As Gene Sharp stated we as human beings should not allow Dictators like Nasheed and his atheist party MDP (who are mere drug addicts and porn stars) to take away the dignity of our lives. We should not allow ourselves to be dominated and destroyed by him and his thug rule.
If we are willing we can prevent this cannabis addict’s tyranny and prevent his narcissistic assault on our Judiciary, Our parliament and most of all on our freedom of expression. It I sworn to get the Police and the Military to arrest whoever he wants and imprison them whenever he likes to however long he likes.
Why the countries of the world and their citizens do not tolerate Dictatorships the way we are doing in the Maldives. According to Sharp, population, communities under Dictatorships becomes weak, lacks self-confidence, and is incapable of resistance. People are often too frightened to share their hatred of the dictatorship and their hunger for freedom even with family and friends. People are often too terrified to think seriously of public resistance. In any case, what would be the use? Instead, they face suffering without purpose and a future without hope. Some people as it are happening in the Maldives since the tyrant Nasheed came to power they try resistance. Short-lived mass protests and demonstrations may have occurred. Possibly spirits soared temporarily. At other times, individuals and small groups may have conducted brave but ineffective gestures, asserting some principle or simply their defiance. Sadly acts of resistance have often been insufficient to overcome the people’s fear and habit of obedience. Those acts may have brought instead only increased suffering and death, not victories. This will go on unless the people lobby behind the revolutionists and actively engage in putting an end to despotic rule.
Here is a presentation based on Gene Sharp’s methodology on how to end Dictatorships before it takes its root in us so deep that we will never be able to escape its clutches.
1. Facing Dictatorship realistically with determination to end it.
Both internal and external Dictatorships have collapses when confronted by defiant, mobilized people. It is said that, often seen as firmly entrenched and impregnable, some of these dictatorships proved unable to withstand the concerted political, economic, and social defiance of the people. Since 1980 dictatorships have collapsed before the predominantly nonviolent defiance of people as it happened in many of the Eastern European Countries as well as Nepal, Haiti, Nigeria, Malawi and South Korea.
Although in some of the other countries the people’s fight against oppressive rulers did not bring a direct end to the ruling dictatorships or occupations, they have exposed the brutal nature of those repressive regimes to the world community and have provided the populations with valuable experience with this form of struggle.
Many of those citizens that rise against dictatorships in their countries used political defiance.
According to Robert Helvey; “Political defiance” is defined as a nonviolent struggle (protest, non-cooperation, and intervention) practically applied; defiantly and actively for political purposes. The term originated in response to the confusion and distortion created by equating nonviolent struggle with pacifism and moral or religious “nonviolence.” “Defiance” denotes a deliberate challenge to authority by disobedience, allowing no room for submission. “Political defiance” describes the environment in which the action is employed (political) as well as the objective (political power). The term is used principally to describe action by the people to regain control from dictatorships over their governmental institutions by relentlessly attacking their sources of power and deliberately using strategic planning and operations to do so.
We should never tolerate Dictatorships but we should end it, because ending these dictatorships
At least minimally ends much of the suffering of the victims of oppression, and has opened the way for the rebuilding of these societies with greater political democracy, personal liberties, and social justice.
2. Freedom through violence
What is to be done in such circumstances when a handful of resistance does nothing but increase the vile attacks of Dictators on people who oppose their assault? The obvious possibilities seem useless as indicated in the case of Maldives. Constitutional and legal barriers, judicial decisions, and public opinion are normally ignored by dictators. Understandably, reacting to the brutalities, torture, disappearances, and killings, people often have concluded that only violence can end a dictatorship. Angry victims have sometimes organized to fight the brutal dictators with whatever violent and military capacity they could muster, despite the odds being against them. These people have often fought bravely, at great cost in suffering and lives. Their accomplishments have sometimes been remarkable. By placing confidence in violent means, one has chosen the very type of struggle with which the oppressors nearly always have superiority.
The dictators are equipped to apply violence overwhelmingly. However long or briefly these democrats can continue, eventually the harsh military realities usually become inescapable. The dictators almost always have superiority in military hardware, ammunition, transportation, and the size of military forces. Despite bravery, the democrats are (almost always) no match. Therefore it is important to get help from the Military or any other combats’ to end the Dictatorship which brings us to our third option.
3. Coups, elections, foreign saviours’
If things are as bad as in Maldives a Military Coup is one of the best possible actions. A military coup d’état against a dictatorship might appear to be relatively one of the easiest and quickest ways to remove a particularly obscene regime. The removal of particular persons and cliques from the governing positions most will make it possible for another group to take their place. Although it is not an acceptable option to the problem of dictatorship it is a temporary measure needed in the Maldives to end the reign of terror inflicted on the people now on a daily basis by Ganjaa Viyazoru Mohamed Nasheed and gang.
There is the election option. Dictatorial regimes, such as those of the former Soviet-dominated Eastern bloc, and of course Nasheed and his gang in Maldives with their frequent trips to islands where elections occur go through the motions in order to appear democratic. Elections in Dictatorships are rigged and serve as controlled polls to get public countersignature of candidates already hand-picked by the dictators. According to Sharp, Dictators under pressure may at times agree to new elections, but then rig them to place civilian puppets in government offices. If opposition candidates have been allowed to run and were actually elected, as occurred in Burma in 1990 and Nigeria in 1993, results may simply be ignored and the “victors” subjected to intimidation, arrest, or even execution. Dictators are not in the business of allowing elections that could remove them from their thrones. Therefore this is not an option for us in the Maldives.
Then there is also the external option. People that suffer under brutal dictatorships like that of Viyazoru Mohamed Nasheed do not believe that the oppressed can liberate themselves. They expect that their people can only be saved by the actions of others. These people place their confidence in external forces. They believe that only international help can be strong enough to bring down the dictators. Often oppressed people are unwilling and temporarily unable to struggle because they have no confidence in their ability to face the ruthless dictatorship, and no known way to save them. It is therefore understandable that many people place their hope for liberation in others. This outside force may be outside media “public opinion,” the United Nations, a particular country or international economic and political sanctions.
However this is not an option for us the Maldivians. Because we have a President who has cocooned the international communities by putting cotton wool over their eyes to believe that he is an angle sent to the World by God to save not only the Maldives but the whole world with his (of course phony) environmental crusade.
Also according to Sharp there are other grave concerns when it comes to relying on foreign intervention which includes
• Frequently foreign states will tolerate, or even positively assist, a dictatorship in order to advance their own economic or political interests.
• Foreign states also may be willing to sell out an oppressed people instead of keeping pledges to assist their liberation at the cost of another objective.
• Some foreign states will act against a dictatorship only to gain their own economic, political, or military control over the country.
• The foreign states may become actively involved for positive purposes only if and when the internal resistance movement has already begun shaking the dictatorship, having thereby focused international attention on the brutal nature of the regime.
However according to Sharp, international pressures can be very useful, however, when they are supporting a powerful internal resistance movement. Then, for example, international economic boycotts, embargoes, the breaking of diplomatic relations, expulsion from international organizations, condemnation by United Nations bodies, and the like can assist greatly. Therefore it is important that our freedom fighters mobilise a powerful international force, country or even an organisation behind them.
4. What we can do to bring down the Dictatorship no matter how big or small the resistance movement is or movements are.
We must strengthen the oppressed population themselves in their determination, self-confidence, and resistance skills;
We must also strengthen the independent social groups and institutions of the oppressed people;
We must create a powerful internal resistance force; and develop a wise grand strategic plan for liberation and implement it skilfully.
Against a strong self-reliant force, given wise strategy, disciplined and courageous action, and genuine strength, the dictatorship will eventually crumble.
5. Identify the Dictators Weaknesses.
Dictatorships often appear invulnerable. Intelligence agencies, police, military forces, prisons, etc. are controlled by a powerful few. A country’s finances, natural resources, and production capacities are often arbitrarily plundered by dictators and used to support the dictators’ will. In comparison, democratic opposition forces often appear extremely weak, ineffective, and powerless. That perception of invulnerability against powerlessness makes effective opposition unlikely.
We can defeat Dictatorships and conquer them, but most quickly and with least cost if their weaknesses can be identified and the attack concentrated on them.
According to Sharp some of the weakness of Dictatorships include,
The cooperation of a multitude of people, groups, and institutions needed to operate the system may be restricted or withdrawn.
The requirements and effects of the regime’s past policies will somewhat limit its present ability to adopt and implement conflicting policies.
The system may become routine in its operation, less able to adjust quickly to new situations.
Personnel and resources already allocated for existing tasks will not be easily available for new needs.
Subordinates fearful of displeasing their superiors may not report accurate or complete information needed by the dictators to make decisions.
The ideology may erode, and myths and symbols of the system may become unstable.
Deteriorating efficiency and competency of the bureaucracy, or excessive controls and regulations, may make the system’s policies and operation ineffective.
Internal institutional conflicts and personal rivalries and hostilities may harm, and even disrupt, the operation of the dictatorship.
If the dictatorship is new, time is required for it to become well established.
With so many decisions made by so few people in the dictatorship, mistakes of judgment, policy, and action are likely to occur.
Of course in the case of Maldives we are seeing the most extreme acts of corruption, treason and nepotism carried out on a daily basis.
We have to make sure that we keep the tabs on the weaknesses till the very end and keep it fresh in the minds of the people. We have to use each and every weakness to convince the people to resist, fight, and join our course until we can successfully end the Dictatorship. We have to do so specially in the case of Maldives by using political defiance.
6. Political Defiance.
Political defiance can be employed for a variety of purposes, ranging from efforts to influence the opponents to take different actions, to create conditions for a peaceful resolution of conflict, or to disintegrate the opponents’ regime. Why Political Defiance is necessary.
• It does not accept that the outcome will be decided by the means of fighting chosen by the dictatorship.
• It is difficult for the regime to combat.
• It can uniquely aggravate weaknesses of the dictatorship and can sever its sources of power.
• It can in action be widely dispersed but can also be concentrated on a specific objective.
• It leads to errors of judgment and action by the dictators.
• It can effectively utilize the population as a whole and the society’s groups and institutions in the struggle to end the brutal domination of the few.
• It helps to spread the distribution of effective power in the society, making the establishment and maintenance of a democratic society more possible.
Questions that Political Defiance should be based on include
• What are the main obstacles to achieving freedom?
• What factors will facilitate achieving freedom?
• What are the main strengths of the dictatorship?
• What are the various weaknesses of the dictatorship?
• To what degree are the sources of power for the dictatorship vulnerable?
• What are the strengths of the democratic forces and the general population?
• What are the weaknesses of the democratic forces and how can they be corrected?
• What is the status of third parties, not immediately involved in the conflict, who already assist or might assist, either the dictatorship or the democratic movement, and if so in what
Ways?
How to implement Political Defiance to end the Dictatorship.
1. Use Selective resistance. For “selective resistance” it is necessary to identify specific limited issues or grievances that symbolize the general oppression of the dictatorship. Such issues may be the appropriate targets for conducting campaigns to gain intermediary strategic objectives within the overall grand strategy. Always concentrate primarily on specific social, economic, or political issues. These may be chosen in order to keep some part of the social and political system out of the dictators’ control, to regain control of some part currently controlled by the dictators, or to deny the dictators a particular objective.
2. Use Symbolic acts towards changing the Dictatorships. Initial symbolic protest actions have at times aroused major national and international attention — as the mass street demonstrations in Burma in 1988 or the student occupation and hunger strike in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. Although there will be harsh consequences, hunger strike, a vigil at a place of symbolic importance, a brief student boycott of classes, or a temporary sit-in at an important office. Certain symbolic acts, such as a physical occupation in front of the dictator’s palace or political police headquarters may involve
High risk but are very affective.
Most importantly severe sever the availability of the sources of power to the dictators completely and rapidly at the beginning of a struggle. Although this would require virtually the whole population and almost all the institutions of the society which had previously been largely submissive, to absolutely reject the regime and suddenly defy
it by massive and strong non-cooperation this is a very effective method in bringing the Dictatorship to its knee.
3. We have to take an aim to at the dictators’ power.
When it progress to the stage we are seeing in the Maldives it is important that try and see how the dictators’ sources of power can be further restricted. We have to sever the dictatorships’ sources of power, with the goal of producing increasing political paralysis, and in the end the disintegration of the dictatorship itself. It will be necessary to plan carefully how the democratic forces can weaken the support that people and groups have previously offered to the dictatorship. Will their support be weakened by revelations of the brutalities perpetrated by the regime, by exposure of the disastrous economic consequences of the dictators’ policies, or by a new understanding that the dictatorship can be ended?
Conclusion
Always remember,
Liberation from dictatorships is possible;
Very careful thought and strategic planning will be required to achieve it; and
Vigilance, hard work, and disciplined struggle, often at great cost, will be needed.
Finally combine these internal strategies with external help from NGO’s and any nation willing to help. We can do this.
Good Luck Adapted by Dr Khaulath Mohamed to overcome the current Political impasse created by Dictator Mohamed Nasheed his party MDP.
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