How can there be “Reform” without a free media? :: Dhivehi Observer

Editorial
How can there be "Reform" in Maldives without a free media?

by A.S.I.Moosa (Sappe') - 13th February 2005

In Maldives, Gayyoom controls all forms of media. The only TV and Radio stations are fully owned and managed by the government. The three main daily news papers and weekly magazines are owned by Gayyoom's family, close associates and cabinet Ministers, in other words, by hardcore cronies of Gayyoom who have become filthy rich in the process. There are a number of other monthly magazines but they all have a self-censorship scheme because a simple word out of place and that is the end of it all. Imprisonment and torture is thereafter imminent. Sadly, all this is being done despite a constitutional guarantee on freedom of expression.

Gayyoom should think a little bit harder before he comes up with utter rubbish like "I intend to introduce far reaching reform" and "Maldives will be a multi-party democracy within a year". Surely, he is not fit to do this. It is Gayyoom who stood in the way of reform and political pluralism from taking root in Maldives. For the past 27 years, he has ruled the Maldives as a totalitarian autocratic dictator. Because of his injustices the whole country has now fallen into a pit of ‘hopelessness'. Apart from a handful of Maldivians, everyone is now praying for his demise or fall. How can we trust him to come up with a more democratic constitution when he can't uphold the existing constitution?

When Gayyoom talks about progress and development, stability and economic growth, he is perhaps referring to the general outlook of the capital island Male'. Yes, there are schools, hospitals, water and electricity in Male' but are these services available in the outer Atolls? No. In addition to that, his economic model of complete dependence on tourism has proven to be totally disastrous now since the Tsunami. Had he developed a more impregnable broad based economy, at a time like this, we could depend on other sectors of the economy rather than be at the mercy of rich nations.

Experts say that more than 80% of the economic sector is directly and indirectly associated with the tourism industry. Tourism receipts are down by more than 50% and are not expect to reach its full potential -standards of say 2004- for years to come. There are several other key economic areas that Gayyoom completely ignored over the past 27 years, most notably the fisheries sector. We could have been a major exporter of Tuna and other seafood to Europe; we could have been an exporter of ropes made from coconut fibre; we could have been an exporter of coconut oil; we could even export fresh chillies and organic food to Europe; we could have developed an efficient transhipment port in Maldives linking East to West; we could have developed a yacht marina; So, the question is, why Gayyoom did not embarked on these areas and also why has be stood in the way of such progress and expansion? The answer is simple; he did not want the people of Maldives to be affluent and self dependent. He would have had too much trouble to deal with had he made life easier for the people. And, to stop such ideas from flowing through the minds of the people, he had total control of media from the day he took power.

In a similar fashion, now he says he will introduce reform and make Maldives 'a multi-party democracy' within a year. How can he be so sure and why does he not want the people to have a say in these matters? How can he predict that the Constitutional Assembly will approve his reform agenda? Why did he stop people from discussing the reform agenda freely? Why is he still censoring local papers and blocking dissident websites? Ask these questions and think for yourself!

And, that brings us to the question of the century…. How can there be "Reform" if there is no free media in the Maldives? How can it be - a change that people want - if they don't have a direct say in it? What makes Gayyoom the all-knower, the all-wiser!