The intellect and service of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is as clear as the events of August 12, 13 that occurred during his Presidency. His statements were also clear in the years that followed and in the formation of PPM. He had constantly and consistently said that a peaceful environment was vital in developing the nation. PPM won the elections in 2013. President Abdullah Yameen became the President.
President Yameen's statements mirrored the former President's ones. From day one, he had said that peace was necessary, defamation and attacks on peace must be addressed. President Yameen had advocated that Maldivians should be allowed to determine our affairs.
The unchangeable truth of politics is change. This by itself is the very thing that attracts attention as well.
President Maumoon and President Yameen are half brothers. Experts in politics. Maumoon is a master at political maneuvering, a scholar. For these reasons, all throughout President Yameen's long political journey, President Maumoon had been treated with respect and dignity.
In the last elections, when President Yameen announced that he was running for Presidency, he added that he will not run if President Maumoon was running for the seat. He was the only one who made such a claim. When DRP split up and when President Yameen formed PA, he had pledged unwavering support to President Maumoon. In his speeches, President Yameen had consistently praised President Maumoon's 30 year tenure.
In the first meeting held after won the 2013 elections, President Maumoon was at the forefront, greeting all on behalf of President Yameen.
That night, President Maumoon told that he had met former President Mohamed Nasheed on route to SAARC summit. In that meeting, President Nasheed had reportedly said that he wanted to defeat President Maumoon in the elections. He also said that he wanted to challenge President Maumoon in the subsequent election and for President Maumoon to win it.
"This is what ultimately happened. In the first elections President Nasheed won. Even though I didn't contest in this elections, we won over President Nasheed. My brother Abdullah Yameen contested this elections," he said that night.
President Yameen's presidency began this way; in between meetings with President Maumoon and President Yameen. President Maumoon was in the limelight; he was the first to sit in rallies, the famous "Zaeem" song is the choice song for these rallies.
President Maumoon released a statement regarding PPM. The statement was a lengthy. President Yameen made only one comment on the statement. He rarely comments on ongoing controversies. His silence in these cases is not proof the statements are true. There is another reason to this; after all President Maumoon is his brother, accorded with the Nishan Izzuddin honor.
After he was elected as President, Yameen by default became the advisor for the Party. He is the vehicle that pushes the manifesto policies. President Maumoon is PPM's President. He has a separate mandate to oversee the Party. Running the Government does not fall into this mandate.
The President does not rule for the Party. He rules for the public. Even though a Parliamentary Group is formed, it is formed from representatives elected by the public. We have to question whether the affairs of the state will be run by the Parliamentary Group according to the Party or that of the President. In a presidential system, does it make sense to run the PG according to what the President wants? Will it then allow the bills to go through the Parliament, bills that benefit the whole of the nation? The country observes a Presidential system, the nation is run by the President.
The bills that go through the Parliament does not have to be ones that are pushed by PPM, PPM President, PG Leader and other branches of the Party. The PG does not have to be run the way PPM wants to, either. The same applies to the President and his decisions. The line drawn between the Government and the majority PG is an important line to maintain the system.
Divisions in a Parliamentary system is not an issue. And the system will not run in that way as well. As per the Constitution, the President's job is to enact and implement policies to run the nation. That's why President Maumoon's statements that the Party was functioning against the Party laws is confusing. And this is precisely why the confusion must be cleared. Conflicting and contradicting statements, one that says the Party is running in accordance to Party laws and the other one that says the Party runs against the Party laws only serves to create a mess.
Party laws are designed to run the Party. If the laws say the Party has to be run as per democratic principles, then they have to be run within democratic principles. Neither the Party President nor the Government can contest this.
The biggest issue is this: a campaign office for President Yameen is running in a different local. President Yameen is the Presidential candidate from the Party. As per the three guidelines for issuing Party tickets, President Yameen is the candidate most likely to get the ticket. He has no obstacles to running for a second term with his economic development and reform plan. That's a right the President has. He has completed most of the policies outlined in the PPM manifesto.
Given this situation there is a deeper underlying reason to housing a campaign office for President Yameen in a different building. The reasons will be clear when either President Yameen or President Maumoon himself reveals the reason.
In the last press conference President Maumoon held, a journalist posed a key question to the former President. Did you consult with President Yameen on affairs of the state? President Maumoon responded stating that he did not wish to comment on it at the moment and that he had no intention of leaving the Party.
With this, President Maumoon's stance is unclear. He has to make it clear, especially given that PPM members are torn over the outcome of the Party.
For example; President Yameen had clearly stated that he will seek to implement death penalty, in spite of the pressures on the nation not to do so. In every speech he had clearly said that he will not allow street protests to go on at the expense of public peace. There is no room to derive inferences from his statements.
President Maumoon released a statement regarding PPM. The statement was a lengthy. President Yameen made only one comment on the statement. He rarely comments on ongoing controversies. His silence in these cases is not proof the statements are true. There is another reason to this; after all President Maumoon is his brother, accorded with the Nishan Izzuddin honor.
In last Eid, President Yameen said that it was deeply saddening that there were issues within PPM. But said that "the Party was formed with one aim to develop Maldives." This is an echoed statement from President Maumoon from various podiums.
President Yameen believed that failure to resolve this issue, will plunge Maldives back four years.
"We've seen four, five years before, what the situation was. We saw dangerous activities in various parts. We saw areas under disrepair. This Government came to power with the work of many individuals," President Yameen said. "We cannot allow the situation to deteriorate. If we do it, then it is an Eid gift for the opposition and other figures who wish to disrupt development. I don't want this to happen,"
In his last press conference President Maumoon said he was doing everything right and that there was nothing he did wrong. He defended his reform agenda, stating that the agenda was a well rounded one and that he will not hold on to anything.
Presidents Maumoon, Yameen and Nasheed are human, prone to mistakes and missteps. But is it logical to accept that President Maumoon is right all the time, while others are wrong all the time?
President Maumoon formed DRP. DRP divided into huge factions in a similar case. Same type of statement, new conference was held. President Maumoon was right. Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and others were in the wrong. Now we have PPM. President Yameen and PG are in the wrong. Before that President Nasheed was in the wrong. How is this logical or acceptable?
In the political melee of the 2008 elections, President Maumoon first referred to MDP as the opposition. He acknowledged MDP as MDP in the latter stages of the election. Immediate reaction to issues is not in his character. An example of this was when he announced a list in a public meeting; attendees and the opposition were astounded, as the move was unprecedented and against his character.
President Maumoon's current political tactics show no clear outcomes. Who gets damaged from tactics that show no outcomes? It will definitely benefit MDP. All damage will be on PPM, the very Party that was formed to develop the nation.
With the tweets President Maumoon fires out, questions arises, over whether he was a member of PPM or if he had joined ranks with MDP. Questions and rumors are ripe, with a smattering of disbelief. President Maumoon's speech now have similar overtones as that of MDP's, which is not an an issue in itself. But here it is an issue. Overcoming fear to achieve goals is a classic of MDP. President Maumoon adopting these is greeted by disbelief from his loyalists and mirth by opposition.
He is the head of PPM. He has not resigned nor moved away from Party leadership. We can have a political grass roots debate over whether he had refuted Party laws and principles by adopting MDP doctrines.
PPM laws instruct to follow Council decisions. The Council had not held any meetings. What laws of the Party mandates issuing instructions on voting via SMS? Any decision on voting has to be carried out by the Council. The President can offer his views on the matter at hand to the Council.
As such, President Maumoon's experience and expertise is vital. However, the President does not have to consult his predecessors of the Party in every single thing.
What we see now is a swing ball, similar to the swing balls thrown in cricket matches. President Maumoon threw the swing ball to see if President Yameen would bat to that move. However, unlike the previous times, Maumoon is not expected to get the wicket.
President Yameen on the other hand is skilled in throwing reverse swing balls. In reverse swing balls, one cannot determine the speed and direction of the ball.
Former Pakistani skipper Wasim Akram is famed as the Sultan of Reverse Swing. Batting such a swing ball is a difficult endeavor. The direction of the ball is known only to thrower.
PPM is currently in power, President Yameen is the President. He has witnessed three rulers, experienced the political game. Its unlikely that in this situation both him and his Party were wholly wrong. When MDP was ruling, factions appeared in the Party against President Nasheed, which amounted to little.
Look at the situation now. MDP is no longer in power. The yellow army is gradually diminishing. The anti-Government protest do not have the same luster as before. Before, MDP rallies in Feydhoo, Addu used to attract members in hordes.
President Maumoon is a master strategist. But at this point how sure is he of President Nasheed's tactics?
Nasheed's tactics are the same. Nothing new. After Evan Naseem, Nasheed went abroad. Qasim Ibrahim, Gogo Latheef, Mody and others formed MDP. He returned after the ground settled following August 12, 13 protests started by a group including Mavotaa Shareef. Where are the individuals who had struggled to bring in democracy? All are bowled out.
President Maumoon needs to make his stance clear; whether he is for or against President Yameen and the Government, or if he prefers MDP. This is hardly likely to shock or shake the political sphere.
President Maumoon needs to make his stance clear; whether he is for or against President Yameen and the Government, or if he prefers MDP. This is hardly likely to shock or shake the political sphere.
