HeyWalla 2013

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Friday, September 27, 2013

British and Indian interests not secured in the 2013 Election in Maldives

Mohamed Nasheed 
The Maldivian Democratic Party, fore-runner in the 2013 Presidential Elections called for a nationwide protest after The Supreme Court on Monday night suspended the run-off while it examines a complaint about the first round of voting by the third-placed defeated candidate, business tycoon Gasim Ibrahim. 
Jumhoori party called for the results to be annulled because of major fraud in the electoral rolls and claimed they have credible evidence of organized mass scale rigging conducted by the Commission Officials.


Commonwealth golden boy flagged
The Commonwealth expressed deep concern without consideration to any circumstances of fraud during the Poll. The Statement issued by the Commonwealth group of countries, which has been monitoring the polls was strongly worded and damning. It said talk of annulling the election was "deeply worrying. The people of Maldives worked hard to get a democratic constitution, they want it respected and it is their right that the elections deliver a result that reflects the wishes of the majority,"  Whilst the majority of 11000 voters, opposed Nasheed’s comeback to office, the Commonwealth’s lack understanding of majority and minority led them to publish a statement supposedly on behalf of the people of Maldives more than their own Supreme court who’s decision that was welcome by all the parties other than the CW favorite, former president Mohamed Nasheed who also slammed the injunction suspending Saturday's run-off vote as undemocratic and the work of a "kangaroo court".

Recently however, the Commonwealth has repeatedly been interfering in the domestic affairs of the Maldives, in the guise of democracy and gone as far as issuing statements in mockery of democracy where all disputes are settled by the courts. This was true when CW favorite Nasheed resigned from President on February 07, 2011. Overwhelmed with sentiment and apprehension Commonwealth Envoy Don McKinnon said in a statement "No election anywhere is going to be absolutely perfect and there was no evidence or claim before the election that the voter register was manifestly so deficient as to distort the outcome."


The Commonwealth, a grouping of former British territories and countries, sent the largest contingent of foreign observers for the first round. They reported the voting as fair and credible. Among other were India and the United Nations. Except for Indian GMR experts planted deep inside the EC no foreign observers were privy to the scandalous scale of rigging that was conducted by the officials from within the Commission.
Dark forces working for the Indian interests funded by GMR again did the inevitable. I is not conceivable for CW favourite Nasheed could have got away in first round on September 7 with 45.45 percent if the counting and subsequent consolidation came out clean.  The calm and orderly conduct of business on that fatal September 7 did bear testament to something murky and mysterious was happening. MDP comes against a backdrop of only 45000 registered members in his party.
The ballot count took less than a day; the EC of Maldives refused a recount on the grounds it will take more than six months. With the Supreme Court involved in the issue, it is expected to reveal many of those murky and mysterious activities that the EC officials engaged in. This will shrink the chances of rigging on that stupendous scale as was conducted on the first round.  CW favourite now faces a run-off against Abdullah Yameen, the half-brother of the islands' former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. With or without the Supreme Court’s verdict, and more secure and clear conditions in place, PPM expects to win this election with an overwhelming majority.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
former President of Maldives 

"There is nothing unconstitutional in the Supreme Court's order" said an official of the Maldivian Government.  "We call upon The Commonwealth group of Countries, the United Nation an countries such as Britain and Germany to read and understand our constitution first and stop making statements that are unconstitutional, for it only display their ignorance and gluttony."  Nasheed, resigned in February last year following his failure to curb the 26 days of demonstrations that was held in Male in protest against him having kidnapped a sitting judge. He later denounced it as a "coup", saying his resignation was tendered under duress in a process orchestrated by Gayoom. He later accused his own deputy who was constitutionally installed as president immediately afterwards as the “coup leader”.

India is the greatest looser in this ordeal. The contract with GMR was terminated by the Waheed Administration on the grounds that the agreement was “Void- ab- Initio” the term legally means “to be treated as invalid from the outset”. Indian efforts to compromise and re-negotiate fell on desert ground.  Nasheed who promised to restore the GMR agreement was fluffily financed by the GMR to turn out the winner in the 2013 Presidential Race.  The Indian effort was not just single fold.  They had a multi-fold approach.  During an official visit to India in mid-2013, Mr. Gayoom was told by Indian officials at any cost we want to ensure that Waheed is not elected.” They also invited Hon. Gasim Ibrahim to dissuade him from forming a coalition with incumbent President, which he did.
Indian High Commission in Male

It is also mindful of China’s expanding influence in the region and many warn the Maldives could become another a Beijing’s stooge sitting in the peripherals of what New Delhi’s calls National Defense periphery.  The Indian media talk about a Chinese submarine base being built in the Maldives,  an idea that was floated by the Nasheed regime, by his then Defense Minister now a member of Jumhoori Alliance promoting Gasim for President. 
India enjoyed greater influence in the Maldives when Nasheed was in power. He has been a vocal supporter of GMR’s right to continue with developing the Male airport, which is seen as a reason for New Delhi’s involvement in the local politics.

Britain and the Western European countries expressing support for Mr. Nasheed is less based on military and security grounds, more so than the appetite for a share of the wealth from the emerging Tourism Super Zone in the Indian Ocean led by Maldives. Nasheed is viewed as accommodating foreign influence for his personal interest more so than protecting and preserving the national sovereignty, it's status and the regional identity Maldives have attained.  Nasheed was described by one GMR official as “a good friend who will do a favor for a few dollars more.”

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