The new President Mohamed Nasheed and his MDP never had any intention of sustaining the democratic transition efforts carried out by President Gayoom.

The new President Mohamed Nasheed and his MDP never had any intention of sustaining the democratic transition efforts carried out by President Gayoom. From the beginning, his intention was to come to power and has no real thinking beyond it. Becoming the president is something he discussed with his friends and a dream that he has been pursuing for many years. While the coalition political parties and candidates were led on by Nasheed for only this purpose, to get a guaranteed ride to presidency. They, the members of the coalition even in their wildest dreams never thought that MDP members and Nasheed will barricade their efforts for the country in such a callous manner by scapegoating ministers like Honourable Gasim Ibrahim who belonged to Jumhoori Party.

Many people did not vote for Nasheed, and were apprehensive voting for him and MDP. The culture of direct actions and violence had some what led MDP to a downward slide in its popularity right before the election. Part of this also was how Nasheed used his upper hand to get rid of DR Munnavar and win the leadership, a lesson we all should have learned before appointing him as our President. However trusting a coalition led government, people voted and Nasheed became the president.

It looks like those who voted and gave the chance for Nasheed and MDP to rule the country has come the realisation of their mistake a little bit too late. Mohamed Nasheed from the start by downsizing important service sectors for the Maldivian people in the name of minimizing costs has been deceiving the people. The people he has been appointing by their barrel loads, and are putting in the front line to represent our country are fast becoming an embarrassment to out tradition, our culture our way of life. This includes not only close friends, but now the list of family members is becoming larger than life, particularly in strategic positions. Nasheed is continuing on a spiral of irrational and undemocratic administration.

His decisions so far taken about ministries and political appointments are assertive and are chosen not on the basis of institutionalised rules, but in favour, of loyalty, personal relationships and to personal advantages. This was clear from what Honourable Gasim Ibrahim has said before resigning. Nasheed in his trip to the South and North atolls of Maldives should in reality be consulting and taking, Home Minister Gasim Ibrahim, and people related to the administration of the atolls. Instead he took people like MDP chairperson Maria and political appointees.

It is better late then never for Hon Gasim Ibrahim and I respect for Hon Gasim Ibrahim’s decision to give it a go and then leave after finding out the real truth about Nasheed and his MDP appointees. Honourable Gasim Ibrahim as a minister of Mohamed Nasheed’s cabinet should have been protected by Nasheed. However his newly appointed Commissioner of Human Rights and other MDP members were putting the blames of every short coming of the government including manufactured ones, on Gasim and Nasheed sat back and enjoyed the show. People are becoming widely disillusioned by Mr Mohamed Nasheed’s behaviour and Honourable Gasim Ibrahim’s decision has definitely given us hope that all is not lost yet.

We had formulated a democratized our constitution. We have established a political party system, and the first election we held has resulted in the change of government. However with Honourable Gasim Ibrahim leaving the newly established government, there will be a pattern where, the rest of the coalition one by one will become victimised by Nasheed and MDP to the point that they will have to leave to save their honour and dignity. Gang violence is at an all time high specially on anti-MDP members in the atolls. There are daily strikes going on across the tourism sector. Although inflation rate is supposed to go on a downward turn, cost of goods are as high as ever for the poverty stricken communities of Maldives. However more and more family members and friends of President are taking the places of professional employees within the government with highest ever salaries paid from the little reserve we have in our budget. It is becoming obvious, that we are deviating from the democratic foundation laid by President Maumoon to authoritarianism under Mohamed Nasheed and MDP.

With inclusion of coalition members from other parties in his government Nasheed could have made his government more transparent and accountable. The Maldivian people would have felt more confident in the government. However he and his MDP appointees are systematically eliminating the members from other parties who belong to the cabinet and the government. That is why it can be concluded that Nasheed is changing our democracy to an authoritarian dictatorship. In an authoritarian system similar to Nasheed’s strategy the cabinet and the government are only responsible to the ruler not to the people. All ruling relationships in the cabinet and around him are fast becoming entwined with personal relationships. In addition to this it is only in authoritarian system Clientelism is used. Clientelism can be referred to offering public goods including employment for personal and political gain. This was clear in the way the employees in the jobs that were classified as political were given the ultimatum to resign from the government or join MDP to save themselves from getting fired. Clientelism can be based on family relationships as well or long established friendships, such as appointment of Aminath Jameel (sister in law), Sabra Nooradheen (niece), Jennifer Latheef and Go Go Latheef (friends) but also exists with social links.

There is a crises going on in the current new government. It is clear that we need more news papers, critical of the government, of the sort that Mohamed Nasheed and MDP formed to come to power, in the Maldives. At the moment once Nasheed came to power there is not even one single newspaper that is critical of the current government. With this kind of independence and freedom there is a clear lack of accountability and transparency in Nasheed’s decisions. He is lavishing in a patrimonial clientele rule and this is something that the other politicians need to do something about if they want to save our democratic efforts of the last four years. That is why we have political parties. More politicians like Honourable Gasim Ibrahim need to come and join the peoples side instead of Mohamed Nasheed and MDP’s side. Rather than preferring a short term stint as cabinet ministers and other political appointees they should work for the people. Our country and our people are worth fighting for. Umar Naseer and Gasim Ibrahim are setting the example for the rest of the of the coalition politicians to abandon their short period of fame, for establishment of a legal and rational government that honours the democratic values. We call on our leaders not to waste their input by siding with an obvious dictatorial oligarch, instead to deal with it by controlling the U-turn this government is taking over democracy, freedom and social justice of our people.