Violence! Violence! Violence! - the Dictator Golhaboa's dirty deals

DO Editorial
"Violence! Violence! Violence!" When those three lethal words left Dictator Gayoom's lips during that now infamous interview, there were some among our people who did wonder if the protest was all about violence. Now, two years later, the realization of those words have come to fruition. Now, we are wiser as to why those words oozed so smoothly out of the Dictator's lips. Violence is what he knows. Violence is what he practices. Violence is what he will resort to in the future. more

Saddam's yacht: yours for $34mn

DO News Alert for Golhaabo
Ocean Breeze: the super-yacht has an asking price of $34 million (AFP).A super-yacht built for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is awaiting a buyer in the port of Nice, with an asking price of 23.5 million euros, ($34mn) according to a specialist website. The 82-metre (270-feet) Ocean Breeze, built in 1981 by Danish shipyard Helsingor Vaerft, started life as the Qadissiyat Saddam, but was never actually delivered to Iraq, says www.superyachttimes.com. more

One Hajj Equals Hundred Hajjs : Golhaa Is 'Definitely' The Boa

Do News Brief
Male' – Reliable sources within the regime are reporting that Maldives Dictator 'Golhaabo' has decided to go to Hajj again this year. The sources said that he will be accompanied by a huge contingent of 25 people, most of whom will be his private bodyguards. Rumour has that Golhaabo is going to pray to Allah to grant him one more term, he was advised to do so by his palmist. What is astonishing is that this trip will cost us just over 350,000 dollars, and that is a modest estimate, since there is no telling how much the 'Demented One' will spend on his shopping. This is enough for more than 100 Maldivians to go to Hajj. Some fear that he maybe taking hard cash with him, say a couple of million dollars, to stash in a Saudi 'Royal' Bank, in case he has to flee the country in the near future. "This is waste of public money. In Islam, you are required to go to Hajj once, if u can afford it." said Sheik Moosa, from Himendhoo. "I don't know how many times he has been to Hajj", he concluded. "Elhaa hajjah gossa filaanee kan neyge.. Dhen TV aai radio in govaanee avahaara vejjeyey... kihaa salhi... [ the bastard will go to Hajj and probably disappear.. TV and Radio will then report that he had passed away... how wonderful!]" said Ibrahim Saleem (Tubbs) from Hithadhoo.

ޒުވާން އިޝާރުގެ މަރުގެ ޒިންމާވެސް ނަގަންޖެހޭނީ ހަމަ ސީދާ ގޮޅާބޯ

މި އަނިޔާވެރިކަމާ ބިރުވެރިކަމުން ސަލާމަތް ވެވޭނީ، ދިވެހިންގެ މައްޗައް ފާވެފަ މިހިރަ ރަހުމުކުޑަ ދައްޖާލު ގޮޅާބޯއާ، އޭނާގެ ޖައްލާދު ވަވަތި އާދަނުމެންގެ މުށުތެރޭން ގައުމު މިނިވަންވި ދުވަހަކުންނެވެ. އަދިވެސް އިތުރު އެތައް ފުރާނައެއް ނެތި ދާނެއެވެ. ބަލަން ތިބޭށެވެ.

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