For the past fifty years, Maldives have in one form or the other experienced only autocratic rule. Some people called it Benevolent Dictatorships; other simply called it a Dictatorship. Some others had closely associated our system of government (of the past fifty years) to that of the type of government in Egypt. Although the government got different labels, the Administration maintained that it was a Democracy. In 1998 Maldives ratified the constitution, that was basically hand written by the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (the Blue Constitution). It allowed for and concentrated most all the powers of the state in the hands of the President making way for the President to be re-elected for an unlimited number of five year terms to office. However, in 2008 under enormous pressure from within and without, this constitution was replaced by (the Green Constitution). This time, it clearly defined the separated powers of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, and limited the presidential term of office to a maximum of two five year terms.
In the subsequent Presidential elections Mr. Gayoom lost the election to a coalition of four parties that campaigned under the leadership of Mr. Mohamed Nasheed the leader of the MDP and the largest party in the coalition.
The current problem goes back a year and a half, when Nasheed, leader of the coalition’s leading party (MDP) revoked the coalition agreement and dumped it. This made the MDP a minority party in the Parliament. The problem flared up when the Parliament drafted certain checks and balances into the Finance Bill placing an upper limit restriction on government’s borrowing without parliamentary sanction including selling and or renting Maldivian property for excessively long periods of time.
Nasheed’s Administration had already signed several MOU’s with neighboring Indian Companies for long term lease of the Maldivian property such as Hospitals, school, Airports just to mention a few. The amended Finance Bill if approved by the President would halt the process of these leases.
On a more secret note through a program of wire tapping and recording phone calls of prominent members of the Parliament and leaders of the ex-Coalition parties the Administration became aware of an opposition’s plan for a Vote of No Confidence on several Ministers of the Cabinet. They were The Minister of Education: Mr. Mustapha Lutfee, to be followed by The Minister of Finance Mr. Ali Hashim, The Civil Aviation and Transport Minister Mr. Mahmood Raazee, and last but not least The Minister of Health, Dr. Aminath Jameel.
Realizing that if allowed to happen, it would force the Administration to either call up an early election or would result in the inevitable collapse of the Administration, Nasheed staged the “Cabinet Mass Resignation” sighting amendments to the Finance Bill as a reason, which he said if passed, would be an impediment on the ability of the government to conduct business as usual.
In this highly publicized Cabinet Dissolving Drama hosted by the President, he disclosed to the press of a high profile corruption and treason case that was brought to his attention. The president said that it was one of the reasons for his cabinet’s mass resignation and that this matter would be thoroughly investigated by the police. He wowed to bring to justice and hold to account any person or people responsible for such crimes.
Hours after the ceremony, prominent Maldivian business man, Parliamentarian and Leader of the “Jumhoory Party” Mr. Gasim Ibrahim and the Leader of “People’s Alliance Party” and Member of Parliament was taken to police custody and put under house arrest, allegedly in connection with the high profile corruption and treason case sited by the President. Subsequently, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Nazim too was taken into police custody.
Nasheed thought the Cabinet Mass Resignation (CMR) under pretext of the Finance Bill’s “undesirable” amendments would raise an issue in the public that would bring the parliament to its knees. The Administration expected the people to raise sympathetic voices in favor of the Government. Poor planning and bad judgment resulted in the unexpected. The public showed no love lost and in Male business was as usual. Perhaps the World Cup 2010 may have contributed largely to the calm situation and the disinterest among the public to this boiled up political crisis.
The Ministers who resigned from office the day before were demonstrating with clubs and banners in front of the Parliament building the following day. Calling for the Parliament to be dissolved and abolished. The government’s cries went largely unheeded like that of the Sheppard boy’s who cried “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!!” Not realizing that repeated false cries will result in a no show. Three days of demonstrations (peaceful flag marches) on the streets of Male by the Cabinet Ministers who resigned their positions, resulted in a less than favorable response from the public. So on the sixth day, the in a ceremony telecasted only by the Government Media, the wounded and weakened President presided over the swearing in of the old Cabinet members back to office.
Business is back as usual, nothing changed except the popularity of the Administration, the perception of the President in the eyes public, and the confidence they had in the Government and the cabinet all dropped. So it was a Loose Loose stunt. The parliament after a recess of six days in now in business, and appears even more strong and evermore convinced the ruling minority had wronged and failed.
After a lot of wrangling, media coverage and legal encounters in both the High Court and the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Parliamentarians who were arrested. Nasheed lost the first ever court case “without sufficient evidence” according to the Supreme Court.
The Criminal Court suspended the two police lawyers who prosecuted the cases of Parliament members Gasim Ibrahim, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and Ahmed Nazim. Inspectors of Police Mohamed Riyaz and Mohamed Jina were suspended for contempt of court.
In very many ways, the Case of Yameen and Gasim is a test for Democracy under the new constitution of 2008. I believe the system has successfully passed this test. There are more tests are ahead. Maldivians have to be patient and strive to embed these new found democratic values into the Maldivian Culture and Value Set.
