:: Dhivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::

Nirj Deva, MEP

STATEMENT by Nirj Deva DL MEP

Member if the European Parliament for South East England

I am appalled that after 25 years of human rights abuses, the international community still has failed to wake up to the situation in the Maldives, where the constitution is routinely violated, political opponents are regularly detained and tortured, and, as we witnessed earlier today, where civil society and opponents to the regime are brutally repressed.

Can the international community really continue to turn a blind eye to such flagrant human rights abuses, especially as President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom has just placed Male and its surrounding areas under a state of emergency rule? As reports emerge of the most recent display of police brutality towards peaceful pro-reform protestors, surely it is time for the world to wake up and finally take action in order to liberate Maldivians from the uncertainty and fear of Gayyoom's cruel regime.

For years, the State coffer has been bled dry by a small proportion of corrupt elite, who have dishonestly acquired an enormous share of the wealth, leaving over 42 percent of the population with under a dollar a day. Surely the international community needs to question why the Maldives, which has a per capita income of 3000 dollars, remains so seriously underdeveloped?

Each year, European travelers pay large sums of money to visit the Maldives. These tourists are unwittingly being hoodwinked by President Gayyoom, who whilst brutalizing his own people, continues to convince the international community that the Maldives is a paradise; in reality it remains a hellhole.

I am, here now calling on all European travel agents to boycott the Maldives as a holiday destination. I urge European tourists to be informed and responsible, and to cancel all holidays to the Maldives until the current government changes, and until human rights, good governance and democracy are introduced.

I have already written to the British Foreign Office to designate the Maldives no better then Iraq. Indeed, similarities with the former Iraqi government are not surprising, as President Gayyoom is a close friend of Saddam Hussein and has followed his counsel for over 30 years:

As co-coordinator of the European Parliament Development Committee, I can affirm that MEPs are acutely aware of the political situation in the Maldives and shall be supporting the Maldivian people in order to ensure that they finally know what it means to live in a fair and democratic society with the ability to elect their leaders.

I urgently call upon the international community to demand the immediate release of those members of the Maldivian Parliament who were unjustly hunted down and arrested earlier today. I am particularly' concerned for the safety of Me Ibrahim Hussain Zaki who has been subjected to severe beatings, although known to suffer from serious heart problems. It is critical that he is released on bail to receive the necessary medical treatment.

It is time for the international community to take action. If it continues oblivious to the plight of the Maldivians, how many more victims will it allow Gayyoom to create under his merciless regime?

How does the commision view the politicaI1y motivated, grossly unfair, trials of founding signatories of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, Abdulla Shakir, and Mr Nasaud Waheed, who was tried without a lawyer or the opportunity to defend himself? Is the Commission not concerned by similar political arrests such as those of parliamentary candidates Mr Abdul Rasheed and Mr Ibrahim Ahmed Maniku, who were tortured whilst in custody? How does the Commission regard the trials of Umar Jamal, Mohamed Latheef, Abdul Hannan and Abdul Aziz who supported a defeated parliamentary bill calling for the protection of detainee’s rights and that of Mr Ismail Saadiq, allegedly arrested on grounds of business irregularities, after having supported an alternative political candidate at the Presidential elections? Is the Commission aware of the arrest of Ibrahim Fareed, a moderate Muslim who made reference to government corruption in a sermon he gave at a mosque? Does the Commission not view the arrest of MPs and citizens whose political views even marginally contest those of the Government as a dangerous breach of fundamental human rights and democratic values? Is the Commission aware of the dubious circumstances surrounding the arrest of journalist Mohamed Shabeeb? Is the Commission not concerned by the arrests of journalists Mr Mohamed Zaki. Mr. Ibrahim, Luthfee, Mr.Ahmed Didi and Ms. Fathimath Nisreen, who were held handcuffed in solitary confinement, without being allowed visitors or access to necessary medical facilities? Can the Commission ensure freedom of speech for the citizens of the Maldives, especially in view of the repression of the press and the increasing imprisonment of known writers and publishers who have been critical of the Maldivian government?

When the Commission is notified of the victims of legal injustice is it aware that when measured by population the imprisonment of 1 Maldivian citizen is equivalent to that of 881 American citizens?

TOURISM

What is the European Commission doing to educate and warn its citizens of the dangers they may face whilst traveling in the Maldives? Are they aware of the lack of respect the authorities may have vis-à-vis their fundamental human rights and the number of people who are detained unjustly and without trial?

Is the Rt. Hon Jowell MP aware that, for example, 71440 tourists from the UK, 77,642 from Germany and 106,451 from Italy not to mention those from other EU countries are supporting a tyrannical regime where 300,000 people living on less than a $1 a day, while paying on average over $200 per night per room and thereby lining the pockets of Gayyoom’s Cronies? What is the British Government doing to educate and to warn its citizens of the dangers they may face whilst traveling the Maldives? Are they aware of the lack of respect the authorities may have vis-à-vis their fundamental rights and the number of people who are detained unjustly and without trial?

DANISH GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Is the Danish government aware that by pumping €5.11 Million into the Fuah Mulaku Harbor Preject they are effectively supporting the continued governance of a corrupt ant tyrannical President?

JUSTIFY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

Is the Commission aware of the latest Amnesty International reports on the Maldives, which expose government corruption and fundamental flaws in the new constitution, and in the parliamentary, executive and judicial systems? If so, how does the Commission justify allocating €2 million development assistance aid (2003-2006) to the Maldives when its government is, in essence, a corrupt and repressive regime, that flouts those fundamental guidelines established in the UN Charter of Human Rights which require each citizen to be treated with respect and dignity?

GAYOOM AND HIS FAMILY EMPIRE

Is the Commission aware of the unfair Presidential electoral procedure, which has maintained President Gayoom, a close friend of Saddam Hussein for over 30 years, in continuous power for over 25 years, which puts one sole candidate to the people in a referendum, excludes women from the presidency, and which allows only one candidate to canvas?

How does the Commission view the excessive control exercised by the President of the Maldives through a flawed Constitution in which he is both the Chief of State and Head of Government, in which he appoints his cabinet ministers, who need not be members of Majlis (parliament), in which he is the ultimate Judicial Authority with the power to appoint and sack judges at will and in which he is also the Governor of the Maldivian Central Bank and, furthermore, appoints the Speaker of the Parliament, who is, at present, his brother?

Is the Commission of the opinion that official posts should be appointed on the merit of a person's ability, and not on the basis of blood relation? If so, how does it view the appointments made by President Gayoom of his close friends and family to important state positions such as Minister of Trade and Industries, Governor of the only nationally owned bank, head of the best financed NGO, Society for Health Education, and President of the Majlis?

PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

Is the Commission aware of the ability of the Maldives Parliament to render ineffective fundamental guarantees of human rights, enshrined in its particularly vague Constitution of 1991, by passing new government legislation? And is it aware that the Maldivian Government refers to its Constitution as a guarantor of fundamental human rights?

Is the Commission aware of the fact that the Maldivian Democratic Party, an independent party with a peaceful political program, has not been allowed to establish, and that particular signatories requesting its establishment have been subject to arrest and harassment?

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Is .the Commission aware of the serious flaws in the Maldives criminal justice system, whereby in recent times citizens of the Maldives have been arbitrarily detained, suffering unfair trial, torture and ill-treatment and in defiance of their fundamental rights? Is it not concerned by the fact that falsely accused prisoners are often denied, adequate legal defense, including the most basic facilities such as pen and papers to prepare written defense statements?

COMMONWEALTH

Can the British Government explain the inclusion of the Maldives in the Commonwealth, when it is run by a President, who trained by Saddam Hussein, persistently violates international law and oppress the rights of his citizens?