Ahmed Thasmeen Ali Maldives

Thasmeen aspires to be the President of Maldives

7 March 2005

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali is the eldest son of Maldivian Business Tycoon, Minaa Kudey (Ali Ahmed). Thasmeen is now 38 years old and holds a BA degree in Economics from Warwick University, UK and a Masters in Political Science from American University in Cairo, Egypt.

Anyone who knows Thasmeen as a relative or as a friend knows that his ultimate goal is to be the President of Maldives. In Maldives it is a sin to even contemplate that. However, in all other societies of the world, it is quite normal to aim to be the leader of your people and serve your nation. Perhaps, things are changing now and it is important for us to consider who wants to be our leader and why. It is better to promote those who really want the job and at the end of the day, provided there are free elections; people can make an informed choice and decide who is to be their leader.

Thasmeen is amongst the wealthiest people in the Maldives. Although he is not necessarily a self-made millionaire, he has certainly worked hard to make a name for himself amongst the business elites of the country. He now owns resorts and several other businesses, including Reethi Beach Resort and Fonaddhoo Tuna Products.

Thasmeen has been serving in the government since he graduated. This indicates his desire to be in public service but what is astonishing is that he appears to be a Gayyoom loyalist rather than a people's person. He is now the Deputy Speaker of the Majlis.

Thasmeen has very successfully returned to the parliament for the 3^rd consecutive term to represent Baa Atoll. Although he has been in the parliament for 10 years, there is nothing to indicate that he is doing a good job other than attend the assembly. However, it is perhaps unfair to blame the members for not doing 'anything' in the parliament in the past because of fear and intimidation by Gayyoom. The point to make now for ambitious people like Thasmeen is to think hard about what it is he can do to win the hearts and minds of the people of Maldives and not Gayyoom. As Deputy Speaker of the Majlis, he does not necessarily yield any power but he is technically two step away from his ultimate goal of becoming the President of Maldives, even though it is only in the capacity of caretaker President.

When he was studying in UK, he was actively involved in the founding and running of the Maldivian Students' Association (UK), drawing up its rules of procedure and so on. His leadership qualities were quite apparent even at that early stage but perhaps since going to Male' the public have not been hearing much about him and he has been accused of corruption and being openly supportive of the Dictator.

The question now is, whether or not Thasmeen will be able to reach his goals and be the President of Maldives by siding with the person we most hate. To win the hearts and minds of the people, their love and support, their trust and respect, it is very important for public figures to act like a normal human being and not be proud and not be prejudice. In this context, Thasmeen should start noticing his old friends and talk to them instead of ignoring them. Many of his friends say that Thasmeen is not like he was before, he is very proud now. Thasmeen should realise that it is not by the blessings of Gayyoom that he will achieve his ambitions but by getting the blessing of the common man.

Now is the time for all Maldivian leaders to take a stand. There is nothing wrong in having a great ambition and Gayyoom is not the only one who can lead our nation. There are hundreds if not thousands who can do a much better job that him. Undoubtedly though, no one could ever be as brutal a dictator as Gayyoom as far as we Maldivians are concerned.