Gayyoom of Maldives Thinks he is God

Editorial
GAYYOOM THINKS HE IS GOD
"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right" Thomas Paine

by A.S.I.Moosa (Sappe'). 19th Jan 2004

"Gayyoom thinks he is God and we are all his servants" was the description of Gayyoom by a former cabinet member. "No, no, he really believes that and all that he does for us, big or small is out of the good of his heart, his mercy on us, not because he has to" the minister reiterated his assertion. Many Maldivians fear Gayyoom not because they believe he is God but because they have witnessed or personally experienced ill-treatment, imprisonment and torture for opposing Gayyoom. Perhaps many believed that he is immortal but the tsunami waves upset Gayyoom hugely by bringing coconuts to the courtyard of his Grand Palace. Now, if he was God, he would not have allowed that to happen.

No matter how you analyse Gayyoom's leadership and government over the past 27 years, it can and will never be described as anything but absolute tyranny. Although a dying breed, autocratic rulers create so much fear amongst people that over time it becomes the norm. "a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry of in defence of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason" Thomas Paine (1737-1809).

However, the atrocities that Gayyoom committed in September 2003 was the final blow. It made many of us to take a firm stand against his regime and advocate democracy and freedom, because it is the only means to bring peace, prosperity and security to our small nation. Since then, the movement gained a lot of momentum; More and more Maldivians have come together with conviction and determination, to expose Gayyoom's dictatorship to the wider world and to empower the local populations by all peaceful means possible. Many in the Maldives now believe that his days in office in numbered now.

There is absolutely no doubt that despite his misdemeanours, even today a great majority of people are scared to voice their opposition or concerns for fear of imprisonment and torture. On Black Friday, 13th August 2004, Gayyoom displayed total and utter brutality, something that Maldivians had never ever experienced before. However, Gayyoom is unable to contain the opposition movement and as a result of recent developments, the tsunami and its aftermath, people are once again gaining more and more confidence to challenge this regime. This is also helped by the tarnished image of Gayyoom's regime in the international arena as well as the outrageous acts by his family members in the cabinet, such as the speech of Yameen, the trade minister in which he admitted his own governments' inability to conduct their duties because of the activities of the dissidents. He also went onto break the law by demanding votes from the people of Milandhoo and promised to carryout certain projects in the island, only upon him being elected as the no.1 candidate. In a normal country, an act like this could even bring down the whole government. The speech outlined Gayoom's policies and visions. It's hatred for the United States of America and even called EU resolutions unfair and ill-mannered. Even in the face of such hard evidence, Gayyoom has not taken any action against his brother. And, despite having broken the election laws, the Election Commissioner Rashad is unable or unwilling to disqualify Yameen from the elections.

On 26th Decembers 2004, the tsunami must have been a wake up call for Gayyoom. That after all, he is not God. That he is also human, equal to all the others. That even he could have died in the disaster or a number of his family members could have died. The dead bodies of the tsunami victims that have washed ashore over the last couple of weeks is ample proof of how vulnerable and weak, we humans are. When a man dies, all that is left is the memories of that person and the impact he had on the society. Good men will always be remembered for their good deeds and humility. Their lives will be celebrated. Bad men will be remembered for their atrocities and inhumanity and their lives will be cursed. We all know how we are going to remember Gayyoom and he knows that too. What is also worth noting is that, for generations to come, his family will suffer the consequences of his actions, as people of Maldives will see his descendents as children of a murderous dictator.

Just as it is illegal to name your child "Hilter" in Germany, the day is not far when naming your child "Maumoon" will become illegal in the Maldives.