Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07COLOMBO1588
2007-11-26 11:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
MALDIVES: CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSAL TO DISQUALIFY
how-toVZCZCXYZ0019 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHLM #1588/01 3301137 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 261137Z NOV 07 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7250 INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0560 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 7549 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 5716 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 4149 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1597 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2471 RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001588
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSAL TO DISQUALIFY
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE WITHDRAWN
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore. Reasons: 1.4(b, d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001588
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSAL TO DISQUALIFY
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE WITHDRAWN
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore. Reasons: 1.4(b, d).
1. (SBU) On November 24, pro-government members of the
Special Majlis (constituent assembly charged with drafting a
new constitution) put forward two proposed changes which
would effectively bar former Attorney General Hassan Saeed
from running in the country's first multi-candidate
Presidential election expected in 2008. The amendments would
raise the minimum age for candidates from 35 to 40 (Saeed is
37) and disqualify anyone with a foreign spouse (Saeed's wife
is a Malaysian Muslim). Saeed broke with the government in
August 2007, resigning as Attorney General, and has since
declared his independent candidacy for the job President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has held for the last 29 years. Saeed
and his political partner, former Foreign Minister Ahmed
Shaheed, have not yet announced whether they plan to convert
their "New Maldives" group, the former reform wing of the
ruling DRP, into a separate political party.
2. (SBU) Opposition parties, including the main opposition
Maldives Democratic Party, which is considering backing Saeed
for President, immediately rang alarm bells, alleging that
Gayoom was trying to manipulate the constitutional drafting
process to knock his principal opponent out of the running.
3. (C) Ambassador contacted Deputy Foreign Minister Dunya
Maumoon (the President's daughter) and Foreign Minister
Abdullah Shahid, who was representing President Gayoom at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.
Ambassador noted that "President Gayoom and the DRP have made
great progress in working with other parties to reform the
Constitution according to the timetable laid out by the
President. Such moves would call into question the
President's sincerity in seeking truly free and fair
elections." The Ambassador requested further information.
4. (C) Deputy Dunya Maumoon's initial response was "... the
government is committed to reform and definitely would not
want to bring in amendments that would seek to block the
candidature of any particular individual." Foreign Minister
Shahid, calling from Kampala, told Ambassador he thought the
one raising the minimum age would be withdrawn. However, he
was not sure about the foreign spouse provision, since there
was concern among religious conservatives in Maldives that
someone married to a Christian or Jew might become President.
Still, he assured Ambassador that the ruling party
representatives to the constituent assembly would be free to
vote their conscience.
5. (SBU) Hassan Saeed noted in a press conference on
November 25 that Commonwealth Secretary General McKinnon had
"expressed serious concerns on the attempt at technical
disqualification" to Foreign Minister Shahid in Kampala. He
also noted that the U.S. had expressed concern. He
reportedly threatened further diplomatic interventions by the
British Foreign Minister and the European Union.
6. (C) Hours later, senior DRP members announced that the
DRP was withdrawing the amendments. Dunya Maumoon informed
Ambassador and DCM in a e-mail stating, "The amendment
relating to the bar on head of state with a foreign spouse
has been withdrawn... DRP leadership is not supportive of
such a proposal. DRP is also not proposing to increase age
bar to 40 as alleged. It is unfortunate that a lot of
misinformation is being spread." Former Foregn Minister
Shaheed contacted Ambassador afterwads to thank him for his
"very prompt action over the Government's attempt to
disqualify Hassan's candidature."
7. (C) COMMENT: A move to disqualify Gayoom's most credible
challenger in the Presidential election would have had
negative repercussions on the reform process and the
political climate generally in Maldives, possibly giving
fresh impetus to the Muslim extremists who are, in any case,
wary of Western-style democracy. Fortunately, supporters of
the two ill-considered amendments backed away from their
proposals before any real damage was done. We did not think
it helpful for Saeed to call attention publicly to our
private overtures asking the government to reconsider,
however, and will let him and his supporters know at the next
opportunity that such publicity can only make it more
difficult for us to help in the future.
MOORE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSAL TO DISQUALIFY
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE WITHDRAWN
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore. Reasons: 1.4(b, d).
1. (SBU) On November 24, pro-government members of the
Special Majlis (constituent assembly charged with drafting a
new constitution) put forward two proposed changes which
would effectively bar former Attorney General Hassan Saeed
from running in the country's first multi-candidate
Presidential election expected in 2008. The amendments would
raise the minimum age for candidates from 35 to 40 (Saeed is
37) and disqualify anyone with a foreign spouse (Saeed's wife
is a Malaysian Muslim). Saeed broke with the government in
August 2007, resigning as Attorney General, and has since
declared his independent candidacy for the job President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has held for the last 29 years. Saeed
and his political partner, former Foreign Minister Ahmed
Shaheed, have not yet announced whether they plan to convert
their "New Maldives" group, the former reform wing of the
ruling DRP, into a separate political party.
2. (SBU) Opposition parties, including the main opposition
Maldives Democratic Party, which is considering backing Saeed
for President, immediately rang alarm bells, alleging that
Gayoom was trying to manipulate the constitutional drafting
process to knock his principal opponent out of the running.
3. (C) Ambassador contacted Deputy Foreign Minister Dunya
Maumoon (the President's daughter) and Foreign Minister
Abdullah Shahid, who was representing President Gayoom at the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala.
Ambassador noted that "President Gayoom and the DRP have made
great progress in working with other parties to reform the
Constitution according to the timetable laid out by the
President. Such moves would call into question the
President's sincerity in seeking truly free and fair
elections." The Ambassador requested further information.
4. (C) Deputy Dunya Maumoon's initial response was "... the
government is committed to reform and definitely would not
want to bring in amendments that would seek to block the
candidature of any particular individual." Foreign Minister
Shahid, calling from Kampala, told Ambassador he thought the
one raising the minimum age would be withdrawn. However, he
was not sure about the foreign spouse provision, since there
was concern among religious conservatives in Maldives that
someone married to a Christian or Jew might become President.
Still, he assured Ambassador that the ruling party
representatives to the constituent assembly would be free to
vote their conscience.
5. (SBU) Hassan Saeed noted in a press conference on
November 25 that Commonwealth Secretary General McKinnon had
"expressed serious concerns on the attempt at technical
disqualification" to Foreign Minister Shahid in Kampala. He
also noted that the U.S. had expressed concern. He
reportedly threatened further diplomatic interventions by the
British Foreign Minister and the European Union.
6. (C) Hours later, senior DRP members announced that the
DRP was withdrawing the amendments. Dunya Maumoon informed
Ambassador and DCM in a e-mail stating, "The amendment
relating to the bar on head of state with a foreign spouse
has been withdrawn... DRP leadership is not supportive of
such a proposal. DRP is also not proposing to increase age
bar to 40 as alleged. It is unfortunate that a lot of
misinformation is being spread." Former Foregn Minister
Shaheed contacted Ambassador afterwads to thank him for his
"very prompt action over the Government's attempt to
disqualify Hassan's candidature."
7. (C) COMMENT: A move to disqualify Gayoom's most credible
challenger in the Presidential election would have had
negative repercussions on the reform process and the
political climate generally in Maldives, possibly giving
fresh impetus to the Muslim extremists who are, in any case,
wary of Western-style democracy. Fortunately, supporters of
the two ill-considered amendments backed away from their
proposals before any real damage was done. We did not think
it helpful for Saeed to call attention publicly to our
private overtures asking the government to reconsider,
however, and will let him and his supporters know at the next
opportunity that such publicity can only make it more
difficult for us to help in the future.
MOORE