:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

Gayyoom arrests Nazeer Jamaal again

by Mariyam Mohamed, 18 October 2001

Nazeer Jamaal, former presidential candidate and well-known eccentric, has been arrested by Gayyoom's NSS after a midnight raid on his house.

Jamaal was permitted to stand as a candidate for the 1998 presidential referendum. Only 'joke' candidates are allowed to stand against Gayyoom in these orchestrated five-yearly referendums. Serious opposition candidates are arrested and imprisoned on false charges long before they can contest. Jamaal claims to be the first Maldives Disc Jockey. He has been entertaining tourists with his music and humour at resorts since the 1980s.

His arrest was prompted by fearless attendance at the legal and peaceful Tetrapod Square gatherings this week. He is popular in Male' because he supports people who ask for his help, and many people respect him even though they don't take him seriously most of the time. His arrest is a further sign that Gayyoom is paranoid and losing his political judgment.

Nazeer Jamaal has been arrested before, in 2001, after he donated books to a school in Addu atoll and described himself as an ex-presidential candidate. A report on the Maldives Culture website in November 2001 provided the following explanation for the bizarre charges: 'Jamaal's real, unmentionable offence was to attempt to ingratiate himself with the Addu (Seenu) atoll people by donating books. This is something only Gayyoom may do.'

Once again, Jamaal has upset the dictator. Last time he was donating books; now he is walking on public Male' sand. What can he say in his own defence to his NSS interrogators? Probably something like: 'Maumoon thinks I'm dangerous so I must by harmless, right?'