President Nasheed Divine or Devil
Either you hate him or love him. For those who love him, President Nasheed is the Mandela of the Maldives. Was imprisoned. Tortured. Evicted from his parliamentary seat. Went into self-imposed exile. Returned home. Confronted the might of the 30 ruler President Qayyoom, his police and armed forces. Won the first ever multiparty election held in the country. Forgives his predecessor. Asks his supporters to do the same. Holds underwater cabinet. Wins UN’s Earth Award.
What better story one can think of than this? For his fans the story of President Nasheed, a former Amnesty prisoner of conscious, is certainly on par if not better than that of Mandela of South of Africa or Gandhi of India or Martin Luther Kind of United States.
Those who hate him the story is equally compelling.
For them President Nasheed is a corrupt, selfish, unprincipled, greedy power hungry, substance abusing, scheming, conniving thief and a liar prepared to do anything to grab power and to stay in power. They see nothing right with the president and everything wrong with him.
To start with in less than two years in power he has already imprisoned, charged two political parties leaders for sedition (the same charge Nasheed faced when in opposition), harasses and forcefully drags to police headquarters the predecessor he forgave, sends army with tanks and heavy weapons to abduct Members of Parliament and holds then without a charge or a court order as long as he pleases, conveniently disregards court orders, threatens arrests and beats up judges and drags them to police and military headquarters, bypass the constitution, laws and judgments of the court, wiretaps politicians, businessman and citizens who disagree with him and plays those tapes in the state media, turns the state media into his propaganda machine, undermines democratic institutions, orders his ministers and senior government officials to demonstrate on the streets, orchestrates mob rule.
For the opponents Nasheed came to power through deceit. He always told the public that he will never contest for presidency. Public voted him because he promised a mid-term election. But he renegades it the day he took oath of office. He came to power with a coalition umbrella and dismantles it in a matter of days. To defeat his opponents in his party primary he told that if he wins the party ticket he would become the running mate of a more popular presidential candidate outside from his party. But when he won the primary he renegades that too.
He forced the first two MDP presidents to vacate their office and even to leave the party. For his opponents, if anything, Nasheed is a dictator. They cite the MDP founder and President Nasheed’s Human Rights Envoy’s celebrated quote that “Nasheed will be more ruthless dictator than his predecessor!”
For his opponents President Nasheed’s struggle has nothing to do with democracy or rule of law. He is merely continuing his ancestral struggle to grape power. His grandfather is said to have been involved in lynching the then head of State Ameen Didi. His father tried to assassinate the former President Ibrahim Nasir. His uncle brought Tamil Tigers to overthrow the Government of President Gayyoom – in the process killing 22 innocent citizens. Finally Nasheed succeeds. And he will do everything to stay in power!
Make your choice – is President Nasheed divine or devil?
SACRILEGE! Please don’t insult all that is holy by mentioning President Nasheed
& The Divine in the same line ever again (or anywhere even close!). Divinity symbolises Truth & Justice. Our new president is the absolute antithesis of such qualities.
Prisoner of conscience? What a joke! I doubt he has one knows the meaning of the word. The average Maldivian has no illusions that all his time spent in trouble with the law (13-15 times in jail, was it not?) was for freedom/human rights/reform! Forgiving Gayoom contradicts totally with his witch-hunting “Riyaasee commission”. Nasheed’s perfect excuse/deflection whenever there is the slightest criticisms about his policies is to use his loud, foul-mouthed, rowdy street thugs-cum-MDP personnel to abuse Gayoom’s 30 years in office! Why can’t he ever try a new line to explain his own shortcomings. Despite his great love for dramatics & sensationalism, it’s always so predictable!
But, unlike the Devil, president Nasheed did not get into his position & seat (where he deems himself to be in “total control” of all subjects’ lives) all by himself, did he now? I doubt his “aides” back then were all that unfamiliar with his shady character (as some of them now claim) when they decided to support & endorse him. So, what of their “agendas”? Are we supposed to forget & forgive them for deliberately misleading us now that they have disassociated themselves from/been dismissed by Nasheed & Co.?
What of our Islamic Sainthood (self-titled under the guise of “Adhaalath!) who needed & needs Nasheed to stay the absolute authority of Islam in the country (funny, my teachers have always emphasised that Muslims do not need “mediators” to commune with God!). These hypocrites still continue to ignore Nasheed “indiscretions” with Islam. Do they think that the length of their beards & the selfish ambitions (which they pass of as “noble intentions” to save us from our own selves’ evils!) are going to shield & protect them from God’s wrath? Sometimes I strongly feel these people are A LOT worse than Nasheed & MDP (at least, they haven’t used religion as a cover-to date, that is) combined! Truly, these people must be the “munaafiqun” & “fahu zamaanunge dhannabeykalun” that the Quran & Hadiths mention!!!
There are also those of us who still continue to turn blind eyes & deaf ears to the havoc president Nasheed is wreaking with our beloved nation. They chant their favourite meaningless sotto slogan: “Anni is da bestu” & go on with their normal lives. I wonder if they find themselves psychologically unable to admit, even to themselves, that perhaps they had made the wrong decision “for a change”, back in 2008 (For this reason-for having the courage to say that he was wrong & ask a public apology, I’ve a new-found respect Gasim Ibrahim). I refuse to call it “for change”, because that suggests that these people had some sort of an idea of the change they had in mind. A change without a substance to it is completely meaningless as we are finding out the hard way today. Unfortunately, most of us just wanted a change just for the heck of it/to see a new face/to “modernise” the Gayoom ah verikamakee eynage tharika mudhaa noon kan dhakkalaan. We claim that we have come far from the period of the kings & sultans, but no matter how “educated & aware” (another often used phrase) we claim to be, the truth is that our mentality about “verikan” has changed little from that period.
But the worst of all are the “yes men” in our society. These people are fully conscious of what is happening around them, but refuse to say anything against the “people in power”, so that their own lives don’t get disrupted. Anni (like he was known & liked to be known back then, to promote the image of his “accessibility” to the common man) had referred to this bunch when mentioned the bit about a percentage of population always supporting the current government, just before the runoff elections in 2008. They don’t care for right or wrong, good or bad, consequences & the future. All they care about is their present. Talking morals, ethics & principles with them would be useless because they have little value for such “huvafenee dhuniyeyge” concepts. “My child needs his formula milk now, his education would come later. Period”. I do understand their need to remain as inconspicuous as possible & their wish for their lives to be free of added complications-free, but what about our great national spirit? What about our aspirations as a peoples of a proud nation? Must the individual interests always collide with the collective? Must we let the “bad guys” win just so that our real lives are drama-free? Why is it suddenly a crime to dream of a better tomorrow? Why is it wrong to raise our voices for the truth? Why do we remain cowering in fear & let these injustices being done?
So, I wouldn’t call president Nasheed the Devil himself either. That implies that he is an independent agent who orchestrates all evil. Nasheed would be completely powerful minus the “security forces” (who’s job is to safeguard him/his position in spite of & despite the citizens!) & his yellow henchmen (like hardy Reeko Moosa, trusty Maria & abominable Kuda Shahee). Nasheed was/is never alone. Nor was/is he ever a free agent either. There are many who actively & indirectly support him. Stop letting the “hate campaigns” win, Stop letting the people who cheated you once brainwash you all over again, Stop judging people based on baazaarumatheega dhekevey vahaaka & Start letting go of your personal phobias & vendettas. Take a long hard look in the mirror (that’s right, you yourself aren’t exactly “angelic” material). Be the bigger person: control the senseless blood thirst overtaking us & extend your hand first. Let’s start uniting as a cohesive unit. The problem was never just with Anni, but it lies within us; our inability to become, remain & act as a cohesive unit.
The question is, (when) will we choose to truly stand up for ourselves?
Guys, I’m flattered that you chose to post my early morning rant in here, thanks. But allow me to repost this after I had gotten some sleep (& saw some glaring bits that I overlooked by not reading it through before posting it)
SACRILEGE! Please don’t insult all that is holy by mentioning President Nasheed
& The Divine in the same line ever again (or anywhere even close!). Divinity symbolises Truth & Justice. Our new president is the absolute antithesis of such qualities.
Prisoner of conscience? What a joke! I doubt he has one or even knows the meaning of the word for that matter. The average Maldivian has no illusions that all his ‘brushes’ with the law (13-15 times in jail, was it not?) was for freedom/human rights/reform! Forgiving Gayoom contradicts totally with his witch-hunting “Riyaasee commission”. Nasheed’s perfect excuse/deflection whenever there is the slightest criticisms about his policies is to use his loud, foul-mouthed, rowdy street thugs-cum-MDP personnel to abuse Gayoom’s 30 years in office! Why can’t he ever try a new line to explain his own shortcomings? Despite his great love for dramatics & sensationalism, it’s always so predictable!
But, unlike the Devil, president Nasheed did not get into his position & seat (where he deems himself to be in “total control” of all subjects’ lives) all by himself, did he now? I doubt his “aides” back then were all that unfamiliar with his shady character (as some of them now claim) when they decided to support & endorse him. So, what of their “agendas”? Are we supposed to forget & forgive them for deliberately misleading us now that they have disassociated themselves from/been dismissed by Nasheed & Co.?
What of our Islamic Sainthood (self-titled under the guise of “Adhaalath”!) who needed & needs Nasheed to stay the absolute authority of Islam in the country (funny, my teachers have always emphasised that Muslims do not need “mediators” to commune with God!). These hypocrites still continue to ignore Nasheed “indiscretions” with Islam. Do they think that the length of their beards & the selfish ambitions (which they pass of as “noble intentions” to save us from our own selves’ evils!) are going to shield & protect them from God’s wrath (either on earth or in the hereafter)? Sometimes I strongly feel these people are A LOT worse than Nasheed & MDP (at least, they haven’t used religion as a cover-to date, that is) combined! Truly, these people must be the “munaafiqun” & “fahu zamaanunge dhannabeykalun” that the Quran & Hadiths mention!!!
There are also those of us who still continue to turn blind eyes, deaf ears & mute lips to the havoc president Nasheed is wreaking with our beloved nation. They chant their favourite meaningless sotto slogan: “Anni is da bestu” & go on with their normal lives. I wonder if they find themselves psychologically unable to admit, even to themselves, that perhaps they had made the wrong decision “for a change”, back in 2008 (For this reason-for having the courage to say that he was wrong & ask a public apology, I’ve a new-found respect Gasim Ibrahim). I refuse to call it “for change”, because that suggests that these people had some sort of an idea of the change they had in mind. A change without a substance to it is completely meaningless, as we are finding out the hard way today. Unfortunately, most of us just wanted a change just for the heck of it/to see a new face/to “modernise” the outlook of presidency in Maldives/Gayoom ah verikamakee eynage tharika mudhaa noon kan dhakkalaan. We claim that we have come far from the period of the kings & sultans, but no matter how “educated & aware” (another often used phrase) we claim to be, the truth is that our mentality about “verikan” has changed little from that period.
But the worst of all are the “yes men” in our society. These people are fully conscious of what is happening around them, but refuse to say anything/raise their voices against the “people in power”, so that their own lives don’t get disrupted. Anni (like he was known & liked to be known back then, to promote the image of his “accessibility” to the common man) had referred to this bunch when mentioned the bit about a percentage of population always supporting the current government, just before the runoff elections in 2008. They don’t care for right or wrong, good or bad, consequences & the future. All they care about is their present. Talking morals, ethics & principles with them would be useless because they have little value for such “huvafenee dhuniyeyge” concepts. “My child needs his formula milk now, his education would come later. Period”. I do understand their need to remain as inconspicuous as possible & their wish for their lives to be free of added complications, but what about our great national spirit? What about our aspirations as a peoples of a proud nation? Must the individual interests always collide with the collective? Must we let the “bad guys” win just so that our real lives are drama-free? Why is it suddenly a crime to dream of a better tomorrow? Why is it wrong to raise our voices for the truth? Why do we remain cowering in fear & let these injustices being done?
So, I wouldn’t call president Nasheed the Devil himself either. That implies that he is an independent agent who orchestrates all evil. Nasheed would be completely powerless minus the “security forces” (who’s job is to safeguard him/his position in spite of & despite the citizens!) & his yellow henchmen (like hardy Reeko Moosa, trusty Maria & abominable Kuda Shahee etc). Nasheed was/is never alone. Nor was/is he ever a free agent either. There are many who actively & indirectly support him. Stop letting the “hate campaigns” win, Stop letting the people who cheated you once brainwash you all over again, Stop judging people based on baazaarumatheega dhekevey vahaaka & Start letting go of your personal phobias & vendettas. Take a long hard look in the mirror (that’s right, you yourself aren’t exactly “angelic” material). Be the bigger person: control the senseless blood thirst overtaking us & extend your hand first. Let’s start uniting as a cohesive unit. The problem was never just with Anni, but it lies within us; our inability to become, remain & act as a cohesive unit.
The question is, (when) will we choose to truly stand up for ourselves?
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