'Golhaabo' the title ingrained in the minds of Maldivians survey reveals :: Maldives News :: Dhivehi Observer

Special Report

'Golhaabo' the title ingrained in the minds of Maldivians survey reveals

7 August 2006

The results of a recently conducted survey amongst the Maldivians, including youth and young children has revealed that the famous title, given to the murderous dictator of the Maldives, 'Golhaabo' is deeply ingrained in the minds of the Maldivian. The Dictator was referred by many in the business community of Male' as 'Golhaabo' for many years but it is undoubtedly Dhivehi Observer which made the title so popular.

When questioned about the name of the President of the Maldives, the response was spontaneous; 68% replied "Golhaabo" and when asked "Who is Golhaabo?", similar percentage responded, "Maumoon".

When Golhaabo came to power through a covert coup in 1978, he started a campaign to position himself as equivalent to God. The campaign which continued for almost 25 years through state owned media under the strict control of Golhaabo, backed by Haveeru Daily (owned by Golhaabo's trusted friend Zahir Hussain) and Aafathis (owned by his brother in law, Abbas Ibrahim, a well known mob leader in the Maldives) resulted in many, especially the children being unable to explain the difference between "President" and "Maumoon". "At that time, they thought Maumoon is the title for Maldives President. They didn't know the fact that Maumoon is one of the Presidents" a Maldivian teacher explained.

However, the mass media campaign led by Dhivehi Observer website, one of the fiercest critics of the Dictator, has turned things almost 360 degrees. "Today even children of this country don't respect him" said the teacher. "If he has any love for this nation, and respect for Islam, he should step down and make way for a people's democratic government to take charge of our country" she added further. "He has no respect, the people have no faith in him and someone who did not purposely rule by the rule of law cannot be entrusted to bring in democratic reform and empower us. This is common sense. Golhaabo is a ruthless dictator and will remain so and we could never forgive him for his crimes, for destroying our nation and for keeping us all under siege for so many years", she concluded.

The result of this survey is backed by the fact that when people demonstrate against this regime, they do not chant 'Resign Maumoon' anymore, instead they chant 'Golhaabo Faibaa' (meaning Get Off Golhaabo).

This survey was conducted amongst 2500 people from 29 islands, out of which 1200 were children. It has revealed the level of political awareness among the people today, especially the younger generation. "Their reference of Golhaabo for Maumoon (Maldives Dictator) is a significant achievement for the movement calling for democratic change. Never in the history of Maldives nor any other country has seen such a dramatic change in such a short space of time in such drastic fashion", said the western educated Government official, who headed this survey group.

The group is currently organizing a survey to identify "The most hated people in the Maldives" and Golhaabo of course is expected to top the list.