Thousands of anti government protestors in the small Capital of Maldives have been taking it to the streets over the past two nights protesting against how the current President of Maldives has taken control over the Maldives Judiciary and using it to hamper the functions of the Parliament.
The Parliament has been unable to do it’s job, unable to function because the President after getting rid of the independent Judges in the Judiciary and appointing his loyalists is constantly using the Judiciary to barricade the function of the Parliament.
Thousands of Maldivian protestors over the last two nights the first night alone five thousand people filled the streets of the Capital to show their anger at the President and how he is playing with the country and the people like a toy.
Few months ago he got his Cabinet to resign enmasse. After a couple of weeks he decided to once again come up with a new Cabinet and now he is adamant that his Cabinet is his to do whatever he like, whenever he like, so he need no approval, nor endorsement from the Parliament. Maldives follows a Presidential system and as in every Presidential system the Parliament’s approval is necessary before the President can appoint them and put them in control of our Ministries and public institutions. However the newly appointed Cabinet and Ministers are getting paid mountain high salaries and carrying on with the fulfilling of Nasheed’s every whim instead of the people’s and now the President is trying to change the Constitution so that he can carry on life for him and his appointed loyalists as normal disregarding the rule of law and the Constitution..
There have been many controversies involving some of the people he appointed as Ministers, ranging from rampant corruption involving cash for honour and status deals as in the case of Foreign Minister Dr Shaheed, abuse of power and status by Defence Minister Ameen Faisal and forceful introduction of anti-religious, anti-cultural education policies in the education system by Education Minister Mustafa Luthufee.
Thousands of protestors that marched the streets over the two nights were attacked with tear gas, pepper spray and severe beatings by the Maldives Police Force. The Police heavily armed attacked the helpless protestors in a bid to bring a violent end leading to broken bones, collar bones, one protestor losing his teeth due to the heavy bashing with police batons.
Although no one died many sustained life time injuries leading to hospital admissions. To top it all the Police both last night and the night before violently arrested protestors and MP’s from the main opposition part DRP.
The young Western educated President has shocked his friends from the West that backed him by resorting to rule by decree when he lost the Parliamentary election held few months after he came to power in 2008. His heavy arm tactics and bold claims to rule the country by showing those who do not follow his party an iron right hand and a left hand doing unimaginable things to those who don’t support him, means the political parties that formed an alliance and got him to power, alienated him and immediately started calling for his resignation.
Even if a dozen people gather to the streets he orders the Police to use heavily armed tactics and mobilise the Police to use beating, pepper spray, gas to disperse the crowds.
After a constant battle with the Judges in the Judiciary finally few months ago he locked the Supreme Court doors and threw all the Judges out, then he appointed his loyalists to the Supreme Court. Now he is using the loyalists in the name of Judges not only to control the Judiciary, but use the Judiciary to control the functions of the Parliament where majority rests with the main opposition DRP/PA and Independent MP’s. Trying to change the Constitution with the help of a Judiciary controlled by his newly appointed loyalists is the last series of injustice and the Maldivian people lost their calm.
The President and his party holds no credibility in the country and is constantly engaging in emergency rule and tactics to continue with his despotic rule.
People are sick and tired of his sacking of Public servants in order to bring in more and more loyalists on a daily basis many of them that lack basic education, and have violent pasts. Similarly people are sick and tired of his deception over the promises he made in order to come to power, not fulfilling even one, while selling the national assets that the people proudly called their own to friends and families within the country and
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