Wearing Yellow

I do not usually care enough about politicians to go to their protests and listen to them throw around slogans.

But I was present yesterday at the Tsunami monument in Male', as a mere yellow dot among a sea of outraged citizens who were gathered there in protest against the coup d'état that dislodged the country's first elected government.

Impressive time-lapse of yesterday's protest by Senses0

Something about the 7th Feb coup d'état has rubbed me the wrong way. It has made me angry in a way I cannot easily explain.

Maybe it was the brutal police violence inflicted on my people. Maybe it was seeing eight cowards in riot gear senselessly beating and kicking an unconscious man. Maybe it was watching helplessly as videos emerged of the renegade Police taking away my dad and other citizens, and hitting them with batons that we entrusted them with.

Perhaps it was the disgusting influence of corrupt, tainted businessmen in the whole sordid deal that pissed me off the most.

How did they even dare to think they could impose their will on us - using the public-funded military and police force no less -  and get away with it? What arrogance drove them into thinking they could just beat up, lock up and intimidate the country's citizens into submission? It was a rape of democracy brazenly carried out in full public view.

There is a reason why they call it blind rage. I have refused to condemn the so-called 'arson' and torching of police stations and courts in Addu. I daresay, if I had the chance, I probably would have done it myself. 

But last night's massive protest has shown me a new light. The feelings of rage and revenge have given way to a feeling of pity for these fools who think they can control the Maldivian public at gunpoint again.

You have to hand it to the MDP, they know how to do a protest right. 

There was music. There was dancing. There were the fiery speeches. There were the occasional videos played on screens, showing the renegade police tear-gassing and raining blows on unarmed citizens and their elected leaders the day after the coup d'état, that still makes one's blood boil no matter how many times one sees it.

But more importantly, I saw young people.  Children, young teenagers, old people. Some of my 'non-political' friends also joined in the protest for the first time.

And why shouldn't they? A handful of coup leaders have displayed unbelievable arrogance in snatching the public's vote and - to literally add injury to insult - have brutalized them on the streets.

How did Dr Waheed and his traitorous allies dare to go on air and say with a straight face that they will deny the Maldivian public the right to express their opinion on a ballot? Astoundingly, he also claimed that government was toppled because 'the President had lost support'.

The problem I have with that is that Dr Waheed does not get to judge on behalf of the public. Nor does Jameel or Abdulla Riyaz or Nazim get to decide on our behalf. Nor does the Police. 

(It enrages me that while they were engaged in their treachery for their wealthy masters, religious vandals stormed the National museum and destroyed the last remaining treasures of our rich Buddhist legacy)

I have not deputed these people to vote on my behalf. Nor did the the tens of thousands who gathered last night.

I do not recognize the legitimacy of the band of men who have declared themselves the government, after forcing out the people's elected leader at gunpoint.  

For this reason, I cannot begin to accept a solution that involves having them seated in their usurped chairs till 2013. 

All of us who gathered last night had but one demand: Elections. Now. 

If Waheed or the Golhaa's minions can win the public vote, I shall accept and defend the public decision wholeheartedly. But I refuse to have someone rule over me forcibly at gun point.

For all their guns and filthy money, I pity the thieves who thought they could rob us of a democracy. No matter how much they censor the protests on their private propaganda outlets and pretend otherwise, I am satisfied now that elections are inevitable.

I also demand an inquiry into the events of 7th Feb; the police and military who broke the oath they made to the public should be stripped of their uniforms and forced to stand trial. The coup leaders should be identified and punished with the harshest possible punishments for undermining the country's democracy. 

There is no other way to ensure that the arrogance of a few rich, power-hungry men do not threaten to collapse the rule of law in our country again.

_

P.S. - I normally dislike associating myself with any political party. It goes contrary to my sincerely held belief that party leaders should work for the public rather than the other way around. However, last night, I wore yellow as a sign of dissent against the current proxy dictatorship imposed on our people. I have not signed as an MDP member, and I probably won't, but I fully intend to rally behind President Nasheed until the people's mandate is restored in a public election.

A great betrayal

With today's appointment of a cabinet full of the former (current?) dictator Gayoom's henchmen and supporters, the coup d'etat in the Maldives is complete.

I can't help but feel a deep sense of betrayal from countries like India and the United States that have granted legitimacy to the illegal, puppet government that has been installed in an outrageous power grab that took down the country's first democratic government.

Their unfortunate decision to recognize Gayoom's proxy government is bound to have far reaching consequences, and has set back the Maldives by a decade.

In a way, the country is worse off than before we achieved democracy. The country is now an open police state, as seen in the brazen crimes committed in full public view by the Maldives Police Service.

In the below video taken on 8th Feburary in Male', the police thugs have just charged at a crowd of President Nasheed's supporters without warning. They catch hold of a man and, without any provocation, take turns repeatedly kicking and brutally assaulting him until he is unconscious. I was watching the scene when it happened. The man lay face down, unconscious for several minutes before they dragged his broken body and roughly shoved him into an ambulance.

This is just a glimpse of the kind of terror inflicted by Waheed's masters to intimidate the public. Neither Waheed nor the newly appointed Commissioner of Police - another known Gayoom henchman - has condemned this outrage.

I am ashamed to say India and the United States / UK / UN have decided to recognize a government that has been installed by these terrorists.

              


The below video shows senior MDP leader, and former Parliamentary majority leader, "Reeko" Moosa Manik narrating the details of the horrifying assault on him on the 8th February, the day after the coup d'etat. From his narration, it appears the Police were possibly trying to kill him.

Several others were similarly assaulted on the same day.

                             


The below video shows the brazen political violence committed by the highly politicized police / military. The people waving flags are supporters of the erstwhile dictator and his allies, who are cheering on the mutineers as they march up to the MDP party camp in Male' on the day of the coup d'etat, and proceed to ransack the place, set it on fire, and assault activists of the party.

During the initial assault by the rogue "star force" police, they threw pepper-spray bombs and assaulted senior members of the party who happened to be at the camp. Some were beaten, and others were forcibly held by the police and had pepper spray sprayed directly into their open eyes.


            


The story is even worse in the outlying atolls of the Maldives. In the southern atoll of Addu, people have apparently been taken on to coast guard vessels, been stripped and beaten. I do not have a clear confirmation of the incidents because all the State media have been taken over by the coup perpetrators and turned into the their propaganda outlets. But given the abundance of available videos of the crimes openly  perpetrated by the rogue security forces in Male', there is no reason to doubt the stories reaching me from the atolls.

It is amazing how any government in the world can still remain reluctant to label this outrageous coup d'etat as a crime of the first order against the Maldivian people - and their first democratically elected government.

This isn't about the MDP or President Nasheed. It is about condoning an undemocratic power grab led by enemies of democracy, corrupt businessmen and Islamist forces in the Maldives - one that utterly shatters the country's democratic hopes.

The sacred process of appointing a government through the ballot box has been replaced by the method of terrorizing citizens, and forcibly unseating their elected government by gross abuse of the powers of the security forces.

No amount of sugar-coating or using fancy terms like 'unity government' can hide the ugliness of this episode. The truth is plain and obvious. The people have lost control of the country's media, police, military, Judiciary and Executive, which are now all firmly back under the thumb of undemocratic forces. It won't be long before they usurp the Parliament as well, by simply buying the MPs.

At this point, the country's democracy lies utterly destroyed.

In other words, it is an upsetting betrayal by the international community.

I cannot, in my right mind, accept the legitimacy of this criminal dictatorship that has been imposed on my people - with international support, I'm sad to say.

_
P.S. Ever since the coup d'etat, I've been getting intimidating messages from both self-proclaimed "religious" (anonymous) representatives  and members of the armed forces that I personally know. 


I'm being reminded that I no longer have a President who will fight to uphold my freedom of speech, and therefore I should be 'careful' of what I write. To directly quote the MNDF guy: "i urge you not to touch with islamic issues'(sic)


It is easy to imagine that my criticism of the current police state will not go down well with the criminals in power. Such a shame that after three years, I have to once again start thinking of potential consequences before I write. 

A mutiny against democracy

Other countries in the region, such as Pakistan, have experimented with letting the armed forces dictate the rulers of the country. And in the bargain, Pakistan has become a failed democracy mired in chaos and conflict.

It is therefore tragic that the Maldives is all set to follow in Pakistan’s footsteps, without even having experienced two election cycles.

Could future political parties in the Maldives come to power simply by winning influence in the police and armed forces? Will the demands of a few hundred uniformed personnel strip 300,000 people of their democratic verdict?

If the currently installed government is granted legitimacy, what would stop the country’s defense forces from pointing a gun at future elected governments? [Read more >>]

Chapter III: Return of the Golhaa

The coup d'etat was pulled off without a hitch.

The country's first democratically elected President has been removed from office, and in his place has been installed a puppet government of the Gayoom establishment.

The Golhaa has already unleashed his rabid dogs - the mob of violent, uniformed criminals known as "Star force" - upon the people to intimidate them into surrender, just like in the good old days of the dictatorship.

          

On their very first day after coming to power, the proxy dictatorship has rounded up several hundred people - my dad among them, who has given me first hand information - and detained them in prisons.

The air in the capital has once again acquired the familiar sting of tear gas, people have been beaten unconscious on the streets, and MP's have been clobbered half to death.

Even the toppled President himself has been roughed up by Golhaa's mad dogs.

President Nasheed, after being attacked by Police thugs

[Source: Haveeru]

The traitorous coup leaders have moved quickly. Despite their ridiculous pretext of 'upholding the constitution', the planning involved was evident in the manner in which the MNBC state media was taken over within hours of the coup.

It was then handed over to the management of opposition propaganda outlet VTV, and immediately renamed as 'TVM' as it was known earlier during the Golhaa dictatorship.

While the Golhaa's thugs were on a rampage against civilians in public, the state media and opposition propaganda outlets were playing children's cartoons.

A man beaten unconscious by riot police the day after the coup.

[source: sun.mv]

The heads of the Police and Armed forces have been replaced with Golhaa loyalists. The Executive cabinet is being reconstituted with Golhaa apologists.

To consolidate their power over the state after a 3 year absence, however, the Golhaa knows he needs to get Anni off the streets.

Yesterday, the newly appointed Home Minister Mohamed Jameel of the DQP - an impossibly humourless man, a Gayoom ally and a prominent party involved in this gross treason - has revealed in a press conference that he intends to charge the ex-President with terrorism.

Sounds familiar? It should be. This won't be the first time the Golhaa dictatorship has charged Anni with terrorism and put him behind bars.

It shouldn't matter what the charges are. The mid-level Courts are hand picked by the Golhaa, and their only apparent responsibility is to carry out the Golhaa's bidding. So they could charge him with stealing Christmas, and still get a conviction.

Indeed, the Courts have already issued an arrest warrant.

The only thing that stands between Anni and an eternity in prison is the international goodwill that he has built up - and whatever influence that carries with the proxy dictatorship.

I don't know how we have let this happen. But it is clear to me that we Maldivians need to flip back our calendars a few years and start over again.

We simply cannot afford to go back to being enslaved by the Golhaa, or live in terror of the Golhaa force again.

And this time, we need to do a better job of flushing the piled up, 30 year old shit that's clogging our pipes, and carefully sort out the judiciary, the Gayoom clan, his corrupt cronies, and his "Star Force" thugs. It's the only way the Maldives can ever progress.

These criminals need to be in prison. Not beating up citizens

[Source: Haveeru]

Just as before, there are those who'll oppose every effort at public resistance.

"You'll encourage violence!"
"Don't disturb the peace!"
"Act within the law!"

I am usually an advocate of Gandhi's methods of non-cooperation and peaceful civil disobedience. But having seen people - people I don't even know or recognize - being beaten up unconscious in front of me by a state-sanctioned mob has flipped some kind of switch inside me.

Right at this moment, I can absolutely justify the outrage and the anger of the people in my hometown of Addu. Following the brutal crackdown on President Nasheed's supporters in Male', they burned down all the police stations and courts in Addu - and I can say I fully understand the sentiment.

Gross brutality by a state militia is a strong provocation, Dr Jameel. Do not act surprised and pull the 'terrorism' card when people react with violence.

The Golhaa might have returned. But I think the citizens have wised up just a little since the last revolution. If you don't put your mad dogs on a leash, the people will.


PS: I usually try to refrain from using words like 'thugs' when referring to state authorities. However, after witnessing the  brutality and violence inflicted by the Golhaa force, I find that no words can truly express my revulsion and contempt for these criminals.

By calling them 'thugs', I'm actually being needlessly polite.


~Peace!

Reign of terror in the Maldives

***Updated: See below for updates*** _

There is a brutal, concerted effort by the runaway police department to crush protests by supporters of President Nasheed, following his release today.

I have personally witnessed the heavy handed tactics employed to combat MDP activists, energized by the release of President Nasheed earlier today after yesterday's coup d'etat that forced him to resign.

Tear gas was used indiscriminately on Orchid magu near the Supreme court building. Two people were beaten up and lay motionless on the street for a long time before they were dragged and shoved into an ambulance.

Then I saw a police jeep speeding into a crowd of protesters. A police jeep. Absolutely reprehensible.

Man beaten unconscious by the riot police today

 [Pic source: Sun.mv]

I am not an MDP member. I have criticized President Nasheed often. But witnessing the coup d'etat unfold yesterday before my eyes is extremely troubling. 


Especially worrisome was the violence and brutality of the "elite" riot police, created and trained under the Gayoom regime, who stormed into MDP quarters and trashed the place, and severely beat up several MDP activists in the events leading up to the coup.

I have seen videos of the MDP quarters set on fire and utterly destroyed. By the Police.


The violence leading up to the coup was simply unprecedented. The pitched battles between the police and the military was simply unheard of.

Traitors propping up the proxy government [Source: Haveeru]

Images of bloodied and beaten MDP supporters and activists are doing the rounds. From what I can see, the Police are showing absolutely no restraint.

The Police and military are traitors to the nation. The country is now a military state, with a runaway judiciary  controlled by the old Gayoom establishment, and now a proxy government. In other words, every progress made under the democratic revolution is now completely reversed.

Former MDP parliamentary group leader "Reeko" Moosa, after being attacked today by the "Police" 

[via Raajje TV]

The release of President Nasheed - no doubt under tremendous international pressure - is a huge tactical mistake by the coup leaders.

The country is full of 'activists', but none of them of the calibre of President Nasheed. His entry into a MDP meeting today, with a smile on his face, visibly electrified the utterly demoralized MDP of yesterday.

Within no time, massive crowds of his supporters poured out on the streets in Male', Addu, and other population centers of the country. Police stations and courts have been set on fire in the rebellious south - a known MDP stronghold.

The Police has since forcibly taken the President and other senior figures into custody. The mayors elected members of Addu and Male' have been attacked in the street by the uniformed thugs.

President Nasheed's supporters in Male' today

The military state has taken over the state media, which refuses to show any of the protests or the bloody crack down. (So much for 'protecting the constitution')

I am counting on foreign diplomats, media and other agents of influence - anyone who reads my blog to make sure the truth is out there.

I've always considered Dr Waheed a respectable, moderate and learned man. But his government - installed by a coup d'etat staged by the powerful opposition interests - is simply unjustifiable. There is no respectable option for him but to resign and hold immediate elections.

Every democracy of the world should condemn this shocking power grab - and the subsequent reign of terror.

Suddenly, we're back in 2006 again.

This is first degree treason by the criminals in uniform, the very people who are bound by law to protect the citizens. Treason, by the leaders of PPM, DRP, the Islamist parties and others who have been working overtime to revive the old Gayoom establishment.

Treason. Plain and simple.


_
UPDATE 1:

Sun.mv has posted a picture of Reeko Moosa Manik being taken into custody. The battered, bloodied image of Reeko from earlier in this post was obviously taken afterward. - clearly suggesting that the MP was beaten by the Police while in their custody.

Treason. Coup. Change.

Don't get me wrong. I predicted this just two weeks ago. In fact, here's what I said in a piece for Minivan News, published on 24 January 2012

"It simply does not bode well for the country’s democracy when the powers bestowed to one arm of the State is unilaterally employed to twist the other arm.

The country has already had one failed attempt at democracy before. If the actions of the democratic leaders causes the general public loses faith in democratic institutions and the rule of law, then there’s no reason to believe it won’t fail again."


And that's exactly what happened last night. Our country's second (third?) experiment with democracy failed.

I was watching from a building with a vantage point, seeing the events of the night unfold on the streets below me. When the entire Police force refused to take orders and openly rebelled, I knew it was going to rapidly spiral out of control.

Once that happened, I saw the rioters lose all their fear. Stones and bottles were thrown. Window panes were smashed. Some of the protesters were relentlessly rebuking the armed forces for protecting 'the Jew' - and loudly applauding the Police.

In the meantime, the Vice President issued a statement ordering the armed forces to refrain from following 'unconstitutional' orders, while the rebelling police were calling for the Commissioner to issue an apology for issuing such orders.

Rumors flew that a faction of the army had also decided to join the rebels, but were being forcibly held at their base. In the space of a few hours, of course, the whole thing dangerously blew into a full blown national crisis.

A group of young men - ostensibly MDP activists - were seen rushing towards the republican square with sticks and other weapons. In the ensuing commotion, the police and the MNDF were caught in a vicious pitched battle, and copious amounts of pepper spray and tear gas canisters were being flung by both sides.

The way the situation was getting out of hand, I did momentarily fear there would be bloodshed. But the reality is that the country simply cannot afford to have the military publicly open fire on citizens. Even the dictator Maumoon with all his absolute powers didn't dare do it. 

It just wouldn't work.

Given this, the President did the right thing by gracefully resigning in the face of a coup d'etat.

_

I must take the time out to say what I truly feel about President Nasheed.

I haven't the slightest doubt that he's a democrat in every sense of the word.

However, he is also more of an activist than a statesmen; more adept at giving populist, rousing speeches than building a national consensus. It is not surprising then that the last few months of the country has seen absolute political polarization - with no willingness on either side to compromise or see eye-to-eye on any issue.

President Nasheed's ability to turn conventional wisdom on its head and pull out one surprise after the other never failed to impress.

I severely criticized his decision to gamble with the country's economy by banning spas and massage parlours in the resorts. But one can't deny the sheer brilliance of the manoeuvre; the manner in which he publicly called the opposition's bluff and exposed the hypocrisy of the mullahs and the two-faced nature of people like Gasim Ibrahim.

Faced with an inflamed public charged with high religious rhetoric spewed by the local Taliban (I'm afraid, I have to include the likes of Dr Hassan Saeed in this), Anni could have easily chosen to plunge into feverish religious rhetoric himself. 

Instead, he chose to make a public stand in favour of tolerant, moderate, traditional Islam. It is easy to underestimate the kind of courage it takes to do something like that in a society like the Maldives.

Where others like Velezinee and Ibra have repeatedly tried hard and failed, Anni succeeded in making the corrupt, runaway judiciary a subject of intense national debate, if only temporarily.

The Abdulla Ghazee episode proved to be his undoing. His activist bent of mind dictated, perhaps, that given the circumstances, the ends justified the means. 

In a way, Anni has proved himself a sort of a soldier than a leader - more interested in building and preserving democracy than actually practicing it. This time, his big gamble failed.

Oftentimes in recent weeks, I have been forced to wonder whether it is worth preserving the 'Rule of Law' and the associated institutions - even when they are clearly dysfunctional and corrupt.Would the Maldivian public be better off with a benevolent, modernist dictator who can forcibly drag them in the direction of progress?

I hate to say that I can't answer it to this day.

One part of me understands how crucial it is to set proper democratic precedents in these early years. The other part of me sees not a ray of hope in the existing, corruption laden failure of a system - infested as it is by criminals and greedy businessmen consumed by avarice, and willing to burn society in the flames of violence and fundamentalism, if it means protecting their political or business interests.

Another thing that's constantly bothered me throughout the last couple of years is the lack of any credible opposition in the country - crooks and thieves with no apparent workable policies other than preventing the government from functioning in anyway.

It is not hard to see why the international community has been reluctant to back the opposition, or condemn President Nasheed's alleged excesses.

I truly dread to imagine bumbling idiots like Umar Naseer or Ahmed Mahfool (I'm sorry, I am unable to spell this guys name any other way) walk the hallways of power. This country simply cannot afford it.

But in a democracy, you have to live with what you get. And what you get is what you deserve. Maybe a stinking political system sustained by mindless personality cults, while masquerading as a 'democracy', is exactly what we deserve.

With the success of this coup, the Judiciary shall now instantly revert to being an instrument of political control and protection of the Gayoom clan and their cronies. I also predict that the local Taliban will again get a free run in spreading their hatred and paranoia, meeting even less resistance than the previous government. This is why I chose to use the word 'treason' in the title of this post. Traitors will now run our media and judiciary and other institutions. 

As with every leadership change in Maldivian history, there'll be relentless efforts to demonize Anni in the coming days. From being a Zionist spy to a drunkard, he'll face every accusation.

And yet, despite all the flaws in his government, I sincerely believe that President Nasheed truly had great ambitions of going forward. The average Maldivian, however, insists on regressing. The relationship was bound to fail.

~Peace!

untitled

to erase the god of ignorance;
to release from his dark clutches
bound prisoners of thought

to wipe away with reason
the blackness in their hearts,
and the darkness of their thoughts

science illuminates and reveals;
the futility of their prayers
and the battles that they fought

_