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| Mohamed Nasheed |
The
Maldivian Democratic Party, fore-runner in the 2013 Presidential Elections
called for a nationwide protest after The Supreme Court on Monday night
suspended the run-off while it examines a complaint about the first round of
voting by the third-placed defeated candidate, business tycoon Gasim Ibrahim.
Jumhoori party called for the results to be annulled because of major fraud in
the electoral rolls and claimed they have credible evidence of organized mass
scale rigging conducted by the Commission Officials.
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| Commonwealth golden boy flagged |
The
Commonwealth expressed deep concern without consideration to any circumstances
of fraud during the Poll. The Statement issued by the Commonwealth group of
countries, which has been monitoring the polls was strongly worded and damning.
It said talk of annulling the election was "deeply worrying. The people of
Maldives worked hard to get a democratic constitution, they want it respected
and it is their right that the elections deliver a result that reflects the
wishes of the majority," Whilst the
majority of 11000 voters, opposed Nasheed’s comeback to office, the Commonwealth’s
lack understanding of majority and minority led them to publish a statement
supposedly on behalf of the people of Maldives more than their own Supreme
court who’s decision that was welcome by all the parties other than the CW favorite,
former president Mohamed Nasheed who also slammed the injunction suspending
Saturday's run-off vote as undemocratic and the work of a "kangaroo
court".
Recently
however, the Commonwealth has repeatedly been interfering in the domestic
affairs of the Maldives, in the guise of democracy and gone as far as issuing
statements in mockery of democracy where all disputes are settled by the
courts. This was true when CW favorite Nasheed resigned from President on
February 07, 2011. Overwhelmed with sentiment and apprehension Commonwealth
Envoy Don McKinnon said in a statement "No election anywhere is going to
be absolutely perfect and there was no evidence or claim before the election
that the voter register was manifestly so deficient as to distort the outcome."
The
Commonwealth, a grouping of former British territories and countries, sent the
largest contingent of foreign observers for the first round. They reported the
voting as fair and credible. Among other were India and the United Nations. Except
for Indian GMR experts planted deep inside the EC no foreign observers were privy
to the scandalous scale of rigging that was conducted by the officials from
within the Commission.
Dark
forces working for the Indian interests funded by GMR again did the inevitable.
I is not conceivable for CW favourite Nasheed could have got away in first
round on September 7 with 45.45 percent if the counting and subsequent
consolidation came out clean. The calm
and orderly conduct of business on that fatal September 7 did bear testament to
something murky and mysterious was happening. MDP comes against a backdrop of
only 45000 registered members in his party.
The ballot
count took less than a day; the EC of Maldives refused a recount on the grounds
it will take more than six months. With the Supreme Court involved in the
issue, it is expected to reveal many of those murky and mysterious activities
that the EC officials engaged in. This will shrink the chances of rigging on that
stupendous scale as was conducted on the first round. CW favourite now faces a run-off against
Abdullah Yameen, the half-brother of the islands' former President Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom. With or without the Supreme Court’s verdict, and more secure and
clear conditions in place, PPM expects to win this election with an
overwhelming majority.
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| Maumoon Abdul Gayoom former President of Maldives |
"There is
nothing unconstitutional in the Supreme Court's order" said an official of the Maldivian Government. "We call upon The Commonwealth group of
Countries, the United Nation an countries such as Britain and Germany to read
and understand our constitution first and stop making statements that are
unconstitutional, for it only display their ignorance and gluttony." Nasheed, resigned in February last year
following his failure to curb the 26 days of demonstrations that was held in
Male in protest against him having kidnapped a sitting judge. He later denounced
it as a "coup", saying his resignation was tendered under duress in a
process orchestrated by Gayoom. He later accused his own deputy who was
constitutionally installed as president immediately afterwards as the “coup
leader”.
India is
the greatest looser in this ordeal. The contract with GMR was terminated by the
Waheed Administration on the grounds that the agreement was “Void- ab- Initio”
the term legally means “to be treated as invalid from the outset”.
Indian efforts to compromise and re-negotiate fell on desert ground. Nasheed who promised to restore the GMR
agreement was fluffily financed by the GMR to turn out the winner in the 2013
Presidential Race. The Indian effort was
not just single fold. They had a
multi-fold approach. During an official
visit to India in mid-2013, Mr. Gayoom was told by Indian officials “at
any cost we want to ensure that Waheed is not elected.” They also invited Hon. Gasim Ibrahim to
dissuade him from forming a coalition with incumbent President, which he did.
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| Indian High Commission in Male |
It is
also mindful of China’s expanding influence in the region and many warn the
Maldives could become another a Beijing’s stooge sitting in the peripherals of
what New Delhi’s calls National Defense periphery. The Indian media talk about a Chinese
submarine base being built in the Maldives,
an idea that was floated by the Nasheed regime, by his then Defense
Minister now a member of Jumhoori Alliance promoting Gasim for President.
India
enjoyed greater influence in the Maldives when Nasheed was in power. He has
been a vocal supporter of GMR’s right to continue with developing the Male
airport, which is seen as a reason for New Delhi’s involvement in the local
politics.
Britain
and the Western European countries expressing support for Mr. Nasheed is less
based on military and security grounds, more so than the appetite for a share of the
wealth from the emerging Tourism Super Zone in the Indian Ocean led by
Maldives. Nasheed is viewed as accommodating foreign influence for his personal interest more so than protecting and preserving the national sovereignty, it's status and the regional identity Maldives have
attained. Nasheed was described by one
GMR official as “a good friend who will do a favor for a few dollars more.”
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