outrage
Outrage over MDP “Civil Violence”Moonisa Easa – Political Analyst
Male’, Maldives, 14th January 2006 (olhuala.com) – The Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) violent “civil disobedience” campaign has been widely condemned by the peace loving general public. The activities advertised as “Civil Disobedience” by the MDP has mainly involved violence, arson and vandalism, hardly activities that can be included within the scope of the historical concept of Civil Disobedience.
The MDP campaign began when, MDP activists detained private and government surveyors on Huvadhoo Atoll Fares-Maathoda as hostages. Events have since, unfolded in Seenu Atoll and the Capital, Male’.
“Individuals who came out of a closed door MDP, members only meeting attacked DRP [Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party] members, the residents of Hithadhoo and MPS [Maldives Police Services] constables after the DRP rally [S. Hithadhoo, early hours of 13th January]. MDP members rammed a van into MPS constables [S. Hithadhoo, late evening on the 13th of January]. MDP activists set fire to an MPS vehicle [S. Maradhoo, late evening on the 13th of January]. Kaanal Nasheed [elected member of the Constitutional Assembly for Male’] arrived at the Jumhooree Maidhaan last night with a violent mob that attacked, Male’ residents and onlookers. I hardly think this is civil disobedience. This is nothing but organised terror” says Ahmed Nihaan, the youth representative of the DRP Executive Committee.
Several members of the public have expressed their disgust at the MDP’s actions over the last few weeks. Analysts have even renamed the MDP’s “Civil Disobedience” campaign as the MDP’s “Civil Violence” campaign.
Henry David Thoreau of Massachusetts USA, the political philosopher believed to be the authority on civil disobedience defines the concept as “Refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation, characterized by the use of passive resistance or other nonviolent means”. Thoreau’s philosophies were later implemented by world famous freedom fighters such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
To the contrary to the actual concept of civil disobedience, the MDP leadership have publicly called on violent measures and incited hatred among MDP activists.
Ibrahim Zaki, the MDP’s Vice-President told MDP members “The heroes of Maathoda have set a fine example for all of us. I call upon you to use their methods in order to achieve our goal of overthrowing the corrupt Gayoom regime” while commenting on the events of Fares Maathoda, while speaking at an MDP meeting on the 7th of January.
Nihaan says: “The MDP leadership is deliberately misinforming and conning MDP’s grass-roots members. These members have little education and the term ‘civil disobedience’ sounds a noble concept, as it has been portrayed in history by great leaders such as Mandela and Gandhi”.
“The MDP leadership then go on to include arson, murder, vandalism and jail-breaks as part of civil disobedience. These activities are more readily classed as sedition, terrorism, insurgence or criminal offences. They are using the gullibility of their own activists and using them as pawns while the leadership fat cats stay away from the consequences.”
It is also reported that these violent measures have created serious disagreements within the MDP’s shadow cabinet. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Maniku, (MDP leadership candidate and member of shadow cabinet) was reported as saying “the biggest obstacle I faced, when I joined the MDP is the fact that the MDP was not developed as a political party. The MDP was developed as a revolutionary group with the sole goal of overthrowing the Government in mind” on Hamaroalhi (Volume 1, Number 13, Sunday 25th December 2005), a respectable weekly magazine.
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