivian people sent a strong message to them yesterday. MDP must display greater political maturity and a willingness to engage in dialogue”. Commenting on MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed's court session, the Chief Government spokesman said: "I hope they [MDP] will not try to repeat the scenes of violence and unrest that we witnessed during Nasheed's previous court session. The trial is open and transparent. The Government is committed to ensuring that Nasheed receives a free and fair trial. “The MDP must not attempt to obstruct court proceedings and intimidate members of the judiciary". |
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