Is this the “Aneh Dhivehiraajje” we craved for?...

It has been a while since I managed to write something, mainly due to being extremely busy, but I just could not let go and keep quite anymore without saying something about the political arena of our beloved country!

I once wrote about the illusiveness of this term “Aneh Dhivehiraajje” itself, saying that no one, at least the common Maldivian, really knows what it is all about. 20 days on since the swearing in of the 4th president of the Maldives, H.E Mohamed Nasheed, 20 days on since the Maldives woke up to the so-called “dawn of the Aneh Dhivehiraajje”, one can now perhaps get a better picture of what this ‘other Maldives’ is all about…

I am an optimist and I want to remain optimistic about the changes we may get from this new government. But I am a realist as well, and the reality is depressing (and to be honest, to some extent, scary)!

20 days on, Maldivians have seen that their ‘other Maldives’ have a key figure involved in planning the bloodiest day they have experienced in recent history being given the post of a State Minister in the defence ministry! (One could not stop without wondering if the coup of 3rd November 1988 is slowly being completed - successfully, 20 years later!...)

20 days on, Maldivians have seen that high level political posts are either being created and ‘distributed freely’ as ‘gifts’ for ‘important’ people or such posts being tailor made to suit specific individuals regardless of whether those posts are technically suitable for them, or regardless of whether it can have undue influences on related independent bodies!

20 days on, Maldivians are seeing that the promise of a small, less expensive government is turning out to be a bit illusive. The number of ministries has been reduced, but the effectiveness of some of the ministries needs to be seriously questioned. When several major areas or sectors are combined into one ministry it simply would not function effectively, no mater how many state ministers or deputy ministers are put in there! (For example, the case of Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment can be considered. Hon. Mohamed Aslam, whom I know and greatly respect, is a well educated and very capable person. However, how would you get the best out of Hon Aslam when he has to deal with three of the most crucial areas that need focused attention to?)

20 days on, Maldivians are still seeing the police brutally beating up those exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly granted to them by the amended Constitution that we seem to be proud of!

There are more on the list, and mind you, it has been only 20 days since the “dawn of Aneh Dhivehiraajje”!

That is the reality.

(However it must be said that, it is also part of the reality that there are good, positive changes taking place and being proposed as well, such as changes in terms of Islamic affairs, bills proposed to waiver the import duty on food and other basic items, the welfare proposals, decentralisation for the development of atolls etc. But one who really cares about getting things better for the sake of the people will focus on the negative aspects in the hope of amending them, for the sake of the people.)

And, with the main opposition party DRP effectively in a coma at the moment, the ruling coalition seems to have a free ride, thus the situation having the chance of continuing 'unchecked'! - definitely not good for democracy!

I sometimes wonder, where on earth is the Special Advisor to the president Dr Hassan Saeed..? Are these negative and incorrect steps being taken with his advice and endorsement?...if so, I do not think he is worthy of that post, as these changes are being brought, quite obviously, not in the best interests of the people!

I need to stop there, at least for now. Let me however just say, that I, like the other 98000 people who voted for H.E Mohamed Nasheed, voted for change. Change that will be beneficial for the people. Change that will be brought for the sake of the people. That is the “Aneh Dhivehiraajje” Maldivians want. A Maldives where the leader and his government work for and bring about the changes for the best interests of the people only! Thus if these changes are not coming, it will not be too long before the majority of this 98000 people start working towards bringing about these changes, starting from the top…!

Condolences of H.E. President Ibrahim Nasir

I wish to express my deepest condolences to His Excellency late President Ibrahim Nasir. May Allah Almighty give him the blessing of eternal Paradise. May Allah give his family the strength of patience in this difficult moment. Amen!








President Nasir is the architect of modern day Maldives. He is the father of democracy in the Maldives. He laid the foundations of almost all of the key areas of development of the country, and played the most important role in gaining of independence from Britain in 1965.

The Maldives at the cross roads: the opportunity to define our future...

By the grace of Almighty Allah, the Maldives have succeeded in peacefully and democratically bringing about the change in the leadership, and set an example to the rest of the world.

It is definitely one of the most important and necessary steps that the Maldivians have taken in the road of change that we have embarked upon. However, it must not be forgotten, if at all, that the amount of work that need to be done in bringing about a meaningful change that can result in a stable and sustainable future is still gigantic! Thus the steps we take at this juncture will be extremely relevant in terms of its effect on the future of the country.

Thus in this regard, I would like to highlight few issues that I believe should be considered at this juncture:

The outgoing president:

Certainly it should not be the focus of the incoming leadership to expend public resources in levelling charges and running court cases against the outgoing president, as simply there are much more urgent and important things to do! However it must not be forgotten that our constitution guarantees every individual the right to attain justice through the judiciary establishments. Thus no one should use any influence, be it political, financial etc in hindering any member of the public from excersizing this right(or any other right for that matter)!

Sincerity by the president-elect in being truthful and just:

Mr Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), the president-elect of the Maldives has to be sincere right from the beginning in running the affairs of the country in accordance with the wishes and hopes of the people who voted for him! He must not forget that the majority of those who vote for him this time did not vote for him in the first round! Thus the hopes and trusts of a lot of people will easily be lost by any unwise decision(s) he take...

Islamic education and upbringing:

The educational system plays one of the most important roles in the intellectual upbringing of the people of a country. Thus, the new government that would become effective soon, should give utmost priority in amending the national curriculum of the schools so that the youth of the country can be helped to be brought up with a strong foundation of Islam and be properly equipped to face the intellectual challenges of the ever increasingly changing world. In this regard, I believe that, the portfolio of the education ministry should be given to someone who is wholeheartedly willing to work towards this!

This, I believe, is just one important step (out of many!) that the new leadership should take in this regard...

National togetherness:

It is important that the whole society stand up to live together, despite their political differences etc, for the betterment of the country. The Maldives is at a situation where it is facing several crucial challenges, both internally and externally, which require national harmony and togetherness as key factors for its successful overcoming.

The parliamentary elections:

It is an undeniable fact that, after the amendments brought to the constitution, the parliament is the most powerful establishment, which has the biggest say in how the country is run. Thus it is extremely important that young, fresh, educated individuals who are sincere in making the concerns of the people heard and strive for ensuring the affairs of the country are run in accordance with Islam and the wishes of the people, come forward and compete for seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Awareness of the grass root:

A lot of work still needs to be done to educate the people at the grass root level and make their 'eyes open' and be aware of what goes on in the political sphere that would have an effect on them. Ofcourse, democracy does not function effectively where poverty is a matter of concern. Thus, measures have to be taken to effectively address this situation.


All in all, one could write in length about the various important issues at hand that needs to properly addressed if we are to hope for a Maldives that its people can really be proud of! Neverthelss, it will not be untrue to say that, after a long, dangerous and sacrificial struggle the Maldives has reached to a cross road; a cross road from where the decisions and the actions (and inactions) of people, especially from across the political and intellectual spectrums can define where this nation heads towards (and end up!) in the long term future...