Free and fair elections incompatible with Golhaa Boa Gayyoom

DO Editorial
"It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes." (Josef Stalin) Elections in the Maldives under Dictator Gayyoom have been a sordid drama of disinformation, intrigue, machination, intimidation, coercion and fraud. Every trick in the cheat sheet was used to guarantee the result, while ensuring that the elections looked superficially free and fair, when in fact they were neither. more

Golhaabo's 'Haazaa' economy backfires

DO News Review

Maldives Dictator Gayyoom's promise to increase government employee salaries –a rather transparent election sop –has backfired badly on him. As predicted, the announcement has driven consumer prices through the ceiling, making an already difficult life impossible for ordinary Maldivians. They are not amused. The price of a staple item such as a loaf of bread has increased from 11 rufiyaa to 15. Taxi drivers have announced a fare hike from 15 to 20 rufiyaa, while landlords are contemplating an increase in rents, which is expected to be in the range of 20 to 30%. The high shop rents, when they come, will be most certainly passed on to the consumer, thereby worsening the situation. more

President's Niece Gives Photographer The Finger

Minivan News

President Gayoom’s niece showed photographers the finger this afternoon as she left the Majlis building. Fathin Hameed, one of Gayoom's personal appointees to the Special Majlis, exited the building at 12.30pm with several other MPs from Gayoom’s ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party. As usual several photographers and journalists were camped outside the Majlis building, waiting for MPs. The photographer who was the target of Fathin's gesture said she turned away from the main entrance to leave by a side exit. When she saw a photographer at the side exit, she returned to the main courtyard, and mouthed something to him before raising her middle finger. more

Dictator Genral Gayyoom's true legacy

Do Special Review
One leaves behind only what one brings. When Golhaabo came to power, he came with a gun. When he finally relinquishes power he will leave behind box cutters, swords and homemade bombs. "Violence, violence, violence:" That will be Gayoom's legacy. One could almost hear Gayyoom in his death bed bequeathing his heritage, "To Maldivians I leave two things: drugs and extremism. If they hold on to those, they will never have peace, even after I'm gone…"
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Dictator uses people's money for his Presidential campaign

DO News Review

It was announced on Sunday that in 2008 the government would increase the wages of the state employees. Further measures include the government funding the books and stationary needed by all students from Grades 1 to 12. Additionally the fee for participating in the O' level and A' Level exams are to be paid by the government for those who can't afford it. more

DOLLARS AND SINNERS: The criminal nexus between resort owners and Dictator Gayyoom

DO Editorial

"All dictatorships are cruel and wasteful. They deprive the populace of basic rights while enriching a small minority at the expense of rational development." These opening lines of the introduction to a research article from Stanford Graduate School of Business could very well be referring to Maldives Dictator Gayyoom. Actually, the article was referring to Alberto Fujimori of Peru who was deposed following one of the most notorious corruption scams in history. This uncanny resemblance exists because while dictators may differ, their methods are identical. Like Fujimori, Gayyoom also maintains his stranglehold on power through a bribery scheme, which in his case is bankrolled by Maldivian tourist resort owners, who are the real beneficiaries of Gayyoom's kleptocracy. Through patronage and favors, the scheme ensures the loyalty of atoll and island officials. more

"Too many people are going to challenge me this time...

Gasim, Munavvaru, Anni and now Hassan Saeed... "

Come on Sheikhs: You got some explaining to do

Abdullah Waheed's Blog

It's high time one of these sheikhs told us what they have been preaching to simple Maldivians for the last 20 years. What we have been hearing from them are sermons on beards and buruqas. After that we saw people in islands like Himendhoo sporting exactly such beards, not to mention the black veils surrounding the women folk. We thought that was what the sheikhs were promoting. Then suddenly a bomb exploded in the Sultan Park and now the Sheikhs are telling us that Himendhoo people have gone badly astray. That won't do, my dear Sheikhs. It's high time you put your acts together and explained the difference between what you say and what Himendhoo people say. more

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom - the father of Maldivian extremism

DO Editorial

The Himendhoo Mosque siege is sadly the latest of a growing problem in extremism in the Maldives, the culmination of events in the attempt to find the perpetrators of the terrorist attack in Sultan Park. While many Maldivians were deeply saddened and shocked by the incident, it did not come as a total surprise. Our society has been on this path for a long time now. It was just a matter of time before something like this would happen. more

Allegations repeated that Gayoom's abuse of Islam introduced extremism in Maldives

DO News Review

The MDP has restated the concern that President Gayoom's duplicity for political survival (after awarding himself the prerogative of being the final authority in the propagation of the tenets of Islam since1978), had introduced religious disharmony and extremism into Maldivian society. The MDP had voiced repeated concerns to friendly countries from 2004 that there was a fear that if President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom continues to renege on his promises of reform, extremists (including religious fundamentalists) may take recourse to violence. more

We Shall Not Succumb to Terrorism

DO Editorial

When innocent people are hurt, injured, maimed, or killed, that is TERRORISM, irrespective of their nationality, cast, creed or religion and despite who carried out the attack. In recent times, terrorist attacks mainly directed at tourists have been on the increase around the world. However, for those of us on these shores, they seem distant, remote, and often at times surrealistic. That is until yesterday. What we witnessed yesterday is real terrorism targeted against tourists. This is frightening and menacing. By the grace of the Almighty, no one was killed in this particular incident. But it could have been otherwise. And we as a country need to get to the bottom of this and find out who carried out this dastardly act. more

MDP sues Elections Commissioner over Referendum fraud

Local News(Dhivehi Observer)
The Maldivian Democratic Party last week submitted complaints against the Commissioner of Elections Mr. Kaaf Dhaal Ahmed Maniku to the Civil Court in Male’, citing him culpable in a number of fraudulent practices pertaining to the Referendum on a system of governance held on 18 August 2007. more

The Darker 'Not the Sunny' Side of Life in the Maldives

Blast from the pastlast(DO)

Eevan Naseem was beaten to death by 12 policemen whilst serving a sentence in Maafushi Jail 4 years ago on 19th September. Evan's mother has been detained several times because she complained about the murder. Similar incidents went unreported in Maldives for many years prior to this incident. It's been 4 years since Evan was murdered and we are hearing that his killers are being released by the Maldives Dictator Gayyoom. It is time to look back at the incidents of September 2003 and refresh our memories. Torture and oppression will continue unless the people take a firm stand against it. more

Four Years On... The terror continues ..... arbitrary arrests and detention without charge and murder in custody..

(Please be warned that these images are disturbing)

Help the campaign by exposing the regime through your contacts, MPs and media connections? International pressure does make a difference! more

MDP marks 20 September as day against torture

DO News Review

The Maldivian Democratic Party held a number of functions and a general assembly (on 19, 20 and 21 September) to mark 20 September as Day against Torture in Maldives. In 2003, 20 September proved to be a turning point in the political history of Maldives. On that fateful day thousands of people gathered on the streets of Male', the capital to vent their anger and frustration over the custodial torture/killing of a young prisoner (Eevan Naseem) and the subsequent shooting to death of four unarmed prisoners who were among scores protesting the killing. more

Referendum fraud case accepted by court

Male' - The case of referendum fraud submitted by Ali Sawad of S. Feydhoo has finally been accepted by the courts yesterday. "Initially they refused again but I called the Minister and a few minutes later the court called me and it was accepted", explained Sawad. This is the first of the many such cases which are being filed in the courts to prove that the August 18th referendum results were heavily rigged by Dictator Gayyoom. Sawad's case is about irregularities with voting procedures in his Atoll which he personally witnessed. Gayyoom's courts initially refused to accept any cases relating to the referendum but the new Justice Minister Muizzu appears to be a much more open minded person who is unwilling to bend the law to please his master.