President elected by a coalition that is no more; therefore no longer legitimate gets really scared every time more than dozen people gather against him with a couple of banners. This time when he decided to lift the ban on alcohol selling and usage in the inhabited islands of Maldives, the people gathered at unprecedented levels to oppose that decision, so immediately he tried to exercise some damage control through mixed messages that leaves people baffled and as distrusting as ever.
When he gets scared the first thing he does is, go on his weekly, so called radio address, most often used to tell the Maldivian people to shut up and not mind their own business that they trusted him with and give conflicting ramblings. As usual today, he did this by saying ( even though the Ministry of Economic Development has said on their website that the ban will be lifted on 1st March) it will not happen until it gets published in the government Gazette.
Then he goes on to tell that he decided to lift the alcohol ban and alcohol be used freely everywhere in the inhabited islands, because those few who use it illegally are stabbing people, engaging in violence and crime. How can somebody in his sane mind make such a claim and say on the national radio that it is not the drug addicts that now constitute more than one third of the population but the few who drinks that do it all.. Confined, banned, only a few resort to drinking, while often those who engage in acts of violence and crime, they are proven to be drug addicts rather than regular drinkers. Today he is opening the previously closed doors so that even those who are safe because of the ban, will also be tempted to use it. Therefore, although he claimed that making alcohol free will minimise social problems it will only increase the stabbing, crime, violence vice versa he was talking about.
Making access to alcohol as scarce as possible is the only viable way therefore even if Nasheed the President no longer legitimately so; thinks he can get away with making such dubious claims, he can‘t. When the evidence is out there he should, at least not engage in making conclusions in his head and broadcast them on the national radio to sell his dictatorial decisions, thinking that the Maldivian people will believe. No matter how backward he think the Maldivian people are they see him for he really is..
All he has to say is that he has decided not to lift the ban on alcohol and let it be. But he didn’t. Even today just as usual, he gave mixed messages, rather regretting that the Maldivian people have not said yes boss in the matter that is defying their religion, their whole existence and culture for centuries.
The Maldivian people distrusting him and ignoring his morning address, gathered at Henveyru Park anyway, as in every previous occasion he undermined the people and kept doing everything he wanted to do at the behest of his friends from abroad.
Nasheed never even once realised that he holds a responsibility to protect the religion and the culture of the country, that he took an oath to do so. How long did he think he can keep defying the people, continuing with his agendas, chasing the interests of the few over the interests of the whole population.
Disappointed, ignored, social and economic burden growing; the people have lost trust in Nasheed and MDP. Therefore it is time he stop being such a fake by resorting to giving mixed messages to appease the people and delay the inevitable threats to his regime.
All he has to do is respect the Maldivian people, their identity, religion and make political economic and social decision with the people’s best interests at heart. But this seems to be an impossible thing for him to do.
At best the MDP and Nasheed can only be described as extra terrestrial aliens since coming to power. Therefore the people have started regarding them the same way. The next few days will be critical for Nasheed and his MDP as the people will teach him a lesson, which, the results will be devastating for him, unless he make the announcement that the Maldivian people want to hear.
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