open letter free press
Open letter to the free press By Hussain Umar -Editorial -
Dear Colleagues of the Free Press,
I am writing to you to seek assistance in reporting the truth behind the allegations of human rights abuse, and the calls for tourism boycott in the Maldives.
As the editor of one of the leading online commentators on Maldivian politics (http://www.olhuala.com), I would like to clarify details of the situation in the Maldives and the accusations the Maldivian government and the president face today.
I would also like to point out with the utmost regret that the article published in The Observer on the 18th of December 2005, by Nick Cohen
(http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1669923,00.html)
, and the article published in the email journal eTurboNews on the 27th of December 2005, by David Browne are grossly inaccurate.
(http://www.travelwirenews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000070/007074.htm)
(See www.olhuala.com for clarifications on Browne’s
article)
Cohen refers to Gayyoom’s biography (Ellis, Royston - A Man for All Islands: A Biography of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (Times Editions: 1998) ISBN: 9-81-204852-9) and uses quotes out of context, and grossly misreported that Mohamed Nasheed the current chairman of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was arrested on arrival from exile. Nasheed arrived in Male’ the capital of the Maldives on the 10th of April 2005.
He was held in custody for some hours on the 2nd of June, while the parliament voted to pass the bill that introduced a multi-party system into the Maldivian political frame, under President Gayyoom’s reform initiative. The Police had information that Nasheed was indeed planning to assemble a mob that would create violent rioting in order to disrupt the Parliament session, in an effort to delay the reform process.
(http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/news/jun/03/03062005ap.htm
article titled “Maldives parliament okays multi-party democracy”)
By way of background, the MDP spokesperson, Nazim Sattar mentioned in the above AFP article is the younger brother of Mohamed Nasheed. It is not common in Maldivian culture to take the father’s surname as in the case of Nazim. (Their father’s name is Abdul Sattar, also known as Keneri Abdul Sattar).
Nasheed was arrested on the 12th of August 2005. He had raised and led a violent mob, who were arming themselves with iron bars and sharp objects (at Dhunfini Haruge also known as Galolhu Dhunfinihiya or Haruge, a meeting house used by the MDP) to carry out violent attacks on the streets of the capital, Male’.
These attacks were in fact carried out over the period of August 12th – 16th of 2005. MDP hooligans rampaged the streets of Male’ vandalising public property and hurling firebombs at police and riot control squads.
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=799&format=html)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=800&format=html)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/aug%2012-13.php)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=810&format=html)
Before I go on, I will provide a bit of background information, on the Maldives and its people, so that you, as a foreign observer will have a greater chance of comprehending the situation that we, the Maldivians are facing today.
The Maldives
Commentaries on the Maldives’ history have been published by the likes of Ibn Battuta, H.C.P Bell and Clarence Maloney.
The Maldives is an Indian Ocean Archipelago, which consists of some 1,190 coral islands. It is a well-known holiday destination. Its population is roughly 300,000 (three hundred thousand). The official language of the Maldives is Dhivehi, and the population of the Maldives is 100% Muslim.
The Maldivian economy largely depends on Tourism, and fishing. The Maldivian economy has matured over the last 27 years, and its per capita GDP is among the highest in the region.
(http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_desc.php)
(http://www.planning.gov.mv/publications/yearbook2005/Key%20Indicators/KeyIndicator2k5.pdf)
Male’
Male’ is the capital of the Maldives. It is an island of about 5 Sq Km. It is estimated that roughly 70,000(seventy
thousand) people live on this island capital.
(http://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Male_maldives.jpg)
As the population of the Maldives stands at approximately 300,000 and Male’ is the most densely populated island, almost all the residents of Male’ are related to each other, either directly through blood, or through marriage.
(For example, the leader of the MDP, Mr Ibrahim Ismail, is the uncle of President Gayyoom’s wife’s half brother).
Independence
Records show that the Portuguese ruled the Maldives, for 15 years from 1558 AD. Since it was liberated by the great Maldivian hero Mohamed Thakurufaanu (who later became king) Maldives has been independent.
Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887, and was used extensively during WWII for air force and naval bases. Most notably Seenu Atoll (also called Addu Atoll) Gan (then known as RAF Gan) was used as an RAF base.
Maldives regained full independence on 26th July 1965.
(http://ianhunt.tripod.com/RAFGan.htm)
Since the British occupation of Addu Atoll, its people have been inclined against the central government in Male’.
Government
Traditionally, Maldives was a Monarchy, and became a Republic, in 1953 and Mohamed Amin Didi became the first Maldivian president.
In 1954 the Monarchy was restored after the president was brutally murdered by a rampaging mob.
The second republic was established in 1968. Ibrahim
Naasir became president. Naasir held the post until Gayyoom succeeded him, in November 1978.
Gayyoom has since been re-elected six times.
Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom
A graduate from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Gayyoom is a university lecturer by trade. Since his return to Male’, he was involved in politics, and he held a number of government posts before being elected president in 1978.
(http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=147001&int2ndParentNodeID=146921&int3rdParentNodeID=146921)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maumoon_Abdul_Gayoom)
Gayyoom is happily married, and has four children and three
grandchildren.
One of the main criticisms that Gayyom has faced during his presidency is one of nepotism. As mentioned above, due to the structure of Maldivian society, most people are related either through blood or marriage. (See below)
Although several ‘news’ reporters claim otherwise, it was Gayyoom who proposed the introduction of a multi-party political system to the Maldives, the then attorney general Dr Munawwar (recent MDP leadership candidate) offered his official legal opinion stating that a multi-party system was not allowed by the Maldivian constitution.
Dr. Hassan Saeed, the current attorney general has since, his appointment proved that, the legal advice offered by Dr. Munawwar was in fact flawed. Hence political parties have been introduced since 2nd
June 2005.
Four major political parties exist in the Maldives at present. They are the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, the MDP, the Adhaalath Party, and the Islamic Democratic Party.
3rd November 1988
The world was shocked by the invasion of the Maldives by a band of mercenaries in the early hours of Thursday the 3rd of November 1988.
The mercenaries belonged to the Sri Lankan Tamil terrorist group known as the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), formed in 1980 by Karthiragamar Uma Maheswaran (also known asMukundan).
http://www.plote.org/
It was initially thought that only two Maldivian conspirators were involved in this attack. Abdulla Luthfee and Sagaru Ahmed Naasir (Maldivian nationals) accompanied the mercenaries to Male’ on that day.
Nineteen innocent Maldivians died on the streets of Male’ that day. Many, including civilians, were killed in cold blood by gunshots to the head and by mortar fire as the terrorists indiscriminately savaged the city and a terrified, peaceful populace.
Indian papratroopers foiled the attack, and the mercenaries were later captured while attempting to escape on the hijacked Maldivian freighter MV Progress Light. The Indian Navy Vessel INS Godhavari captured the mercenaries.
(http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0715FD35550C708CDDA80994D0484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fMaldives)
(http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB071FF6355C0C778CDDA80994D0484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fMaldives)
(http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0710FF35540C748CDDA80994D0484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fMaldives)
(http://www.defencetalk.com/pictures/showphoto.php/photo/7567/cat/253)
(http://www.olhuala.com/gallery/november3/november3.html)
Investigations that followed the successful capture of the terrorists revealed that seven Maldivians were involved with the planning and financing of the attack.
It emerged that Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku (also known as Sikka) was the mastermind behind the attack, and that he was the chief financier of the operation.
Sikka is the uncle of the MDP chairman and self-proclaimed
‘pro-democracy activist’. It has emerged recently that Nasheed himself was involved in the planning of the attacks.
Sikka was tried and convicted on 19 counts of murder and sentenced to death. President Gayyoom later granted him a stay of execution. (All death sentences laid down by the
court were commuted to life terms in prison by Gayyoom. Although the death penalty exists in Maldivian law, no one
has been executed during Gayyoom’s presidency.)
Sikka is the chief financier of the MDP at present.
The Maldivian Democratic Party
The concept of the MDP was born in 2001. Gasim Ibrahim, the current Minister of Finance and Treasury was among the
founders of the MDP (he defected to the DRP on the 18th of August 2005, due to MDP mob violence.)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=820&format=html)
Although the MDP accuses Gayyoom of nepotism, this phenomenon is seen within the MDP itself.
The major factions within the MDP are the Kenereege(name of Nasheed’s house, Maldivian houses have names, not numbers)
faction, Ibrahim Ismail (MP, MDP leader, also known as Ibra) faction and the Nedhunge (house name of MDP chief spokesman Mohamed Latheef, also known as Gogo Latheef).
For example, Mohamed Nasheed, Nazim Sattar, Eva Abdulla, Zuhaira Dheyliya, Abdul Jaleel (also known as Abujee), Ahmed Ismail Maniku (Sikka), Abdul Sattar (also known as Keneri Abdul Sattar), Aishath Nazeeha Ismail and Yasra Jaleel are a few key MDP figures of the Kenereege faction who hold positions within the MDP hierarchy.
Abdul Jaleel, Abdul Sattar and Zuhaira are siblings, while Eva is the daughter of Zuhaira, Nazim and Nasheed are sons of Abdul Sattar and Yasra is the daughter of Abdul Jaleel. Hence Eva,Nazim/Nasheed and Yasra are cousins. Sikka is married to Nasheed’s Aunt. Nazeeha is Sikka’s daughter.
The Kenereege faction controls the MDP. This family has bred three generations of terrorists. In 1974 Nasheed’s father,Abdul Sattar attempted to assassinate the then Maldivian President Ibrahim Naasir, with co-conspirator Abdulla Luthfee (the same Abdulla Luthfee who teamed up
with Abul Sattar’s brother-in-law Sikka, and Abdul Sattar’s
son Mohamed Nasheed in 1988, to carry out the mercenary attack mentioned above.)
Since his return to the Maldives from self-exile, in April 2005, Mohamed Nasheed has been trying to find ways to assassinate president Gayyoom. Nasheed has stated so publicly. History tells the Maldivian people that Nasheed has the potential to carry out such a gruesome attack.
It was decided by the Kenereege faction in July 2001, that a foreign ‘white man’ or Europeans had to be employed so that the international community would ‘buy’ their story of being pro-democracy campaigners, when history points to the contrary.
The Kenereege faction recruited such a man, in July 2001. His name is David Justus Hardingham.
The Friends of Maldives, Maldives Aid, Minivan Radio Limited, David Hardingham and the Boycott Campagn
There is no registered UK based aid and campaign organisation under the name ‘Friends of Maldives’.
There is in fact a charity registered under that name, run by one Ms. Toni de la Roque.
This charity has absolutely no connection to the organisation (run by David Hardingham) that also calls it self ‘Friends of Maldives’.
Hardingham is in violation of UK laws, by using a registered name, unlawfully.
The real 'Friends of Maldives' has formally lodged protests about the illegal use and abuse of its good name by David Hardingham and his band.
Although Hardingham has denied it several times, he is in fact the leader of the international wing of the MDP. It is illegal under Maldivian law for foreign nationals to be directly involved in Maldivian politics.
It has come to our attention that the constitution of the FoM (as Hardingham continues to call his illicit grouping, albeit ill-advisedly) was drafted by the UK law firm Clyde & Co (of 51 Eastcheap, London EC3M 1JP, UK).
It has also been revealed that Ahmed Moosa, the MDP council member and junior spokesperson (who has represented the MDP on the BBC on several occasions) acted on behalf of the FoM in dealing with Clyde & Co.
Legal assistant Rizwan Kanji, who handled the matter on behalf of Clyde & Co, should be able to clarify this for you if requested. He will in fact inform you that the same client number (33010) and the same matter number (0401704) was assigned to all the documents Clyde & Co produced for both Hardingham’s FoM and the MDP, and that Mr Moosa was the contact acting on behalf of both the MDP and Hardingham’s FoM.
Hardingham has so far been unable to comment on this issue.
(www.olhuala.com has obtained an electronic copy of this document as evidence. Please visit the website, download the file and open with Microsoft Word, and click on File, Properties to view, authorship and client details of the file.)
Further, Hardingham’s organisation signed a contract with a UK charity, Tourism Concern in an effort to disrupt tourist arrivals to the Maldives.
Again Hardingham has been unable to elaborate on this.
www.olhuala.com has obtained a copy of this contract,
and it is downloadable from our main page.
The Boycott Campaign
David Hardingham and his ‘political destabilisation’ consultant Nicholas Grace pioneered the philosophy behind the boycott campaign. This philosophy is widely known among MDP/FoM activists as ‘rocking the dhoni from the inside’ (dhoni - traditional Maldivian boat) as was described in an email circulated by Mr. Hardingham, to MDP/FoM members.
In that email, Hardingham stated that “the easiest way to dislodge President Gayoom from power is to starve his people so that they [the Maldivian people] will revolt against him [Gayoom]”; hence the phrase ‘rock the dhoni from the inside’.
David Hardingham
David Justus Hardingham was born on the 19th of May 1965 in South Africa. He moved to the UK around 1982 and has been accorded British citizenship.
In June 1991, Hardingham married Tan Hung Lau in Salisbury, England.
David Hardingham has led a life of opulence and riches since he started work for the MDP in mid 2001. This he supports through moneys he receives from the Maldives through the MDP.
Since he began work for the MDP, Hardingham has purchased two properties. His current residence was purchased on the 21st of November 2001 and the proprietors are David Hardingham and Tan Hung Lau-Hardingham. The purchase price was £ 136,000 (One hundred and thirty six thousand Pounds Sterling).
Hardingham bought his second property on the 31st of October 2003, for a price of £137,000 (one hundred and thirty seven thousand Pounds Sterling). The proprietor is David Justus Hardingham.
Hardingham has also purchased a BMW 3 Series car and a Mini Cooper car within this time period.
Hardingham did not waste any time in forming new companies, with his new found capital.
Hardingham formed Barefoot Banboo Limited (UK registration number 04597782) on the 21st of November 2002, with his two brothers Peter Guy and Timothy Leonard Hardingham.
David Hardingham formed another company named Flora Trading Limited (UK registration number 04803669), on the 18th of June2003. His wife remains the sole director. Hardingham was appointed company secretary; he resigned from this position on the 2nd of August 2004.
Dinghams Fireplaces Limited was incorporated in the United Kingdom on 19 March 2003 (UK registration number 04702333). Although Hardingham does not appear on the paperwork, he is closely associated with this venture between Peter Guy and Timothy Leonard, David’s two brothers.
David Hardingham incorporated Minivan Radio Limited
(UK registration number 05219579) on the 15th of September 2004.
Ahmed Naseer, a Maldivian national, and a member of the governing council of the Maldivian Democratic Party was appointed company secretary of this company on the 15th of September 2004.
Hardingham received funds from Account Number: 011-066186 101 HSBC Bank, Colombo – 3, Sri Lanka, the US Dollar account of the above mentioned Ahmed Ismail Maniku (Sikka).
Hardingham also receives funds through Sikka’s daughter Nazeeha, who is based in London.
Hence it is not surprising that, while Hardingham claims to be a human rights activists, who believes in promoting ‘ethical’tourism, he does not denounce the several islands owned by Sikka, a convicted murderer and terrorist.
It may well be possible (and a suitable route of enquiry) that this supposed 'selected islands boycott' is a means of eliminating competition for Sikka and his cohorts.
Hardingham’s Accusations
The main crime Hardingham’s FoM accuses Gayyoom of committing has nothing to do with the Maldives President.
It is actually a case of police brutality in a state prison. Hassan Evan Naseem, (19, serving time for narcotics offences) was heavily beaten by a group of prison wardens, causing his death. This gruesome act led to rioting by prisonersin the compound. Cornered wardens shot and killed a number of other inmates. These facts were established both by an independent public enquiry and in the trials of the accused wardens.
It is unjustified to hold the country's president personally responsible these acts committed by persons acting against all laws and regulations. We do not see British Prime Minister Tony Blair being held personally responsible for the Metropolitan Police killing of Brazilian National Jean Charles de Menezes in August 2005. Such a claim is plainly ridiculous.
The prison wardens who committed these horrific crimes were in fact charged, tried and subsequently found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by Maldivian courts.
Mr. Hardingham and FoM refer to 'institutionalised torture' and the existence of a police state. However, noone has claimed there exists a 'list of missing political prisoners' or the existence of mass graves. One prison death due to police maltreatment in the last 25 years is quite frankly not enough evidence to base such claims upon. These claims are plainly ridiculous.
Western Opinion
While considering Hardingham’s accusations on Gayyoom and his government, it is important to consider what western governments are saying about President Gayyoom and his government.
Hence as a final piece of evidence I present to you the official websites of the Her Majesty’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the official website of the United States State Department.
(http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018965337338)
(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5476.htm)
I also take the liberty of including a link to the Official website of the Maldives Presidents Office, so that you may appreciate Maldives Government positions on all pertinent issues.
(http://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/v3/pages/body.phtml?ID=21&Table=Head2)
Dear Colleagues, I urge you to use your resources to delve into these matters further and to report the truth of these matters to the world, as the people have the right to know the truth.
It is your duty and your responsibility to prevent people with unfair and ulterior motives from hijacking the truth.
Alarmingly, the established international press has shown a tendency to take 'facts' presented by groups such as FoM as given, and their stories at face value.
I therefore appeal to that noble spirit of objectivity and rational inquiry that we know resides in the soul of every professional journalist and reporter.
Visit http://www.olhuala.com for accurate commentary of Maldivian Politics.
Thank you.
Most Humbly
Hussain Umar
The Editor- www.olhuala.com
Click to read full article
Dear Colleagues of the Free Press,
I am writing to you to seek assistance in reporting the truth behind the allegations of human rights abuse, and the calls for tourism boycott in the Maldives.
As the editor of one of the leading online commentators on Maldivian politics (http://www.olhuala.com), I would like to clarify details of the situation in the Maldives and the accusations the Maldivian government and the president face today.
I would also like to point out with the utmost regret that the article published in The Observer on the 18th of December 2005, by Nick Cohen
(http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1669923,00.html)
, and the article published in the email journal eTurboNews on the 27th of December 2005, by David Browne are grossly inaccurate.
(http://www.travelwirenews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000070/007074.htm)
(See www.olhuala.com for clarifications on Browne’s
article)
Cohen refers to Gayyoom’s biography (Ellis, Royston - A Man for All Islands: A Biography of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (Times Editions: 1998) ISBN: 9-81-204852-9) and uses quotes out of context, and grossly misreported that Mohamed Nasheed the current chairman of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was arrested on arrival from exile. Nasheed arrived in Male’ the capital of the Maldives on the 10th of April 2005.
He was held in custody for some hours on the 2nd of June, while the parliament voted to pass the bill that introduced a multi-party system into the Maldivian political frame, under President Gayyoom’s reform initiative. The Police had information that Nasheed was indeed planning to assemble a mob that would create violent rioting in order to disrupt the Parliament session, in an effort to delay the reform process.
(http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/news/jun/03/03062005ap.htm
article titled “Maldives parliament okays multi-party democracy”)
By way of background, the MDP spokesperson, Nazim Sattar mentioned in the above AFP article is the younger brother of Mohamed Nasheed. It is not common in Maldivian culture to take the father’s surname as in the case of Nazim. (Their father’s name is Abdul Sattar, also known as Keneri Abdul Sattar).
Nasheed was arrested on the 12th of August 2005. He had raised and led a violent mob, who were arming themselves with iron bars and sharp objects (at Dhunfini Haruge also known as Galolhu Dhunfinihiya or Haruge, a meeting house used by the MDP) to carry out violent attacks on the streets of the capital, Male’.
These attacks were in fact carried out over the period of August 12th – 16th of 2005. MDP hooligans rampaged the streets of Male’ vandalising public property and hurling firebombs at police and riot control squads.
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=799&format=html)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=800&format=html)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/aug%2012-13.php)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=810&format=html)
Before I go on, I will provide a bit of background information, on the Maldives and its people, so that you, as a foreign observer will have a greater chance of comprehending the situation that we, the Maldivians are facing today.
The Maldives
Commentaries on the Maldives’ history have been published by the likes of Ibn Battuta, H.C.P Bell and Clarence Maloney.
The Maldives is an Indian Ocean Archipelago, which consists of some 1,190 coral islands. It is a well-known holiday destination. Its population is roughly 300,000 (three hundred thousand). The official language of the Maldives is Dhivehi, and the population of the Maldives is 100% Muslim.
The Maldivian economy largely depends on Tourism, and fishing. The Maldivian economy has matured over the last 27 years, and its per capita GDP is among the highest in the region.
(http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_desc.php)
(http://www.planning.gov.mv/publications/yearbook2005/Key%20Indicators/KeyIndicator2k5.pdf)
Male’
Male’ is the capital of the Maldives. It is an island of about 5 Sq Km. It is estimated that roughly 70,000(seventy
thousand) people live on this island capital.
(http://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Male_maldives.jpg)
As the population of the Maldives stands at approximately 300,000 and Male’ is the most densely populated island, almost all the residents of Male’ are related to each other, either directly through blood, or through marriage.
(For example, the leader of the MDP, Mr Ibrahim Ismail, is the uncle of President Gayyoom’s wife’s half brother).
Independence
Records show that the Portuguese ruled the Maldives, for 15 years from 1558 AD. Since it was liberated by the great Maldivian hero Mohamed Thakurufaanu (who later became king) Maldives has been independent.
Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887, and was used extensively during WWII for air force and naval bases. Most notably Seenu Atoll (also called Addu Atoll) Gan (then known as RAF Gan) was used as an RAF base.
Maldives regained full independence on 26th July 1965.
(http://ianhunt.tripod.com/RAFGan.htm)
Since the British occupation of Addu Atoll, its people have been inclined against the central government in Male’.
Government
Traditionally, Maldives was a Monarchy, and became a Republic, in 1953 and Mohamed Amin Didi became the first Maldivian president.
In 1954 the Monarchy was restored after the president was brutally murdered by a rampaging mob.
The second republic was established in 1968. Ibrahim
Naasir became president. Naasir held the post until Gayyoom succeeded him, in November 1978.
Gayyoom has since been re-elected six times.
Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom
A graduate from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Gayyoom is a university lecturer by trade. Since his return to Male’, he was involved in politics, and he held a number of government posts before being elected president in 1978.
(http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=147001&int2ndParentNodeID=146921&int3rdParentNodeID=146921)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maumoon_Abdul_Gayoom)
Gayyoom is happily married, and has four children and three
grandchildren.
One of the main criticisms that Gayyom has faced during his presidency is one of nepotism. As mentioned above, due to the structure of Maldivian society, most people are related either through blood or marriage. (See below)
Although several ‘news’ reporters claim otherwise, it was Gayyoom who proposed the introduction of a multi-party political system to the Maldives, the then attorney general Dr Munawwar (recent MDP leadership candidate) offered his official legal opinion stating that a multi-party system was not allowed by the Maldivian constitution.
Dr. Hassan Saeed, the current attorney general has since, his appointment proved that, the legal advice offered by Dr. Munawwar was in fact flawed. Hence political parties have been introduced since 2nd
June 2005.
Four major political parties exist in the Maldives at present. They are the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, the MDP, the Adhaalath Party, and the Islamic Democratic Party.
3rd November 1988
The world was shocked by the invasion of the Maldives by a band of mercenaries in the early hours of Thursday the 3rd of November 1988.
The mercenaries belonged to the Sri Lankan Tamil terrorist group known as the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), formed in 1980 by Karthiragamar Uma Maheswaran (also known asMukundan).
http://www.plote.org/
It was initially thought that only two Maldivian conspirators were involved in this attack. Abdulla Luthfee and Sagaru Ahmed Naasir (Maldivian nationals) accompanied the mercenaries to Male’ on that day.
Nineteen innocent Maldivians died on the streets of Male’ that day. Many, including civilians, were killed in cold blood by gunshots to the head and by mortar fire as the terrorists indiscriminately savaged the city and a terrified, peaceful populace.
Indian papratroopers foiled the attack, and the mercenaries were later captured while attempting to escape on the hijacked Maldivian freighter MV Progress Light. The Indian Navy Vessel INS Godhavari captured the mercenaries.
(http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0715FD35550C708CDDA80994D0484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fMaldives)
(http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB071FF6355C0C778CDDA80994D0484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fMaldives)
(http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0710FF35540C748CDDA80994D0484D81&n=Top%2fNews%2fInternational%2fCountries%20and%20Territories%2fMaldives)
(http://www.defencetalk.com/pictures/showphoto.php/photo/7567/cat/253)
(http://www.olhuala.com/gallery/november3/november3.html)
Investigations that followed the successful capture of the terrorists revealed that seven Maldivians were involved with the planning and financing of the attack.
It emerged that Sikka Ahmed Ismail Maniku (also known as Sikka) was the mastermind behind the attack, and that he was the chief financier of the operation.
Sikka is the uncle of the MDP chairman and self-proclaimed
‘pro-democracy activist’. It has emerged recently that Nasheed himself was involved in the planning of the attacks.
Sikka was tried and convicted on 19 counts of murder and sentenced to death. President Gayyoom later granted him a stay of execution. (All death sentences laid down by the
court were commuted to life terms in prison by Gayyoom. Although the death penalty exists in Maldivian law, no one
has been executed during Gayyoom’s presidency.)
Sikka is the chief financier of the MDP at present.
The Maldivian Democratic Party
The concept of the MDP was born in 2001. Gasim Ibrahim, the current Minister of Finance and Treasury was among the
founders of the MDP (he defected to the DRP on the 18th of August 2005, due to MDP mob violence.)
(http://www.hatharudhan.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=820&format=html)
Although the MDP accuses Gayyoom of nepotism, this phenomenon is seen within the MDP itself.
The major factions within the MDP are the Kenereege(name of Nasheed’s house, Maldivian houses have names, not numbers)
faction, Ibrahim Ismail (MP, MDP leader, also known as Ibra) faction and the Nedhunge (house name of MDP chief spokesman Mohamed Latheef, also known as Gogo Latheef).
For example, Mohamed Nasheed, Nazim Sattar, Eva Abdulla, Zuhaira Dheyliya, Abdul Jaleel (also known as Abujee), Ahmed Ismail Maniku (Sikka), Abdul Sattar (also known as Keneri Abdul Sattar), Aishath Nazeeha Ismail and Yasra Jaleel are a few key MDP figures of the Kenereege faction who hold positions within the MDP hierarchy.
Abdul Jaleel, Abdul Sattar and Zuhaira are siblings, while Eva is the daughter of Zuhaira, Nazim and Nasheed are sons of Abdul Sattar and Yasra is the daughter of Abdul Jaleel. Hence Eva,Nazim/Nasheed and Yasra are cousins. Sikka is married to Nasheed’s Aunt. Nazeeha is Sikka’s daughter.
The Kenereege faction controls the MDP. This family has bred three generations of terrorists. In 1974 Nasheed’s father,Abdul Sattar attempted to assassinate the then Maldivian President Ibrahim Naasir, with co-conspirator Abdulla Luthfee (the same Abdulla Luthfee who teamed up
with Abul Sattar’s brother-in-law Sikka, and Abdul Sattar’s
son Mohamed Nasheed in 1988, to carry out the mercenary attack mentioned above.)
Since his return to the Maldives from self-exile, in April 2005, Mohamed Nasheed has been trying to find ways to assassinate president Gayyoom. Nasheed has stated so publicly. History tells the Maldivian people that Nasheed has the potential to carry out such a gruesome attack.
It was decided by the Kenereege faction in July 2001, that a foreign ‘white man’ or Europeans had to be employed so that the international community would ‘buy’ their story of being pro-democracy campaigners, when history points to the contrary.
The Kenereege faction recruited such a man, in July 2001. His name is David Justus Hardingham.
The Friends of Maldives, Maldives Aid, Minivan Radio Limited, David Hardingham and the Boycott Campagn
There is no registered UK based aid and campaign organisation under the name ‘Friends of Maldives’.
There is in fact a charity registered under that name, run by one Ms. Toni de la Roque.
This charity has absolutely no connection to the organisation (run by David Hardingham) that also calls it self ‘Friends of Maldives’.
Hardingham is in violation of UK laws, by using a registered name, unlawfully.
The real 'Friends of Maldives' has formally lodged protests about the illegal use and abuse of its good name by David Hardingham and his band.
Although Hardingham has denied it several times, he is in fact the leader of the international wing of the MDP. It is illegal under Maldivian law for foreign nationals to be directly involved in Maldivian politics.
It has come to our attention that the constitution of the FoM (as Hardingham continues to call his illicit grouping, albeit ill-advisedly) was drafted by the UK law firm Clyde & Co (of 51 Eastcheap, London EC3M 1JP, UK).
It has also been revealed that Ahmed Moosa, the MDP council member and junior spokesperson (who has represented the MDP on the BBC on several occasions) acted on behalf of the FoM in dealing with Clyde & Co.
Legal assistant Rizwan Kanji, who handled the matter on behalf of Clyde & Co, should be able to clarify this for you if requested. He will in fact inform you that the same client number (33010) and the same matter number (0401704) was assigned to all the documents Clyde & Co produced for both Hardingham’s FoM and the MDP, and that Mr Moosa was the contact acting on behalf of both the MDP and Hardingham’s FoM.
Hardingham has so far been unable to comment on this issue.
(www.olhuala.com has obtained an electronic copy of this document as evidence. Please visit the website, download the file and open with Microsoft Word, and click on File, Properties to view, authorship and client details of the file.)
Further, Hardingham’s organisation signed a contract with a UK charity, Tourism Concern in an effort to disrupt tourist arrivals to the Maldives.
Again Hardingham has been unable to elaborate on this.
www.olhuala.com has obtained a copy of this contract,
and it is downloadable from our main page.
The Boycott Campaign
David Hardingham and his ‘political destabilisation’ consultant Nicholas Grace pioneered the philosophy behind the boycott campaign. This philosophy is widely known among MDP/FoM activists as ‘rocking the dhoni from the inside’ (dhoni - traditional Maldivian boat) as was described in an email circulated by Mr. Hardingham, to MDP/FoM members.
In that email, Hardingham stated that “the easiest way to dislodge President Gayoom from power is to starve his people so that they [the Maldivian people] will revolt against him [Gayoom]”; hence the phrase ‘rock the dhoni from the inside’.
David Hardingham
David Justus Hardingham was born on the 19th of May 1965 in South Africa. He moved to the UK around 1982 and has been accorded British citizenship.
In June 1991, Hardingham married Tan Hung Lau in Salisbury, England.
David Hardingham has led a life of opulence and riches since he started work for the MDP in mid 2001. This he supports through moneys he receives from the Maldives through the MDP.
Since he began work for the MDP, Hardingham has purchased two properties. His current residence was purchased on the 21st of November 2001 and the proprietors are David Hardingham and Tan Hung Lau-Hardingham. The purchase price was £ 136,000 (One hundred and thirty six thousand Pounds Sterling).
Hardingham bought his second property on the 31st of October 2003, for a price of £137,000 (one hundred and thirty seven thousand Pounds Sterling). The proprietor is David Justus Hardingham.
Hardingham has also purchased a BMW 3 Series car and a Mini Cooper car within this time period.
Hardingham did not waste any time in forming new companies, with his new found capital.
Hardingham formed Barefoot Banboo Limited (UK registration number 04597782) on the 21st of November 2002, with his two brothers Peter Guy and Timothy Leonard Hardingham.
David Hardingham formed another company named Flora Trading Limited (UK registration number 04803669), on the 18th of June2003. His wife remains the sole director. Hardingham was appointed company secretary; he resigned from this position on the 2nd of August 2004.
Dinghams Fireplaces Limited was incorporated in the United Kingdom on 19 March 2003 (UK registration number 04702333). Although Hardingham does not appear on the paperwork, he is closely associated with this venture between Peter Guy and Timothy Leonard, David’s two brothers.
David Hardingham incorporated Minivan Radio Limited
(UK registration number 05219579) on the 15th of September 2004.
Ahmed Naseer, a Maldivian national, and a member of the governing council of the Maldivian Democratic Party was appointed company secretary of this company on the 15th of September 2004.
Hardingham received funds from Account Number: 011-066186 101 HSBC Bank, Colombo – 3, Sri Lanka, the US Dollar account of the above mentioned Ahmed Ismail Maniku (Sikka).
Hardingham also receives funds through Sikka’s daughter Nazeeha, who is based in London.
Hence it is not surprising that, while Hardingham claims to be a human rights activists, who believes in promoting ‘ethical’tourism, he does not denounce the several islands owned by Sikka, a convicted murderer and terrorist.
It may well be possible (and a suitable route of enquiry) that this supposed 'selected islands boycott' is a means of eliminating competition for Sikka and his cohorts.
Hardingham’s Accusations
The main crime Hardingham’s FoM accuses Gayyoom of committing has nothing to do with the Maldives President.
It is actually a case of police brutality in a state prison. Hassan Evan Naseem, (19, serving time for narcotics offences) was heavily beaten by a group of prison wardens, causing his death. This gruesome act led to rioting by prisonersin the compound. Cornered wardens shot and killed a number of other inmates. These facts were established both by an independent public enquiry and in the trials of the accused wardens.
It is unjustified to hold the country's president personally responsible these acts committed by persons acting against all laws and regulations. We do not see British Prime Minister Tony Blair being held personally responsible for the Metropolitan Police killing of Brazilian National Jean Charles de Menezes in August 2005. Such a claim is plainly ridiculous.
The prison wardens who committed these horrific crimes were in fact charged, tried and subsequently found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by Maldivian courts.
Mr. Hardingham and FoM refer to 'institutionalised torture' and the existence of a police state. However, noone has claimed there exists a 'list of missing political prisoners' or the existence of mass graves. One prison death due to police maltreatment in the last 25 years is quite frankly not enough evidence to base such claims upon. These claims are plainly ridiculous.
Western Opinion
While considering Hardingham’s accusations on Gayyoom and his government, it is important to consider what western governments are saying about President Gayyoom and his government.
Hence as a final piece of evidence I present to you the official websites of the Her Majesty’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the official website of the United States State Department.
(http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018965337338)
(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5476.htm)
I also take the liberty of including a link to the Official website of the Maldives Presidents Office, so that you may appreciate Maldives Government positions on all pertinent issues.
(http://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/v3/pages/body.phtml?ID=21&Table=Head2)
Dear Colleagues, I urge you to use your resources to delve into these matters further and to report the truth of these matters to the world, as the people have the right to know the truth.
It is your duty and your responsibility to prevent people with unfair and ulterior motives from hijacking the truth.
Alarmingly, the established international press has shown a tendency to take 'facts' presented by groups such as FoM as given, and their stories at face value.
I therefore appeal to that noble spirit of objectivity and rational inquiry that we know resides in the soul of every professional journalist and reporter.
Visit http://www.olhuala.com for accurate commentary of Maldivian Politics.
Thank you.
Most Humbly
Hussain Umar
The Editor- www.olhuala.com
Click to read full article