:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

Even if the demonstrators tried to topple Gayyoom's government, it does not justify Gayyoom to arrest and beat the protestors.

OPINION by Y.N / Hithadhoo, Addu Atoll - Friday, 20th August 2004

Protesting is nothing new for almost all the people around the world. It is something that happens everywhere. We see it on TV, papers and magazines. If anyone is getting arrested, it is only "some" violent protestors armed with some kind of weapon that gets arrested.

It is simply ludicrous to even think that a government would indefinitely impose an Emergency Rule just because some people, a small percentage of the population as Dr. Shaheed put it, protested demanding the release of detained political activists. This so-called "Government Spokesman" thinks that protesting against Gayyoom is equivalent to the events of 9/11. What an imbecile?

Gayyoom and his cronies think that just by saying "the protestors tried to topple the government" is an excuse good enough to justify all the inhumane actions that they have taken against the protesters. How could they even come-up with such a nonsensical explanation? Where have they been living all these days? Do they even watch the news, ever? They are blabbering about all this, thinking as if there has never been a protest to topple a government: as if this is the first time such a thing has happened anywhere in the world.

Let's have a look at a recent event (The Rose Revolution, 25^th Jan 2004) in Georgia. In this event, protestors were demanding the resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze, who won the presidential election, early this January, by 96%, to resign. A man named Mikhail Saakashvilli led the peaceful and unarmed protestors. If the Georgian government wanted, they could have crushed these protestors by the use of power, but they didn't. They had more sense in their minds. They didn't take the rest of the world as fools. Now Mikhail Saakashvilli is the Georgian president. The world media does not label him as a traitor. He is respected around the world. www.humansecuritybulletin.info/January_2004/In_the_News/en/Rose_Revolution_in_Georgia.php

A word or two to Gayyoom:

Gayyoom or Shaheed, if you are reading this I want you to know that we are not fools. There are very educated people in Maldives. If you want to give excuses, try something like this: "I just can't stand the idea that someone is being critical about me and my way of ruling, so I had to arrest and beat them, no matter if they are MPs or businessmen. You got a problem with that? If you have a problem, there are cells in Dhoonidhoo for you."

When you came to power some of us including me was not even born. Now we are grown-ups. We know what is wrong and what is right. We have seen how things are done around the world. You can't go on fooling us forever. Remember this, your days are being numbered. Keep counting.