We would like to extend our best wishes to all of you and to say that we look forward very much to benefit from the insights that we'll get from a free and frank discussion of various issues with interested bloggers.
The three of us love freedom, peace, justice and equality. We believe in a society that is inclusive, tolerant and compassionate.
We believe that the Maldivian society is at an important crossroads. For the first time and perhaps for the last time in our lifetime we have a unique opportunity to usher in a liberal democracy peacefully. And more than that - it is also vital that we ensure that every member of society, men and women, can contribute to and benefit, in an equitable manner, from the social, economic and political advancement that our nation can achieve.
We believe that our society must be democratic and inclusive, that our economy must provide opportunities for all, especially the youth, and that the political power must effectively reside with the people.
Power to the people. That is what we seek and that is what we hope to achieve.
We believe that Islam and democracy are compatible and that our Muslim nation can become a beacon of hope to all peoples of the Muslim world.
We belive that with the grace of the Almighty Allah, a better future is possible for every Maldivian. We believe that the greatest resource that we have are not sun, surf and sand, but the great people of our beautiful country.That is why we say power to the people! And together, all of us, let's make it happen.
Power to the people is not only about democracy, but also economic opportunities for all, and a social and cultural life that enriches us all.
Thank you,
Open Society Association of Maldives
87 comments:
Wow! Is this blog designed to promote Dr Hassan Saeed's presidential candidature? Anyway, good luck to you guys.
You know that Samual Huntington says, in his seminal study on that for emerging democracies to be successful, a country requires a third force which stands between the radical disrupters and the conservative backspatters.Good luck!
Hassan, way to go man! We don't believe a word that DRP is saying about you guys-- that you were not genuine reformers but that you it is Mr Abdulla Shahid's work!! bloody commies,eh? DRP without you guys are without brains, and will definitely act and behave worse than thugs! Go on, save this country from the likes of golhaa Shafiu,kutti shameless Nasheed and remorseless Shahid.
i wonder why Gayye allowed you guys to set up Open Society as ministers! He understands nothing about open societies. By the way, is it true that you are funded by george soros?
And by the way, why is Doc not openly criticising Gayoom?
By the way, why did you begin your campaign in the UK? People here are describing the Independent as a small time tabloid. Hassan was great on BBC-- you should have alerted the people to the interview. Without Doc and Mundhu, there was not rebuttal from the government on BBC-- I think you will win by a landslide. I am still wondering why Doc is so quiet?
HASSAN 4 PRESIDENT!!!!!!
4 CHANGE!!!!!!!!!
4 DEMOCRACY !!!!!
4 WATHANEE LOABI!
Just to wot kalhu-oh-fummi was sayin abt Doc not openly criticising the government
I think it says, enough that he left the government jst like his colleagues, without promoting a system (maumoonee so cald democracy) from which he would personally benefit much more than gayyomz croniez tht surround him now, jst on the basis tht maumoon running for presidency next election, was jst not right...AFTER ALL THEY ALL DID WORK ON THE REFORM AGENDA... no one abandons there children just bcox their aging grandparent (or wteva) r getting old n cranky!!!!
BTW... kalhuohfummi, u r v.mistaken, the independant is not a small time tabloid, itz proper broad sheet media recognised around the UK n abroad
No, u r wrong doc does critisze the government, he just does not attack the president on a personel level
Declare yourself to Vote for Nazeer Ahmed Jamaal
The former Presidential candidate in 1998 and 2003.
He believes that “Democracy in the 21st century is not a mere political formula, a system of government or social order. But it is a search for the best way possible for all humankind in the Maldives, the most, in keeping with nature of man and the universe.”
http://www.myspace.com/nxyr
Hassan we are confident that you will outsted Gayoom by a landslide victory in the next general election. All the best & good luck.
Hasan, we are looking forward to see a difference from you unlike Yamin who has no reform agenda, neither able to form a party nor capable of facing the public & ultimately backed Gayyoom dissapointing all reform minded Maldivians. If you can show us that you are for people what so ever, then we guarantee all educated youth from Laamu Atoll will back you.
Saeed you think you have begun your campaign with high hopes, but ...we have not forgotten what you have done as AG and dont think you can fool the people with the gayoom backing you and the rest of you cronies. You should also apologise like munavvaru did hehe just forget it.
welcome from the NEW maldives to the REAL maldives. i salute you, as we do to the rest of the evolving politicians.
if only your actions speak louder than your words... and your words spoke before your ill fortune.
you guys are very late for the reform class folks. anyway how far would you go to bring reforms eh? time will tell... and our time will come.
I wonder howmany parties we need for Maldives. In all this I could see Gayyoom winning. His votes will remain with 01 person and the other votes will be distributed to so many people. Just think who will become the top scorer when you play this way.
If you really want Maumoon out, team up together for a sure win.
A public apology by the Trio for their wrong-doings while in Gayyoom's cabinet is utmost important to kick-start any campaign to win hearts & minds of us. Hasan make sure atleast you are clean
seeds: good suggestion about a public apology. I feel Hassan was and is more sincere than jameel or shaheed all the way during his ministerial experience. Atleast on few occassions he let out his frustration even before he resign and it was also reported in various media. I doubt jameel and shaheed is sincere even now. teaming up with them would not do any good to you, hassan! but still good luck!
Hello, I am a Maldivian student undergoing postgraduate studies in the fields of Intelligence and Counter Terrorism.
I have a question for Dr. Hassan Saeed,and it is about whether or not our country has a National Security Strategy?
I am sure its only Hassan Saeed can keep pressure on Qayyoom, though he is not admiting people of Maldives are well aware that he is in his last breath. Its Saeed with Anni only can create pressure to change the politics as it of now in Maldives. Because public don’t trust other people as most of them are tainted with different issues. Hassan has done lot to change and now its time to work to complete what he has started. Free Maldives from Qayyoom and his cronies. We are with you guys.
Get rid of the hypocrite in your midst if you expect us to take you seriously.
kalhuohfummi or kalhuohsappe
faadha faadha "Koh Kukulhu Rudhi" vaa haka nidha ka sappe th..
Dr Hassan maumoonu ei vaa dha keraa vaa haka adha ivumaa e
tha firin romaha thelhay hen thethelhi gathee Dr Hassan ah verikan libi ye he kamu ge yageen kan oh varun kan egi miko
ehen ekan egi gen thibe the higanee Addoon dhen dhimaa kedhe 3 verin badhunaa mu koh lee leka Dr Hassan badhunaamukeraa shasa?
laahika kulha dha anaa nun thekan the leka keraa ka dhenaki
At one point you were trying to save the dictatorial regime of the Maldives and now you are saying you are trying to bring genuine liberal dimocracy to the Maldives. In the name of liberal democracy you have jailed and let torture prevail in the country while you were part of the dictatorial system of the Maldives. How can we believe you three? Please prove it! ibrahim
if this is a campaign, let me tell u Hassaan & ur fellow members, v Maldivians require real change. Bread & butter is wht v need. some crappy cheap comments wont sell. V common pple need to live, clothe, feed, etc. These r not only limited to rich. So put down ur economic plan in great detail in black and white, then only v will decide!!!!
Dr.Hassan defintely has what it takes to be a great President. He is the only guy who could put a serious challenge to Maumoon.
Hassan, be prudent and play the game cautiously. You opponents will be more than happy to profit from your bad moves.
Dr.Hassan is perhaps the only viable candiadte who can effectively challenge Maumoon.
I am very excited at the prospect of becoming a memeber of his party.
Dr.Hassan. Be prudent and play it fairly for each mistake you make will be to the advantage of your opponents.
Good luck
Assalaam Alaikm, I just wanted to say a few things but let me first check if I could post anything here!!!. Sorry, I am having difficulty in seeing the page properly, some Japanese characters and bla bla, no help in changing the language.
Why not. Dr. Hassan has got capacity as well as capability to become the next president of the country. After all he and his 2 colleagues are far better than Dr.Munawwar or Zaki who were as much corrupt as the present regime of Maumoon. Atleast these people tried hard to bring reform to our country. Only thing lacking in them is general public support.I suggest the trio come forward and face the public openly to gather support to their campaign. Good luck Dr. Hassan!
Well, first of all, let me congratulate the 3 of you, Dr.Hassan, Dr. Shaheedh and Jameel today!!! They are indeed well educated and highly qualified people but until today, I had some problems in accepting them. When they were in this regime and supporting it, I kinda hated them cos this government or the regime has done (in my opinion) a lot of damage to the country and I hate anybody who supports it. I feel that the government should take all the responsibilities and hence it should be responsible for the current status of the Maldives. Been a Maldivian, nothing but tears coming from my eyes whenever I hear about Maldives. Nobody is giving a damn about the status of Maldives but trying to get power. The government is doing all that it could to stay in power and the opposition (MDP) at the moment is not doing anything for the sake of the country but trying to overthrow the government by any means. I think MDP deserves some credit but I dont know for what. Like me, a lot of Maldivians supported MDP at first but now I think its changing. There arent many credible candidates for anything in MDP but a handful. Dr. Munawwar and Zaki, as everybody says and infact we all have witnessed, havent done anything for the country in their time. Therefore, I dont think any of us accepting them today. They may be getting some support from some people cos anybody maybe better than the current president. MDP, please try to work for the country and try to get rid of all the useless people and get credible people to whom we all support. Dr. Hassan could be one of the best candidates to run for the next election and I think he could win a great majority. Dr. Hassan, you have shown some courage and I am proud of you today. Pls try to recover and stabilize our beloved country. Dont bring forward any other issues but work for the country. I think Maldives is hugry for a person like you. Anni, you have played your part and we are kinda greatful for what you have done for us and I think your part is finished now and pls give way for those potential politicians like Dr.Hassan to lead our country. Dr. Munawwar and Zaki pls step aside accepting your faults. We cant accept you as our leaders. Everybody knows what you people have been doing and your lifestyle and its not good for the Maldives. Pls accept it. Its nothing wrong in accepting your faults. Dr. Hassan, pls keep up the struggle for achieving your mission and pls dont take it for the benefit of you but for the country only. I hope the 3 of you are working for the sake of the country. Otherwise, it could have been very easy for the 3 of you to stay in your posts and spend a posch life with everything from the governemt. You have given up those and started to work for the people. Power to the people and you can do it. I am with you as long as your agenda is like that and I am sure a lot of Maldivians are with you now. Good luck.
This is an exciting time for onlookers to see how different parties are strategizing their moves. As far as the brains behind the New Maldives is concerned, the three of you has done unjust things knowingly to poeple who werent really guilty. Think about the times when you lied to the public repeatedly to save the current regime. Are we to believe that the three of you are sacrificing your valuable time and energy to bring democracy to the Maldives? When it comes to trusting politicians, anyone would be pessimistic, especially people who have observing the situation in the Maldives. We all know that you played well during your reign and nepotism was evident in many of the decicions you made. Jameel, how about rethinking some of the decisions you made as the justice minister? this goes for Hassan as well. For Dr. Shaheed, get your acts together and start being consistent for once and stop the compulsive lying!!
congratulations Jameel,Saeed and shaheedh. Aqisa
Yeah big congratulations on that political statement! I wonder how much you paid Hill and Knowlton to write that for you?
As many people have said, first thing for them I think is a public apology from them for what they have done.
As I said before, I neither liked them at that time and a lot of people would have hated them and may still hate for what they have done. So offer this public apology.
Also, it is true that we dont know your true intentions and it could be a well planned game. You trio could be backed by the government and politics is very dirty. When you were politicians in this regime, you played it dirtily, didnt you? And you could be reading all those the other parties were writing on you and probably the government knew the best way to defeat the opposition is to play this game.
But for us, whoever fights against the current regime is good and we closed our eyes for what they have committed in the past. But its something we should think of and cant ignore those.
Dr. Hassan, come forward and tell the public your true intentions and why you did what you did whilst in the government.
As everybody knows, MDP is kinda the famous just because they are fighting against the government. I dont think Maldivians actually support a lot of people in it. Their attitudes, behaviour and lifestyle and moreover their belief is questionable. So, actually we dont need them. Thats why maybe they are losing the strong hold now.
So, come forward and express your sincere intentions. Dont try to fool us. You can probably do this, I mean you can win this game by being governemt agents and defeat the opposition and then you can do whatevr you want. We dont know what politics is. So, pls have mercy on the people and the country and dont try to fool us. Come forward in clean you trio.
Yea, we are behind you guys, and with you always. all the very best. May god bless us Maldivians.
-ca
I'm not a member of any political party but I supported MDP and support oppositions.
Some people may say that Dr. Hassan lack leadership qualities. But I can't see any presidential candidates with better leadership qualities. We all need to unite together under one leader. Otherwise, Gayyoom will win by a landslide. I don’t think Dr. Munnawar, Zaki, Dr. Waheed, Anni, Ibura or Umar Naseer can get enough votes to win the next presidential election. There are lots of people who don’t trust or have lost their trust on them. Some candidates may think that they can win it easily but it will be far from a win. So if we oppositions don’t have one good candidate, we have to wait for another 5 years. I think it will be a waste for every party to have a candidate in the 2008 election.
Some MDP members think Dr. Hassan needs a public apology but I think Dr. Hassan is the cleanest among those who quit the cabinet. I don’t want to say that “he was doing his job”. We need to know how the system works. How many cases he rejected because of lack of evidence? If the police submit a case with proper evidence, it is the duty of attorney general’s office to send it to the court. Attorney general simply can’t send it back. I think Dr. Hassan did a lot of work to reform the legal system and police as well. If we ask him to apologies for some things that he didn’t do, then it won’t be fair to him.
Dr. Hassan, it is time to start negotiating with all the opposition parties.
-KL-
hiyaalu: an apology is enough?
Anyone who filled the post of Attorney General post in the life time of Golhaaboa, deserves to be hanged. Talk about the justice of hundreds of men who were in jail just for speaking out their mind. Be it Munnawar, Saeed or Carlsberg..... we need to witness justice.
Vote for Anni. Vote for peace. Vote for justice. Vote for patriotism. Vote for democracy. Vote for people.
VOTE ONLY FOR ANNI!
As for the owners of this damn blog, we don't need advice from UK to elect a president. We don't need power from UK to give power to the people.
Come out of the dark and prove yourselves.
When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.
the: I think your views were very good but those who say including me now, that Dr. Hassan should publicly apology for what he has done is fair. He was the AG and he doenst necessarily have to rule against the Islamic law and should not punish people for what they havent committed, its irrelevant where the case came from. Its his duty to look into the matter. So, as you may know he has punished several people so he should apologize for it and its not difficult thing to do, just accept that he did do wrong and apologize.
Although he could be one of most eligible candidate as a president, I think we need to know his true intentions. Sure, he can still tell lies as he told before and can win our hearts and minds but the result wont be good. So, pls come forward Dr. Hassan and speak truth.
kashikeyo: You may be right, I think they should be punished for the crimes they have committed. I accept it. How many people suffered unnecessarily under their power. So, they need justice. Fine, what do you say Dr. Hassan and others who has done it.
I am sorry to say that we Maldivians cant vote for some of those people you mentioned or those people who are telling that they would run for the presidency. Maybe all of them lack the qualities we need except Dr. Hassan. Some of them were so cruel whilst in office and now they are trying to win our hearts, sorry we know who they are and they are out of picture. I should mention Annis name, he infact has done a lot and I think thats enough for us and I thank for what he has done. I dont need more from him. Others may not accept cos just because of him and these MDP, the situation in the country has gone out of control.
For instance, the government is using the thugs to stay in power and the thugs and hardcore criminals are in opposiion party activists. This is evident in everywhere. Therefore, as some say, Anni and some others had brought more damage than good to the country. So, he could now say bye and stay away. Enough is enough.
in my opinion dr saeed is someone who has integrity. he joined the cabinet in the hope of changing the situation. he couldn't have done much if he was on the outside. nobody knew him at that time. since he took office, things started to change for the better. he stood up against those old ministers and was never scared to voice up his opinion even if it meant going against the president's wishes. do u think people like abdulla hameed and fathullah will leaave of their own volition? or the president will just ask his most trusted people to leave? to change the country for the better, we need to change the people who are the obstacle to such changes. n dr saeed succeeded. check what has been going on at AG office during his time, n one can see he has done lots of things. there's only limit to one's patience. i think dr saeed has reached that limit with the government. i think he realised he cannot achieved what he inspire to do for his country by remaining in the government. by now, he's no longer a nobody. people know him. he can make an impact even outside the government. n i think it is a wise decision. i don't doubt even a bit of his sincerity. if he wants to, n if he is a bad man as some say, he can definitely become rich by staying in the government as he was the most powerful minister at that time. i do not agree with those who asked dr saeed to offer public apology. why do u think jenny latheef was released? on whose pressure? do you think out of the goodness of the president's heart? n what about others like sandhanu zaki who was released when dr saeed came to office? as far as i see things now, i belive dr saeed is the best candidate to be the president of this country. he might have a few minor fault as he is only human, but i belive he has the interest of his country and his people at heart.
Hassan, you have got a good start. But remember, this is just the beginning of the race. There are many tricky months before the summer of 2008, when Maldivians select a new leader. so, keep up the momentum. Analyse why some people have given you the thumbs up sign. then take that message to the rest of Maldivians. Good luck.
Dear Abdullah Waheed,
There is no Summer in Maldives. You should refrain from using Christian concepts like Summer. You can't fool us. We will not allow Christianity to destroy this Great Islamic Civilization we call Maldives.
I congratulate Dr. Saeed for the gleeful insights he has provided into Maumoon's incompetent Cabinet.
Anonymous: you maybe right in your opininon. But I dont think trying to convince us that Dr. Hassan is innocent and he has no self interest wont help much, cos he was in the office and as AG, a lot of innocent people suffered a lot just because of say, raising their voices. I am not against Dr. Hassan and infact a lof of Maldivians support him at this moment cos as I said before, anybody is better than HIM and thats why we are seeing a lot of support for people like Dr. Munawwar. All of us need a change now.
And I dont think that changes came on its own but there was a kinda uprising as a result of Eevan Naseems death and SOME people fought for these cahnges. I think we should not forget it. Whatever changes took place was the hardwork of a lot of people.
Think of those days when some of these people held some gatherings and the consequences of it. How the government tried to crack it down. Also how the AG and some others reacted to it. These are facts and those happened not long time ago. So, we better not forget those peoples sacrifices whether their intention was good or bad. I am saying this cos a lot of Maldivians need a change and they helped us bring the changes but we are having difficulty in accepting them. They are unfortunately not suitable for running a government!!
Once again, I think Dr. Hassan should come clean and bring forth his agenda and manifesto to the public. Start talking to the public and hold gatherings. We are waiting for it.
Read about Dr. Hassan's new proposal for reform. Where can it be accessed?
Thank you, one and all for the comments and insights that you have shared with us following our initial post.
Why this blog?
We would like you to know that this blog is not aimed at promoting Dr Hassan's candidature. Rather, this is designed to promote awareness about the aims, hopes, aspirations and activities of the Open Society Association.
What is an open society -- it is society in which people are free, equal, inclusive and empowered; a society in which people are tolerant and peace-loving, one in which people love and respect others. People power is central to an open society, as is opposition to corruption.
The term Open Society was chosen from Karl Popper's book, Open Society and Its Enemies, in which Popper contrasts societies that support liberal democracies and leaders and philosophers who oppose freedom and democracy. We have no links whatsoever with George Soros' Open Society Institute.
Our Role in the Reform Agenda:
Some of you have referred to the claim made by Minister Nasheed that we are not to be associated with the Reform Agenda. Shakespeare said (Mark Antony in Julius Caesar):
"The evil that men do lives after them; the good are often are interred with the bones". So, we are not surprised that the government or the DRP finds that there was nothing good that we ever did. But we owe to the public a proper account of the genesis and evolution of the Reform Agenda, which we will do shortly. Our faith in open societies is such that no amount of black paint can change the course of history! Hassan and Shaheed did their PhDs in a University whose motto was : The Truth is Mightier Above All Else".
- Why begin campaign in the UK?
We were in the UK not to start a campaign. The purpose of the UK visit was to seek support for the activities of OSA in the promotion of democratic values and ideals. As you can see from government- and drp sponsored websites, there is a lot of educational activities even directed at those two institutions. But more than that -- we cannot have a vibrant democracy without vibrant civil society. We also met a number of old friends and acquaintances who had been working with us in promoting the Reform Agenda, and told them why we had left government and assured them, as we have assured our fellow Maldivians, that we have not abandoned the Reform Agenda. Rather, we told them we intended to lobby the government to honour the pledges it had made under the Roadmap to create independent institutions to support democracy (we shall publish on this blog shortly, a paper on this subject, which we submitted to the President yesterday.)
Divide and Rule
We have not formed a party because we are aware of the prospect of divide and rule by President Gayoom. The fights between the siblings and the in-laws have underpinned the 30 year rule of President Gayoom. So divide and rule works well for him. Our view is that the less fragmented the Opposition, the better the chances for pro-democracy forces to bring about a democratic transition in 2008. Divided, President Gayoom rules, while united, President Gayoom falls.
It would be unethical to publicly criticize the government while being a Cabinet minister. But there have been many occasions when we had expressed our dissent to the president on critical issues. There are two principles that must be upheld by a Minister -- collective responsibility and individual responsibility. When one feels one can no longer accept decisions taken by majority views or that there is no prospect of effecting change from within, one must leave. One cannot remain a Minister and publicly express dissent from Cabinet decisions.
Why did you save President Gayoom?
This question requires a longer response, and we will get to this issue soon enough. But suffice it to say, for the moment, that one must also explore the possibility of bringing democratic change from within. Our support for the President was always contingent -- on delivering democracy. When we felt that it was no longer possible to achieve democracy from within, we quit. We do not believe in violent revolution.
Economic Plan
We fully agree that a good and workable plan to address, within a democratic framework, the pressing economic and social challenges facing the country should be the most important consideration in choosing the next government. We are disappointed and dismayed by the dismal economic policies of the present regime. Whatever good may been have done by the government in taking the country out of LDC status, it has failed to take the people of out misery, despair, and hopelessness. Dr Hassan's economic plan is a priority, a good package will be unveiled as the pillar of Dr Hassan's election manifesto.
Pathways to Democracy:
Seven Ways to Speed up the Reform Agenda
Summary
• Without implementing the reforms listed below, the elections to be held in 2008 cannot be free, fair or inclusive or enable the people of Maldives to choose a leader for the future. If the promise of a liberal democratic Maldives is not to be a fairy tale, then the following pathways must be pursued now to attain democracy
1) Strengthen the independence of the judiciary:
a. Divest the Chief Justice of non-judicial functions
b. Follow emerging practice and appoint a Chief Justice with the advice and consent of the parliament
c. Increase transparency and public confidence in the highest court of appeal by holding public hearings as pledged by the President on 11 November 2005
2) Undertake urgent reform of the Criminal Justice System by revising current administrative guidelines to incorporate standards which are contained in proposed reform legislation and are consistent with human rights obligations
3) Reconstitute the Police Integrity Commission to make it an effective watchdog
4) Entrench media freedom by establishing the right to information
5) Strengthen anti-corruption measures immediately:
a) Free prosecution decisions from executive approval
b) Honour commitments under the UN anti-corruption convention
c) Require that public office-bearers declare their assets and interests
6) Implement the Civil Service Act without further delay and dismantle the patronage system as required under the Act
7) Strengthen the independence of the Elections Commissioner and invite international monitors now
_________
How to deliver democracy before it is too late for Maldives
Three years since the government promised liberal democracy, Maldives continues to resemble a police state more than a democracy. Whilst international pressure has produced some reforms, the people of Maldives continue to live in fear and without the most fundamental safeguards against arbitrary government. Frustration over the slow pace of reforms has seen the resignation of key reformist ministers from the Cabinet recently. Corruption has become rampant as national assets are being auctioned off to raise revenue for a bloated re-election budget. Lawlessness and religious extremism are growing unchecked as law enforcement resources target opposition political activities rather than crime. The Government must accelerate the implementation of the reform agenda if Maldives is to see long-term stability, peace and prosperity, instead of insinuating that democracy and human rights protection beget religious extremism and instability. Without implementing the reforms listed below, the elections to be held in 2008 cannot be free, fair or inclusive or enable the people of Maldives to choose a leader for the future who can save the country from creeping extremism and rampant corruption and strengthen democracy.
In June 2004, President Gayoom promised to make Maldives a liberal democracy, and promised to establish an independent judiciary, implement a two-term limitation on the office of the presidency, remove his control over the parliament and the elections commissioner, strengthen government accountability and human rights protection, and allow multiparty elections. These measures were outlined as a 31-point proposal to revise the Constitution, a task to be completed by the end of 2005. Having missed that deadline without any meaningful progress in writing a new Constitution, in March 2006, in response to strident criticism that the government was not serious about implementing the proposed reforms, the President announced a detailed Roadmap which provided time-frames for the implementation of the reform programme.
The Reform Agenda, as detailed in the Roadmap, included the 31-point proposals announced by the President in June 2004, the 5-Year Criminal Justice Action Plan published in 2004 by the Attorney-General, specific commitments to embrace international norms and practices in human rights protection and anti-corruption measures advocated by the Foreign Office, and actions designed to promote civil society and civic education. In addition to revising the Constitution, the Roadmap also identified primary legislation and executive actions to ensure that legal, administrative and political frameworks were in place to ensure that the elections in 2008 would be free, fair and democratic.
18 months on, the Reform Agenda has failed to deliver crucial reforms that could lay the groundwork for the litmus test of making the elections free, fair and inclusive. Public confidence in the sincerity of the government’s commitment to the Reform Agenda has been dealt a severe blow by the President’s announcement that he would run for a 7th consecutive term as president in the elections due in 2008, despite having voluntarily offered a two-term limitation in his 31-point proposal. His claim that he requires more time to complete the Reform Agenda is at best an admission of the failure of the Roadmap and at worst an outright rejection of the Roadmap. The government and the ruling party are either heedless or unaware of the potential for instability and chaos that reneging on the promises for reform could create for Maldives. Failure to resuscitate the Reform Agenda and honour the pledges made by the President in 2004, can only increase distrust, polarization and instability in the community and lead to a showdown between the forces of reform and those of reaction.
The results of the public referendum held on 18 August 2007, to choose between a presidential or Westminster-style government, are being misconstrued as an endorsement of the present government. Far from it, the people voted for change—for the separation of powers and term limitation on the presidency, demands which have been consistently made for a number of years. Needless to say, public frustration is running high, especially as the government has shown no sign of abiding by the Roadmap.
The Failure of the Roadmap
The Roadmap pledged the implementation of reforms on three tracks. These were reforms to be effected by the People’s Special Majlis (Constitutional Assembly), the People’s Majlis (Parliament), and the Executive.
• The Constitution was to be completed by 31 May 2007, but the date lapsed without a single chapter being completed. Even where the Assembly has voted for clear departures from current practices, the government has either ignored them or acted contrary to those measures. While the government is technically not bound to implement these decisions until they are passed in the form of a Constitution, the government can demonstrate good faith by acting in accordance with the spirit of the decisions reached by the Assembly.
• While the Roadmap proposed 22 separate pieces of legislation, only three have been passed. These are namely the Audit Bill, the Civil Service Bill and the Bill Amending the Human Rights Act. Even in these cases, the Audit Act has not been implemented.
• The government pledged in the Roadmap to carry out a number of executive actions to advance reform, but little has been done. These promises include accession to international human rights instruments, implementation of civic education programmes, proclamation of a regulatory framework on public assembly, formation of a Police Integrity Commission, establishment of a supreme court and an ombudsman’s office, and holding local elections. While human rights instruments have been acceded to, they are not being implemented; the regulation on public assembly falls short of the international norm; and the Police Integrity Commission is a lapdog rather than a watchdog of the Home Minister. But nothing is more worrying than the failure to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
Is there a commitment to reform?
The sense of frustration of pro-democracy elements is reinforced by their perception that the government has deliberately sought to delay and derail the Reform Agenda. They point out to a number of actions that demonstrate lack of good faith.
• It was the government who pulled out of the Westminster House process in October 2006 by refusing to nominate its contact group to sit down with MDP to speed up the Reform Agenda.
• It was the DRP who pulled out of the talks with MDP in February 2007 when a plan had been agreed with MDP to form a three member Panel, including the constitutional expert deputed by the UN, to draw up a mutually agreeable text of the Constitution.
• The Police Integrity Commission was handpicked by the Police Commissioner and was deliberately made a toothless body, which was still-born.
• The regulation on public assembly, which does not meet the international norm on the right to peaceful assembly, was issued without the concurrence of the Attorney-General and therefore unconstitutionally intruded on the rights of citizens.
• The decision by the Cabinet in 2005 to make the Judiciary independent was not implemented by the President. There is no judicial independence and the government has virtually ignored the recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges.
• The pledge made by the government to provide, by April 2007, a legal framework to ensure right to information has not been honoured.
• Although the government has acceded to the UN Convention against Corruption, it has not honoured a pledge to table a bill to strengthen anti-corruption measures.
• The announcement by the President that he would contest elections in 2008 reneges his pledge on two-term limitation for the presidency. President Gayoom’s candidature makes it doubly imperative that the Reform Agenda must be speeded up, rather than frozen, pending the completion of the work on the new Constitution. Democracy is not a document, but a set of ideas and values and the government must demonstrate its commitment to democratic ideals.
Reviving the Reform Agenda: Pathways to Democracy
With the intention of reviving the reform agenda and ensuring that the multiparty democracy is made a reality in 2008, we propose that the President undertake the actions outlined below in 7 key areas.
1) Strengthen the independence of the judiciary
The Roadmap pledged the creation of a Supreme Court by August 2007 and to institute other measures to enhance the independence of the judiciary. The actions of the government over the past 18 months have ignored these promises. It is imperative that the people of the country have recourse to a judge who is not answerable to the executive.
a) Divest the Chief Justice of non-judicial functions
The current Chief Justice, in addition to being a presidential appointee, also holds a post in the executive branch, namely, President of the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs. This dual role must come to an end. The Attorney General had, in January 2007, publicly called for the divestment of the non-judicial functions of the current Chief Justice.
b) Follow emerging practice and appoint a Chief Justice with the advice and consent of the parliament
In the referendum of 18 August 2007, the people have resoundingly endorsed the principle of separation of powers. The Constitutional Assembly has already resolved that under the new constitution the Chief Justice would be hired and fired by the President on the advice of the Parliament. Also Parliament has recently set up precedents for the appointment and dismissal of head of independent institutions with the advice and consent of the parliament—namely, the Auditor General (Audit Act 2007), members of the Civil Service Commission (Civil Service Act 2007), members of the Human Rights Commission (Human Rights Act 2006), and Governor and Deputy Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority (Maldives Monetary Authority (Amendment) Act 2007). Therefore, without waiting for any specific law to come into force, the President should demonstrate good faith and enhance the independence of the judiciary by appointing a Chief Justice with the advice and consent of the parliament. It is an anomaly that the judiciary not enjoy the independence enjoyed by lesser institutions.
c) Increase transparency and public confidence in the highest court of appeal by holding public hearings as pledged by the President on 11 November 2005
Currently the proceedings of the highest judicial body in the country, i.e. the Council which advises the President on judicial matters, take place behind closed-doors. Lawyers are not allowed to appear and argue before the Council. Its judgments are based on written submissions only. Further its judgments are not accessible to litigants, lawyers or the public. On 11 November 2005 President Gayoom, announced that proceedings of the Council would be made public in order to enhance transparency of the judiciary. However, to date no action has been taken despite repeated demands by the Attorney General.
2) Undertake urgent reform of the Criminal Justice System by revising current administrative guidelines to incorporate standards which are contained in proposed reform legislation and are consistent with human rights obligations
As part of the government’s effort to overhaul country’s criminal justice system, the government has, among others, submitted the following Bills to the Parliament.
• Criminal Procedure Code (Presented to the Parliament)
• National Security Service Bill (Presented to the Parliament)
• Police Bill (Presented to the Parliament)
• Prison and Parole Bill. (The government continues to hold back this Bill despite repeated requests by the Attorney General to present it to parliament).
Without waiting for the Parliament to pass these Bills, the government could issue Presidential Decrees incorporating these Bills. Even at the present, these areas are governed by administrative regulations and guidelines. Therefore, there is no reason why the government cannot issue Presidential Decrees to revise those guidelines to reflect the practices proposed in the new legislation and honour commitments made by the government under international human rights treaties.
3) Reconstitute the Police Integrity Commission to make it an effective watchdog
The Government failed to establish an independent Police Integrity Commission, in accordance with the Roadmap. According to the Roadmap the Commission was to be established on 31 August 2006. As part of the Westminster House negotiations, the government and MDP agreed that members of the Commission must be agreeable to both sides. This was not honoured by the Government. Members of the Commission (yet to be established fully) were handpicked by the Commissioner of Police Mr. Adam Zahir himself which was a mockery of the Roadmap’s letter and spirit as the very objective of the Commission was to check abuse of power by the Police Commissioner himself.
4) Entrench media freedom by establishing the right to information
In the past three years the country has experienced unprecedented level of freedom of expression and press. The reasons for this new found freedom are: refusal of the Attorney General to prosecute under the current penal code and other related laws; liberal policies adopted by the Ministry of Information, Arts and Culture; and international pressure exerted through the Foreign Ministry. However, there has been no change made to any law or regulation which had previously suppressed media freedom. Therefore, the new found media freedom could easily be compromised with a simple change in prosecution policies or changes within the Ministry of Information. To strengthen this fundamental right further, the government has submitted the followings Bills to the Parliament.
• Media Freedom Bill
• Freedom of Information Bill
• Registration of Newspapers and Magazines Bill
• Broadcasting Bill
• Cable Television Service Provision Bill
Judging from the current slow pace of the Parliament it might take several months, if not years, to pass these laws. Therefore, without waiting for the Parliament, the government could promulgate these Bills in the form of Presidential Decrees. In fact, in January 2007, the government promised the proclamation of a decree establishing the right to information when it introduced anti-defamation provisions. Such a decree has been awaiting Presidential authorization since April.
5) Strengthen anti-corruption measures immediately
a) Free prosecution decisions from executive approval
Current practice of the Anti-corruption Board (ACB) is to submit its investigative findings to the President’s office. Only after approval from the President’s Office can cases be referred to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution. The government should discontinue this practice immediately.
b) Honour commitments made under the UN anti-corruption convention
The Constitutional Assembly has resolved that the ACB would be a fully autonomous body under the new Constitution. The government has also acceded to the UN anti-corruption convention. Therefore, the government should take steps to ensure the ACB is a fully autonomous body. This would include revision of the procedure for the appointment of the Board members, and provision of job security, for instance.
c) Require that public office-bearers declare their assets and interests
Corruption seems to be most rampant at higher levels of government. Therefore, the government should require the President, ministers, deputy ministers, and other political office bearers to declare their assets and interests.
6) Implement the Civil Service Act without further delay and dismantle the patronage system as required under the Act
The government continues to give unjustified promotion to civil servants who are supporters, activists of the governing DRP while denying even justified promotions to those who are sympathetic to the Opposition or those who failed to support the DRP. The Government should immediately discontinue this practice. Also the government should stop dragging civil servants into politics. Further the government should expedite the establishment of Civil Service Commission and enforce the Civil Service Law in its entirety well before the next elections.
7) Strengthen the independence of the Elections Commissioner and invite international monitors now
In addition to making the Elections Commissioner independent, the government must also implement the recommendations made by the Commonwealth Election Observer team of 2005 and of the Assessment Team of 2007. In order to ensure that there will be credible international observers to the next election, the government must invite the Electoral Affairs Division of the UN Department of Political Affairs to send their assessment mission to Maldives.
____________________
'Hassan and Shaheed did their PhDs in a University whose motto was : The Truth is Mightier Above All Else".'
Clearly they did not take this motto to heart. What about the times when you guys lied to the public and international media after some arrests (many of them innocent onlookers) by saying that they were disrupting public order and peace in the country? The protests were clearly in line with freedom of expression. You are not going anywhere before you make a public apology about all the unjust actions. These were random arrests, and many of us know that you werent the people who took the initiatives, or gave the order. But after knowing that these were innocent onlookers, you still went on protecting these actions by the regime by lying to the public and international media.
Your university should be ashamed of yourselves, bringing their motto to your strategic interplay with the regime! Just so that you could come to power and repeat the kind of things that you were doing.
I can probably stay typing for days, listing all of that. Just one hilarious thing you defended again was the time when you found 'weapons' in the artifical beach. These were implanted by your thugs (i can name the thugs but the list is too long), and the police knew the exact spot to dig for these 'weapons'(the construction industry call them building tools). A note on your thugs jameel, i wonder how they operated because they seem to be doing everything you order. They must think you're a messiah, going and replacing the VB brothers lock with a massive lock with chains. Majeed and Suzeynu and their football gang must have been living like kings as they had you to protect them.
Also, giving street kids money to distrupt MDP meeting!! just so that they can have their motorcycle races from 2 am till 5am. Did you even realise how many teenagers had serious accidents everynight when they allowed and shall i say encouraged by your? Or is this a way to generate money to ADK hospital, ofcourse one of your colleagues runs the place.
Are all of these actions really inline with the principles you set out?
And just how much DID you pay for this latest Hill and Knowlton statement?!!
this message is for hassan. you may be a good candidate for presidency but you will need to reflect on your doings at the office. there are some staff whom you did not give the due promotions while you have given double and triple promotions to hypocrites like mohamed anil, the recenly appointed member of maumoon. some people and their families hate you for these kind of small things, but these will matter a lot. i hope you will be determined not to commit the same mistakes again..
"the government should require the President, ministers, deputy ministers, and other political office bearers to declare their assets and interests."
So, Shaheed, will you set an example by declaring your "interest" in a certain former employee of yours, who coincidentally got the biggest promotion while in Geneva?
Funny there was no mention of nepotism in your piece on corruption...
Hassan,
I think I will vote for Ibra. From all the credible information I have for you, Munavvar, Zaki you all are out you should be tried in court. And as far as Anni goes he deserves every credit for bringing us so far despite attempts by all of you to keep Gayyoom in power and let us suffer. But for me Anni is too stubborn and he will do what he thinks is right. More of an autocratic type of ruler. He is an activist rather than a politician. He should not rule but he should always be around to correct what the next or consecutive governments will do wrong.
I chose Ibra because so far I haven't come across anything that I can point a finger at. Correct me if I am wrong.
Regards
to ANONYMOUS who wrote
"Hassan,
I think I will vote for Ibra. From all the credible information I have for you, Munavvar, Zaki you all are out you should be tried in court. And as far as Anni goes he deserves every credit ....."
Anonymous, this is so far the best and this is what I wanted to write but unfortuantely I dont know how to express in such a wonderful way. You are right, all of them should be tried cos they have done those things and Anni as you said is such a person. I better stop writing more cos I think you have expressed all I ever wanted to say in very fluent English. Thanks for writing such a wonderful piece and believe it or not what you have written is nothing but the truth.
Thanks. Oh, sorry, I cant agree with Ibra, a lot of Male-ians (people from Male) voted for him with lots of high expectations and he, I feel, has taken advantage of it and left us. I personally want him to give up the seat cos I need my vote from him. I only voted for people who would fight hard. He was not happy with some MDP bla bla and now he is enjoying the seat gotten with our votes. He is not good at all. As you said, there is none but Anni and then he is not good for anything else but as an activist.
Thanks Anni for what you have done and dont run for president.
to anonymous who wrote :"I chose Ibra because so far I haven't come across anything that I can point a finger at. Correct me if I am wrong." I would like to ask, isn't it worth to note that Ibra DID VOTE to pass the budget for this year along with other puppets in the Majlis? I regret voting for him and will never vote for him again. He's not sincere and concern to make things better for the people
Kandupary and Hiyalu,
wasnt ibra doing fine untill he started collaborating with Shaheed, Hassan and Jameel on reform matters? thats when MDP abandoned him, and these three people were supporting Ibra's action for collaborating on matters.. although they abandoned Ibra when they achieved what they wanted..
All the more reason to support them....but this blog just reflects Maldivian ignorance....i hate it...look at the comments...this blog has nothing to do with the elections...get it through your thick skulls, retards!!!
Anonymous for Ibra:
That (your comment before this)tells us how insincere he was. As far as I am concerned, I voted him for being a hardcore reformist and then when he got what he wants, he abandoned the people who voted for him.
Look at him now, nobody talks Ibra anymore and he is just like all other puppets here and there. Sorry Ibra, you made a big mistake.
Anonymous, I think you have agreed that he made mistakes and collaborating with those 3 during that time wasnt good and what MDP was there to abandon him. He was MDP and as far as I understand, he abandoned MDP probably thinking that MDP would be nothing without him. We people, are not supporting those 3 letters (MDP) but to those who come frontline and fight for reform.
We will support them until that happens but when they are running for leading the country, its time to think. Like Munawwar and Zaki and some others, we are supporting them cos they are fighting for reform (maybe) but they will not get any votes from us if they run for presidency. We all know them and they have been in this government for long and I think they must be accountable for what they have done.
Since this is the trios blog, I am, as a Maldivian still calling for Dr. Hassan to come forward and offer the much needed public apology for what you have done. We (for sure I) arent forgetting them until then. You can win our hearts and minds but we need it.
as a lot of people have expressed their feelings my concern is the main goal of you guys. i hope and pray that the three of you are really working to make the Maldives a better place. and i also believe that you have played your part in bringing the country to the dogs and now that you are clean and working on the opposite side i am with you to support you for all the improvements for the people and the country. you have the courage to come so far, leave the chair and face the people accept the faults and even asking him to correct himself. i believe that you can go further and achieve the goal that you want. May ALLAH bless us in all the good things that we do. "NUVAANEY GAUMEYGE HAALAATHU BADHALU. NUVAANAMA GAUMUGAA HAALAATHU BADHALU KURUMUGE HKIYAALAATHU. so cheers and good luck for your work
C' mon guys. They are new to the blogging scene. Give them a break will ya.
The motto of the University where they got their PhD's is not "the truth is mightier.. " etc
It is:
Scientia ac Labore
"through knowledge and hard work"
who are you trying to fool jameel, shaheed and saeed..??
Gayoom or us?
This thing about an apology: is it becoz Munavvar apologised? Words don't mean much if one is not willing to put their money where there mouth is. Sure, Hassan could say sorry-- Sorry doesn't seem to be the hardest word. But Hassan, Shaheed and Jameel have redeemed themselves by walking out on Gayoom and openly challenging him. Zaki and Munavvar stayed on until they were dumped. But these three walked out when they need not have, from a purely personal political point of view. Also, wasn't it them who allowed legal representation, allowed parties, stopped jailing journalists and got Gayoom pinned on to international human rights standards? Sure, what they have done is not enough, and that's why they left. But surely, if not for them, today Anni would be serving a life sentence as would Zaki and many other top MDP leadership. We are not looking for saints, but leaders. Current MDP leadership is heroic, but will not be able to defeat Gayoom on their own! So let's get political, rather than personal.
A nice comment to the above anonymous person.
Its nice to have a bunch of educated people trying to make reforms (i cant agree weather they are genuine or not). They have demonstrated they can pressure and make good reforms. However, one need to think about the choices they made, their decisions when they were ruling their respective ministries, and the extent of nepotism. Are we to believe that that these three, how much educated, would not repeat the kind of decisions they made when they were minister? or even the decisions they are making now? stabbing people on their backs? politics is a dirty game.
True they resigned from their posts before they got dumped. True they pressured the government on reforms. Look at the three ministries they ruled now.. They made sure that their people (be it girl friends, relatives, favourite people, or even wife's relatives!!) are high up the career ladders and they all got what they want at the expense of other people. They made it sure that having a DRP ID card was necessary to be 'blessed' by the minister.
Its not much about a public apology, its they themselves acknowledging that their decisions to favour some people at the expense of other people really ruined many peoples careers. Many educated young and intelligent people left their ministries because they were not prepared to take the bullshit... because they made certain people their favourites and left aside many capable people... would they be repeating these actions or would be it 'free' and 'fair'??
abviously for people who were blessed enough to be their favourites, there would not be any problems accepting every word they say.
"ANONYMOUS's"
Is it possible for you all you "anonymous" to become unique in here.
Its confusing and if wanted to reply one of your comments, its very difficult. Sorry, I just thought it.
Well, those who supporting the trios, as the other anonymous said, who knows what their plans are. They may be lobbying by the current regime and for sure, politics is very dirty. I dont think saying SORRY is that easy for them cos then it means that they have committed some bad. And I believe they were not good.
A lot of us dont like some ministers today but tomorrow another minister may resign and then start talking against the government. Should we believe in him. I am not gonna believe in them and its atleast 2 votes they lost. If they want win these 2 votes, better offer this public apology and then come forward and talk with the general public.
Waiting for todays puppet coming tomorrow and saying that "I did this and that and tried to reform" so believe me.
Its none of you but Anni and some others forced you to do that. You had no choice. But now the public dont need more from Anni or his party cos they dont fit our requirements!!!.
I understand that Dr.Hassan was trying to get the changes done through the system by sitting inside. But when he noticed that he cannot do it, he got to change his plan and he came out. we can understand this if we really give a thought to his speaches in various occasions while he was in the government.
i agree with dean. we have to recognise effort done not only by those who fight from the outside but also by those who fight from the inside. to change a 30 years corrupt rule, is not an easy task. one have to do what he thinks is the best way. dr hassan chose to fight from within. he wasn't corrupt when he was in cabinet. and he did introduce and push ahead lots of reform agenda. many argued that dr hassan's action in coming out with reform agenda to the president help save the president. for me, what matters is dr hassan's intention. i believed he introduced those reform for a better country, for us maldivians, not for the president. some also argued that he abandon the hope of the people who believe in him while he was in government by quiting. i believe dr hassan has done his best while he was in government. and as dean said, when he think he cannot proceed from within, he has to leave. but as we can see, he is still continuing his effort. one has to keep an open mind i guess. not everyone is evil just because he was in cabinet.
i think the trio is doing a wonderful job for the nation. i know there would be people out there to discredit you, but please do not step back. the nation has high expectation for you all.
The fact that Dr. Saeed is running for the top job is 'simply not true'
good line anonymous above me!!
'simply not true' is just the thing one say when one wants to persuade the public...
APOLOGY FOR WHAT!!!!
Dr. Shaheed gave unjustified promotion to his friends and relatives and supporters as soon as he became a minister. Promotions to those who are sympathetic to the Opposition were not given. Again just before Dr. Shaheed was forced to resign,he gave promotion to very same people. I am quite surprised when these very people who promoted patronage system, now call to depolarize the civil service.
hi anonymous! Dr Shaheed was not forced to resign. He had always been saying that the President should honour the two-term limitation. The President sent several ministers to see Dr Shaheed in his office, like Deen, Maai, Ayesha and Hilmy to persuade him not to resign after Dr Saeed departed. But he left anyways.
As for promotion for MDP sympathisers, the fact is that Dr Shaheed gave his biggest promotion to Hussain Thowfeek Ali whom Fathulla had not promoted before because Thappe supported Anni in 1998! Dr Shaheed also refused to dismiss the Chief of Protocol Ahmed Rasheed despite being told to do so merely because he was married to Athireege and I know for a fact that Doc recommended Mrs Shuwaykar of Athireege to the Human Rights Commission. Today, the Chief of Protocol is grounded merely because his brother-in-law is MDP leader Amin Faisal! Dr Shaheed refused to force his deputy ministers to sign on to the DRP -- this people like Shaheed Zaki and Aindhy remained independent, despite pressure from the President's Office to get them to sign on to DRP. Dr Shaheed also did not pressure any of his ambassadors to sign on to DRP either!
As for the promotions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when Dr. Shaheed was the Minister, he just beat Gasim on ridiculous promotions. It is a joke in the Finance Ministry that everyone, including the ones who joined the Finance Ministry a couple of years ago got triple and more promotions. We all know that Dr. Shaheed plays these things very strategically. When he gave his first set of promotions, he slightly pushed DRP supporters, family and personal friends (not to highlight here the promotion to Dr Ali Khaleel and Thappe). It would seem quite obvious if he did not give reform supporters (reform supporters then were MDP supporters as they were the only group shouting out loud for reform) promotions along with the ones whom he did think was fit. Giyas Haneed (DRP member) and Shazra are notable cases. The second round of promotions just before he left is quite obviously to the ones he prefered. Its funny that the government promotion scheme is not based on performance evaluations. If it was, people like Hussain Thaufeeq Ali need to have to wait for a promotion out of pity.
Promotions are not the only thing he did for his people. Working in a mission abroad is the kind of thing that every foreign office staff and other government official would dream of. Just before he left, he sent Shazra to Geneva with a fat salary, Shazra's boy Ali shujau to London, Shabeena to New York and then to China and Adil to Japan. Not to say that Giyas got a scholarship.
What do all these people have in common?
Shazra (girlfriend) Shabeena (wife's cousin) Adil (wife's relative) Giyas (DRP) Ali Shujau (on Shazra's recommendation)
And, the promotions to the girls in the foreign office, namely Inaya, Liusha etc, all Shazra's friends..
Still talking about fair and equal opportunities??
Why has this page become a witch hunt for Shaheed? I bet all that crap you are talking about is either total crap of full of misleading half truths.
Shaheed's time in the foreign offiec may have been brief, but his achievements are tremendous. He remains a champion of human rights when the current foreign minister, Shahid, and his uncle, Fathulla had teamed up with Burma, Cuba and North Korea to talk about human rights being culture-bound! During Shaheed's time, Maldives joined all the major human rights conventions. I know that he was working on joining the International Criminal Court (which may be why Gayoom aligned with Yameen against Shaheed). I also know that he was pushing for workers rights by speeding up joining ILO. He brought in a UN Human Rights Advisor.
As for promotions in any office, they are done by the Public Service Division who scruntizes all recommendations. And for foreign postings, most people are reluctant to go because they don't want to serve under the likes of Dr Latheef in New York, Hassan Sobir in London or Anbaree in New Delhi. Everybody wants to go to Malaysia but Midhath will not have anyone!
As for MDP, why would Shaheed offer Dr Ali Khaleel the post of Deputy Minister if he was discriminatory? Please do not sound like Yameen and Koimala.
From the comments, we can summarize that DR Shaheed gave unjustified promotions to staff of the Foreign Ministry without taking into consideration the whole civil service. This is unfair and bias. There are rules and regulation laid down by the Public Service Division, but Dr Shaheed used his ministerial status to influence these promotions and thus promote patronage system.
Hello bodubulha,
Signing international conventions does not mean much if the country is not acting upon it. By reading the blog, I can only see a list of conventions and parties that the Maldives has signed when these three were ministers. A good democracy requires an independent media scrutinizing government action and we are a long way from there. We in the Maldives do not criticize constructively. It all boils down to personal backstabbing. Why does it happen?
We live in a very small society and things aren’t very secret and personal. When ministers take actions in favour of the ones they are close to, it does have consequences and can affect other people in many ways. Promotions and selective treatment are what every civil servant works for. If we can’t scrutinize that and if they are not answerable to their actions, one might have second thoughts about believing these three politicians. I do not believe a person’s belief can change over night. Hardcore defenders of the present regime once ousted from their posts turning their backs and Woking against what they had defended the night before? What kind of twisted minds do they really have? Can’t we put them in the same category as Munavar and Zaki?
Please don’t say that they resigned on their own will. They had so much pressure to resign. After reading many of these posts, it is fair to say that nepotism was very much evident during their days as ministers. Is anyone aware of the Paul Wolfowitz case? Or should we say Dr. Wolfowitz in Shaheed’s case? A good example of nepotism, but he faced consequences.
Dr. Hassan Saeed for legal reform and Dr. Hassan Saeed for president!
Shaheed, someone's really on to you, aint it? All I can say is, hang in there, well done mate. Dale Carnegie says that no one ever kicks a dead dog! Well, doc, all this prove some people are really annoyed by you. Not surprising, given that you cleaned out the Foreign Ministry of the old guard. I fully support you. Promotions will have to be selective, otherwise what good are they? In two short years, you have done a remarkable job. From all that firing at you, and I must say quite out of context, you have done a marvellous job. And you upset people any right minded person in this country will upset- Yaameen, Kutti Nasheed, and the royals.
Dear anonymous on 20/11/2007, 04:22,
One cannot deny your are an ardent fan of Shaheed. Two things on promotions and getting rid of old guards.
Promotions are fair if and only if they are based on merit and performance. Which might hardly be the case in the foreign office.
Why is was Hussen Shareef (Mundhu's dad) transfered to the Foreign Office? was is to do with experience or just being related to Shaheed?
What is the relationship between Shareef and Shaheed? Are they really related? How strange that Mundhu should be attacking Shaheed if they are related. I reckon they are not related. Can someone tell how Shareef is Shaheed's relative?
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