Nashid Column (Ibrahim Nashid) - Maldives - Chop me into tiny pieces and feed me to the fish :: Dhivehi Observer

Nashid Column

Dr. Ibrahim Nashid (Nash) is from Canaryge, Male' and is an engineer by profession. Nash has been a political activist, mainly campaigning for human rights in Maldives, since early 90's. He now lives with his family in Switzerland.

Nash is the elder brother of Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) the current chairman of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Please send feedback and comments to ibrahimnash@gmail.com.

In a police state?
With every action Gayoom makes it become clearer that honest political reform is the last of his intentions. His most recent act is the Police Bill that the government has sent to the parliament for debate. The proposed bill makes it quite clear that the police for Gayoom are a force that is used to prop up is dictatorial regime and not an institution that should work in the interest of the community. more

Making a bad situation worse
Last week the parliament started debating the amendments to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives Act of 2005. This farcical process clearly indicates how little importance Gayoom gives to improving the human rights situation of the Maldives. It also shows Gayoom's disregard of the parliament. more

In praise of the demonstrators
The peaceful demonstration by the supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party on last Tuesday and the events preceding it brought out a few truths home. First and foremost, it must be clear now to even to the most ardent supporters of Gayoom that the violence in our society is created by the security forces under the control of Gayoom. For once when the security forces refrained from beating the public, whom they are legally obliged to protect, the peacefulness of our society, despite the vast number that joined the gathering, was visible for all to see. more

It is time to think differently from the way we have always done
In a land where the majority of the population lives a hand-to-mouth existence, Gayoom and his gang of thieves feel no shame in bleeding the country to death. It was only recently that we heard the cries of jubilation from Gayoom's government after gaining special concessions from international donors. At the same time they were hypocritical enough to label those urging the donors not to lend any more money as traitors. Although it has been an open secret for some time, recent newspaper articles have made it quite clear why we need to borrow more money and where it ends. more

Barbarism at its worst
The stories of victims A and B have shown that there are no limits to the brutality of Gayoom's security forces. They attempt to justify the barbarism as punishment for disobedience. However, the case of victim C indicates that this is far from the truth. The monster that Gayoom and Adam Zahir created has simply gone out of control. more

"They ripped the Quran from my hands, tore it and threw it away before putting a bucket on my head and kicking it."
The foreign minister's statements make it clear that in the view of Gayoom's government, drug addicts are a species that do not belong to the human race and therefore do not have to be treated as such. For the torturers of Gayoom's regime, "drug addicts" are fair game and torturers often let their whole repertoire of torture methods on the "drug addicts". more

Devious dictator or a negligent nepotist?
Either by gross negligence or by devious design, Gayoom has managed to make the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives completely ineffective. After the parliament refused to accept the names he suggested on the eleventh hour, Gayoom is now proposing to change the law. With this Gayoom displays his two most prominent characteristics: blatant disregard for any kind of law, even self-made, and his vast capacity to lie and deceive even the best of his friends. more

Foundations that are not allowed to be built upon are worse than none
According to President Gayoom the political arena in the Maldives has never been so free and open as it is today. The prisoner who is taken to Maafushi in a Dhoni on a heavy sea with his hands cuffed behind his back may feel some kind of freedom when his request to have only one hand cuffed with the accompanying prison guard is granted. more

Respect has to be earned
The justice minister of the Maldives is of the opinion that trust and respect for the legal institutions cannot be gained by only strengthening the laws and regulations of the country but would also require a change in the public's perception of these institutions. In a sense he is very correct. more

To be a Fearful Force
According to the Maldivian Police Service their mission is to respect the constitution of the Maldives and to treat all citizens equally and with respect when working to maintain law and order in the country. They go on to state that they will act with patience and courage when called to protect the legally elected government, the citizens, their valuables and property. These are certainly admirable statements. But the problem lies in the translation of these honourable words into deeds. Swearing at elders in front of their children when making an arrest is certainly not the way we show respect to each other in our society. more

Playing politics with people's lives
On the 18th of November 2005, it will be three months since the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives Bill became law. This law requires the parliament to elect members of the commission before this date. It is the job of the government to propose names to the parliament for discussion. According to the government spokesperson they still have enough time to propose a set of names and get them through parliament before the November 18^th deadline. If things work out as easily as the government spokesperson thinks, those two hundred or so people who have got cases pending would soon have reason to be happy. more

The state we are in
In December 1988 the General Assembly of the United Nations unanimously passed resolution "43/173 - Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment". Principle thirty of this resolution states. more

A less serious offence?
At the request of the Attorney General Dr. Hassan Saeed, Professor Paul Robinson of the University of Pennsylivania submitted a set of proposals in July 2004 to reform the criminal justice system of the Maldives. Since then many commentators, on this site and elsewhere, have been urging President Gayoom to implement the changes proposed by Professor Robinson. more

A little respect would go a long way

Throughout his long rule, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has promised many political reforms that would bring about real and substantial change. Whenever the political situation becomes awkward, he proclaims constitutional reforms. Twenty seven years of brutal rule have proven that these are just empty promises of a pathological liar. more

The current arbiter must be removed
Many in the Maldives would agree that the single most important instrument used by President Gayoom's security forces to instil fear in the population, and thereby suppress any kind of opposition, is the extensive use of arbitrary detention. Arbitrary detention contravenes every international agreement President Gayoom's government has signed. more

Power without responsibility
We Maldivians are very aware how quickly we could fall foul of the law in the Maldives. Especially when it comes to 'disobeying the orders of the state' or 'bring the state into disrepute' or 'generating ill-feeling among the public towards the state'. The police and the security forces act as if they have the power to arrest arbitrarily anybody they wish whenever they wish. Even if you contradict the views of a traffic policemen, whether on or off duty, you could be charged with disobeying the orders of state. more

License to kill
Gayoom's government signed the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) in April 2004. Parties to this convention are required under its various articles to bring the national legal system up to international standards. In particular, article four of CAT requires the parties to "ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law." more

Cosmetic changes would not do

To release the pressure from abroad, President Gayoom's government has every now and then allowed international organizations access to persons detained in the Maldives. The human rights organization Amnesty International visited the Maldives to interview detainees held at the Dhoonidhoo detention centre in October 2004. more

Taking the option to deceive again

To the politically observant members of the Maldivian public President Gayoom's tactic of lying to the international community in order to buy time to prolong his dictatorial rule is nothing new. Gayoom's government has been facing increasing criticism recently for the detention of the chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Mr. Nasheed. To appease the critical voices from abroad Gayoom's government has announce that his government will sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and the Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. more