MDP does not have any factional fights, or does it?

Two weeks back MDP Chairperson Mariya Didi resigned and Party President Dr. Ibrahim Didi promptly assigned Deputy Chairperson Imthiyaz Fahumy to temporarily discharge the functions of the Chairperson. Then all of a sudden, there was a meeting of the Party National Council, which ousted Imthiyaz and appointed hardliner Reeko Moosa Manik as ‘temporary’ (for one year) Chairperson. Reeko promptly announced major policy changes for the internal working of the Party. Despite all these happenings, both Dr. Didi and Reeko insist that there is no factional fighting within MDP. Really?

The drama raises eyebrows for several reasons. For one, how did the National Council (which meets rarely) hold a meeting so suddenly? Who organized it? More importantly who organized the booing against Imthiyaz’s chairing the meeting? Why was Reeko selected for the post when he himself is a candidate for the permanent post of Chairperson? Who gave the mandate to temporary Chairperson to take major policy decisions, while sidelining an elected Party President?

Three years back, former MDP president Dr. Munavvaru told the media that no one can fill the post of MDP President unless he is willing to remain the puppet of party supremo Mohammed Nasheed. One thing is certain. MDP Presidents have been short-lived, be it Ibrahim Ismail or Munavvaru. Only time will tell how long Dr. Didi survives.

Will democracy work this time?

AS Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed Stated in his address to India's Council of World Affairs in New Delhi, democratic reforms have been attempted on three different occasions in the Maldives since 1932. The earlier two attempts failed; but Shaheed claims that the current attempt could succeed.

While Shaheed does not specify the earlier two democratic movements, one can assume that the first of them was the one that ended with the label of 'Motor Boat Revolt.' The second was presumably the movement launched at the beginning of President Gayoom's regime, the movement that fizzled out and died with the 1998 Constitution.

Each movement was made possible during periods of weakness experienced by autocratic rulers. The earlier two movements failed when the ruler regained his composure. As Shaheed has also noticed the current movement is different in that the ruler was deposed before he could regain his authority. So it's left to the new ruler to complete the endgame. Will he stifle the movement if he does get full authority?

This time around there are certain safeguards against degradation into autocracy – independent judiciary and parliament. However they are not absolute guarantees. Parliamentary control can be regained through engineered defections. Judiciary can be cowed down by threats. So time alone will tell us the fate of the current democratic movement.

Gayoom and his Unsolicited Advisors

Everyone seems to love advising former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on how he should conduct his life. The most popular pieces of advice are: stepping down from DRP leadership, leaving active politics and migrating abroad. The latest to join the list of Gayoom's unsolicited advisors is Nirja Deva, the European Union parliamentarian of Sri Lanka Tamil origin.

Mr. Deva advised the former President "it would be better for him to remain as a respected statesman like former presidents of other countries," Miadhu Daily reports. While speaking at a news conference in Dharubaaruge on Wednesday, he said "as the former President knows the international community very well, he can use his knowledge to seek advantage for Maldives at various international economic or environmental forums."

If one analyses individual pieces of advice Gayoom is receiving one would notice certain common factors. Firstly, most advisors have hitherto not been Gayoom's best friends and in fact many have been his avowed opponents till they suddenly decided to turn advisor. Mr. Deja himself had a rather lukewarm relationship with Gayoom when he was President.

Secondly, most suggestions appear to be of such a nature that if Gayoom accepts them, it would make life easy for his opponents. For example, the suggestion for him to leave active politics would remove from the scene a leader who still has the support of a significant share of the electorate. Similarly the suggestion for him to step down from DRP leadership could spark a succession war, weakening the party at a critical juncture.

So whose best interests do the advisors have in mind, Gayoom's or their own?

Herethere Case Drags on

US $ 55 million is a sum of money that 99.9% of Maldivians will never see in their life time, let alone posses. But that is exactly what Yacht Tours, the company that leased Herethere Resort from Maldives Tourism Development Cooperation (MTDC), is demanding from the lessor as compensation for the loss of the island, which according to many tourism experts is unlikely to make any profit anyway.

So why do people make such extravagant demands at all? Simple: They often win, as Yacht Tours itself did a few years back when it won a $ 31 million dollar case against Tourism Ministry for disqualifying its bid for an island in Male Atoll.

This time however, Yacht Tours appears to have run out of luck. On Thursday Civil Court ordered Yacht Tours to pay a sum of $ 895,319 to MTDC in a counter-claim case filed by the latter. However, the main court case, that for $ 55 million filed by Yacht Tours, is dragging on as is the Company's occupation of the island.

Preventing Anti Social Behavior

Attorney General Husnu Suood has taken a decisive step towards preventing anti social behavior by presenting to the Majlis a bill on the subject for the first time ever in the Maldives. The bill along with another related bill on gang violence will lay a comprehensive legal framework to address the twin issues.

Suood’s initiative brings to the top of the national agenda a grossly neglected area of social development –a neglect that has cost the nation heavily in terms of skyrocketing juvenile delinquency and uncontrollable crime rates. The magnitude of the social cost can easily be estimated by comparing Maldives crime rates with those of Singapore where a comprehensive program to shape the behavior of its citizens has been in place ever since its independence in 1965.

Police statistics show that the number of arrests in Maldives among ‘children’ below 18 years rose from 209 in 2001 to 564 in 2007. This increase is fuelled by drugs for which 164 people under 18 were arrested. For the related crimes of theft and violence 158 and 160 people were arrested respectively.

Study after study has shown that the usual route to crime is: School dropout --> hanging around street corners --> smoking --> drugs --> Gang formation --> serious crimes.

Many experts believe that children’s habits of staying awake till late at night and going out without parental supervision contribute to anti social behavior. The bill presented to the Majlis will address this and other similar issues.

The Day He Never Wanted to See

"This is the day none of us wanted to see," a friend of mine, a strong MDP supporter, told me last night over the phone a short while after former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was taken to Police Headquarters.

"But I thought this is the day you have always looked forward to," I retorted. He used to talk frequently about bringing Gayoom to justice and how everyone must be equal before the law.

"Yes, I still want Gayoom to be held accountable. But I think what happened tonight isn't the way to do it, at least not the best way," he replied. "The simple question they asked him could have been asked without taking him there."

"It could have been," I admitted. "But what about equality before the law? Everyone else is taken to the police for such questioning."

"Equality is paramount," he replied. "But what about Article 128 of the Constitution, which gives special protection to him as ex-president?"

Drugs: The Doomsday Scenario

Within the next two to three years, two out of every three students in grades 8 – 10 will use some form of illicit drug, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has predicted, based on the findings of recent surveys –findings that reveal drug addiction among children as young as 9 years.

He made this statement at a function in Dharubaarugé Sunday night to mark the 119th anniversary of Maldives Customs Service, where he called on the Customs Service to continue to play their role in controlling drug trafficking into the country, stressing that no other institution has a bigger role in this endeavor. He assured customs officers that the government would provide its full support and cooperation.

Dr. Waheed said that inspection of the vast open areas surrounding the country would not be an easy task. He understood the difficulties they face in controlling the checkpoints and appreciated their diligent work, he said.