The Legacy Of An Illegitimate Ba'thist Regime :: Maldives News :: Dhivehi Observer

Editorial

Hallmarks Of An Illegitimate Ba'thist Regime

By Editor in Chief, A. S. I. Moosa (Sappe'), 28 September 2006

Despite the claims by Dictator Gayyoom, that he is an elected President and that he is the head of a legitimate government, many have argued the case that the election processes, not only the public presidential referendums, but even the parliamentary elections in the Maldives have never been free and fair. To the contrary, every single referendum and election held in the Maldives over the last 27 years had been flawed and heavily influenced by the dictator and his cronies.

Let us consider the parliamentary elections first. Up until the recent 2005 elections, it was almost impossible for an anti government candidate to secure a seat in the parliament. We have the few cases of Dr. Waheed and Anni's victories in Male' which were the result of mass support and involvement of the Male' electorate in those campaigns. These seats were conceded by the dictator to please the Male' electorate and stop them from staging riots and protests. The overwhelming support for these candidates was such that the public would not have accepted any other results. In almost all other constituencies in the remote Atolls, Gayyoom has a free hand to do whatever he wanted. To begin with, anti-regime candidates were intimidated, threatened and in many cases, subjected to solitary confinement and torture in jail. Take the examples of Sandhaanu Didi (candidate for Addu - 1994) and Umar Jamal (candidate for South Huvadu -1999), they were arbitrarily arrested and held in solitary confinement for months for simply standing as a candidate in those elections. The few that slip through are threatened, that opposing his agenda of 'total oppression' could land them in jail. Take the examples of Latheef (Gogo) and Shakir (Hathifushi), as well as Nasheed (Anni), who were all jailed and faced severe injustice and sometimes lengthy sentences given in grossly unfair trials. This is why we can legitimately claim that successive parliaments in the Maldives since 1978 have all been just a 'rubber stamp' and was used as an instrument of torture and oppression.

Adding to the argument, a snap shot of the last parliamentary election in 2005 reveals that it was in fact conducted whilst there was an illegally declared 'State of Emergency' in the country, after the mass crackdown of pro-democracy campaigners on Black Friday, 13th August 2004. Several potential reformist candidates remained in jail, and submitted their papers from jail, like the current MP for Male', Hon. Ibrahim Ismail. However, many candidates, including then incumbent MPs, did not even stand for election fearing the consequences. Despite the obstacles, the few who took the bold decision to stand in the elections won reformists just over a dozen seats from the 50 members assembly. Most notable of which were the seats for the capital Male' and in Addu Atoll. Nevertheless, with Gayyoom's appointed members, and his cronies, the parliament is unable to serve and protect the people and the constitutional assembly is unfit to deliver the democratic reforms needed to elect a legitimate people's government in the Maldives.

Excerpt from International Report - Washington Times 2002

Umar Jamal

According to Amnesty International, three parliamentary candidates were arrested in the run-up to elections in November 1999. One of them, Umar Jamal, explains, "I was charged with attempting to discredit the government." A rival candidate closely linked to the government alleged that Jamal had said that "although this is called a democracy, it is a kingdom and there is no freedom." Jamal says he was detained in solitary confinement for three months, and since then has been tried three times in both the lower and the higher courts, "once in the Higher Court without my being present," he says.

Let us now consider the two stages of electing a President. First is the nomination of a candidate by the parliament. In this stage, Gayyoom ensured that he gets every single vote by any mean (intimidation, threats or bribery) in the 50 member assembly (8 of whom are in fact appointed by him). He threatens the few reformists in the house with imprisonment and torture, and has in almost all cases, succeeded in securing 100% of the votes [except in 1993, when Ilyas Ibrahim (brother in law) managed to secure 18 votes]. And, once the second stage, the public referendum begins, 'NO' campaigning becomes not only a minor crime but is classed as 'High Treason'. No one dared to campaign against the dictator. Not only that, many have been prosecuted for exercising their democratic right and put a 'X' on ballot papers.

Election observers and all that carry on is nothing but a stage managed propaganda by the regime. Until the recent democratic movement was launched in 2003, it has always been the case that Gayyoom got away with everything, from ballot rigging, prosecuting and arresting dissidents and opponents as well as day light torture. Even today, he is getting away with murder.

In fact, we are now getting reaffirmation of this fact from his own cronies, such as his Attorney General Dr. Hassan Saeed, indicating that elections in the Maldives could not ever have been free and fair, simply because the setup was never put in place. The statement also reiterates that a total overhauling of the system and strengthening the institutions and governing laws are essential to conduct free and fair elections in the Maldives. In the report published in Minivan News on 25th September 2006, Dr. Saeed said "Under the Westminster House Agreement, the MDP and the government have agreed that the next election must be free and fair. To do this the Elections Commission, the judiciary... the entire electoral framework needs to be changed. This takes time and unless both sides cooperate, it will take longer. For the government, getting the reforms done is more important than rushing the election."

In 1978, he was in possession of illegal firearms and came to power in a covert coup. Successive Presidential and Parliamentary elections were all rigged, which makes all his governments illegitimate. Building on this crime, he has run a virtual police state in the Maldives for over 27 years. He has failed to provide basic services, education, health and housing. The justice system is a farce, doing more injustice than justice. Arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention without trials, torture and custodial deaths, characterize his human rights record. His regime is marred in corruption and nepotism. To sum it all up, despite his claims of economic prosperity, social progress and political stability, 40% of the population live in poverty even today, they are deprived from most basic social services and basic rights by Gayyoom's a murderous dictatorship. In fact, it has always been his principle agenda to keep the people of Maldives poor and destitute. He achieved this by controlling and restricting economic activity and by allowing his cronies to benefit from this corrupt system. It was part of the wider policy of 'I am your Master and you all are my slaves!".

History shall never refer to him as 'President', he shall remain an outlaw and that will be his legacy.