SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS: MALDIVIAN PARTIES LEARNING ABOUT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 001142 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/INSB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM PREL MV SUBJECT: SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS: MALDIVIAN PARTIES LEARNING ABOUT DEMOCRACY. ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On December 7 and 8, PolOffs traveled to Maldives to meet with political parties tomee Party (DQP),a member of the coalition party that recently broke away from government. As expected, there were dissenting opinions on the current state of the country but also several points of agreement, such as the inexperience of government appointees, the need to strengthen independent institutions, particularly the judiciary, and the lack of political dialogue among government, opposition and coalition parties. END SUMMARY. MALDIVIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY (MDP) -------------- ¶2. (U) Background: Mohamed Nasheed founded MDP in November 2003 while in exile. Until the presidential elections in October 2008 when Nasheed became the country's first democratically elected president, it served as the main opposition party. Its stated goal is the promotion of human rights and democracy in Maldives. MDP has 26 of the 77 seats in parliament. It is the second largest political party in the country, with 28,995 members. MDP was confident it would soon surpass DRP's membership of 30,215. ¶3. (SBU) PolOffs met with MDP Secretary General Hassan Shah and MDP members Imthiyaz Fahmy and Ahmed Hamza on December 7. All are members of parliament. MDP members stated that while political pluralism was a new concept the country had embraced, with 13 political parties and 450 candidates competing for 77 seats at this year's first parliamentary elections, handling the new-found freedoms under the new constitution was something they were still grappling with. They understood that differences in views and opinions were part of democracy but stated the need for a strong, viable opposition that was not driven solely by politics and resorted to opposing for the sake of opposition. ¶4. (SBU) MDP members acknowledged that independent institutions had to be strengthened to ensure checks and balances. Particular attention was given to the judiciary, which was composed of the same people appointed by the previous administration when there was no strict separation between the executive and judiciary. Moreover, there was no codification of Islamic law, and the judiciary was faced with the challenge of reconciling Islamic law with common law. ¶5. (SBU) On accusations that the government and MDP were trying to impose their agenda on issues concerning the reduction of the civil service and the decentralization model of seven administrative atolls instead of the 21 administrative regions preferred by the opposition, MDP reported that these were not "dictatorial policies" as described by the opposition, but measures that the government was trying to implement in accordance with reforms contained in the MDP Manifesto which was circulated during the presidential campaign. MDP also noted the unlimited freedom of expression enjoyed by the opposition stating that this was a right that MDP would be unable to exercise if DRP was still in power. ¶6. (SBU) According to MDP, despite differences in opinions, they were usually able to come to some agreement with the opposition and in jest stated, "If we can't bend them in parliament, we bend them outside." MDP noted that they were working towards garnering support from other members of parliament as they recognized that the lack of a majority was a major obstacle in moving their agenda. All challenges considered, MDP stated that they believed that the country was progressing quickly. DHIVEHI RAYYITHUNGE PARTY (DRP) -------------- ¶7. (U) Background: The chairman of the DRP is former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The DRP's stated aims include the facilitation of greater prosperity for the people, increasing public participation in governance and promotion of Islamic principles. DRP has credited Gayoom as the "architect of the social and economy progress that the Maldives has attained over the past COLOMBO 00001142 002 OF 004 quarter-century." The DRP has 28 out of the 77 seats in parliament and is the main opposition party. ¶8. (SBU) On December 7, PolOffs met with Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, DRP Deputy Leader and Abdulla Mausoom, DRP Secretary General. Both are members of parliament. POLOFF also met separately with Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid, a member of the DRP, who discussed parliamentary issues but on occasion spoke on behalf of the party. The DRP leaders stated that the newly-established democratic institutions required strengthening, noting that the judiciary was unprepared for its independent role. DRP believed that the judiciary's authd consultations. ¶9. (SBU) DRP representatives stated that while the government had announced plans to reduce the civil service and had removed subsidies on print media under the pretext of the global financial crisis, it had increased its expenditure on an inordinate number of political appointees. DRP was also critical of the government's decision to abolish Island Development Committees (IDCs),elected bodies of five to seven members, functioning as a local council, after courts ruled they no longer had legal authority under the new constitution. DRP described the move as undemocratic and said it would challenge the decision. (NOTE: The government has since instituted a temporary measure of appointing advisory boards that will administer the islands until local council elections are held. END NOTE.) ¶10. (SBU) On renewing ties with Israel, Shahid indicated that DRP was not opposed to the government's decision but supported a gradual restoration of ties dependent on progress made on peace talks. On former president Gayoom's leadership in DRP and the future of the party, Shahid speculated that Gayoom was reluctant to retire from politics for fear of being made redundant and defenseless in the face of the ongoing corruption probe by the government. Shahid urged the United States and other western governments to intervene by providing assurances to Gayoom that he would be protected from what he believed was a witch hunt. Shahid stated that DRP supported any investigation into allegations of corruption but it should be within the confines of established institutions to ensure due process. ¶11. (SBU) Shahid expressed concern that Gayoom's continued involvement in DRP would be detrimental to the party because it could lose the next generation of supporters who would associate the party with Gayoom and his 30 year regime. He indicated that the next party congress, where party leaders will be elected, was scheduled for the middle of next year. Shahid, nevertheless, spoke highly of Gayoom, whom he described as a learned man and an Islamic scholar who had plenty to contribute outside politics. He noted that Gayoom was among the first to speak on environmental protection long before it became "fashionable". Shahid asserted that democracy existed during Gayoom's administration and described the transition to the new government as "a new era of democracy." ADHAALATH PARTY -------------- ¶12. (U) Background: The Adhaalath Party is two of its members, Dr. Abdul Majeed Bari and Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed. The party's president is Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed. ¶13. (SBU) PolOffs met with Asim Mohamed, Adhalaath Party's interim Vice President on December 7. Mohamed stated that the perception that Adhalaath was a religious party was inaccurate. While admitting that their grassroots were more conservative, he denied being an Islamist party. Asim had previously described the party as "center, conservative left." He noted that though some party leaders were religious scholars trained in the Middle East, they also had scholars, such as himself who were trained in Australia. COLOMBO 00001142 003.2 OF 004 ¶14. (SBU) Mohamed noted that their critics ran the gamut from those who thought they were too conservative and those who did not think they were conservative enough. These conservative critics had argued that the principles of democracy were not consistent with Islam and had accused them of not doing enough to protect Islamic culture. Mohamed indicated that extremism can be traced to the growth of Wahhabism, independent prayer groups, and the lack of accurate information on Islam. In a bid to protect Maldivians who study in Pakistan from extremist ideals, Mohamed indicated that Adhaalath was working with the Pakistan government to obtain a list of approved educational institutions. ¶15. (SBU) Mohamed stated that the government did not consult with them on the decentralization issue, the plan to reduce the civil service and renewal of ties with Israel. Although they were in favor of the seven administrative regions proposed by the government, understood the need for a leane the island level, a backlash could have been prevented. Mohamed also noted the lack of experience of the government's appointees. Mohamed, however, defended the government's move to create appointee posts at the island level to oversee the island chiefs, claiming that it was necessary since the government wields little authority with the island leaders whose loyalties lie with the previous regime. ¶16. (SBU) Mohamed disclosed that Adhaalath was "reasonably comfortable" with the government's foreign policy as they recognized that the country could not live in isolation. They pointed out, however, the need for increased participation and consultation with coalition parties, especially since the parties had members to whom they answer. Mohamed maintained that it might take a couple of years, but democracy and due process would eventually take root. Meanwhile, the party stated that norms of conduct would have to be developed to avoid inflammatory debates that created a divisive government. DHIVEHI QAUMEE PARTY (DQP) -------------- ¶17. (U) Background: DQP was founded in January 2009 by Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, also a founding member of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP),and Dr. Hassan Saeed, Attorney General under Gayoom's administration. The DQP was part of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led coalition government. The DQP describes itself as "centrist, with focus on rule of law to consolidate democracy, the improvement of social conditions and a free market approach to solving economic issues." The DQP has two seats in Parliament. Dr. Saeed resigned his post as special advisor to President Nasheed on the anniversary of the new government's 100 days in power. In October 1, 2009, the DQP pulled out of the government coalition claiming it had failed to deliver on its promises. Dr. Shaheed joined the ruling MDP. (NOTE: In October 2008, Dr. Saeed and Dr. Shaeed ran on an independent ticket as President and Vice-President respectively. END NOTE.) ¶18. (SBU) POLOFF met with Hassan Saeed, co-founder of the DQP, on December 8. Saeed was heavily critical of the government and President Mohamed Nasheed, whom he asserted was a "Mugabe in the making." Saeed stated that people in the government might be new but the old system, with a top-heavy government, an abundance of political appointees, and a state-media dominated press was firmly in place. He noted that while the previous administration had 500 appointees, the current government had 690, most of whom were in claimed that President Nasheed personally threatened to cancel the business contracts of the two DQP members of parliament if they supported the vote and bribed them with lengthy extensions on their contracts if they voted against it. He claimed that Shaheed's decision to join MDP was due to pressure from the government. Members of the judiciary had also reportedly been harassed by the police on orders from the government. Saeed stated that police at COLOMBO 00001142 004.2 OF 004 the top levels revealed that the government had placed wiretaps to monitor senior opposition members and concluded that with Nasheed, there would be no democracy in the country. COMMENT -------------- ¶20. (SBU) Democracy is clearly in its infancy in Maldives. There is marked uncertainty as both the government and the opposition movement face unfamiliar challenges and responsibilities that come with their new roles in the democratic process. The government's primary concern is ensuring its survival, which it believes is threatened by weak institutions and a fractious opposition that has called for its overthrow. It is possible that the government is employing strong arm tactics, as alleged by the opposition, against institutions and persons it determines is undermining its authority. Post will watch these developments closely. ¶21. (SBU) DRP is struggling with its subordinate role and is still coming to terms with its defeat in the hands of what it regards as inexperienced and untrained "activists," who know nothing about governance. DRP has been very vocal in its criticism of the government's policies, most recently the removal of government subsidies for print media. While DRP has called this decisioious administration. ¶22. (SBU) Adhaalath reportedly has a long-term deal with the government involving high-level positions for its members. The first being the establishment of a Ministry of Islamic Affairs, which is now headed by two of its members. The recent appointment of an Adhaalath member as Minister of State for Home Affairs was reportedly in exchange for its support of the government's foreign policy on Israel. A third post at the Ministry of Education is supposedly in the offing. As long as the government fulfills its end of the bargain, it reportedly can depend on Adhaalath's continued support. ¶23. (SBU) Although DQP has attributed the souring of its relationship with the government to its "failure to implement reforms", it is possible that Saeed, who competed with Nasheed during the national elections, still harbors ambitions for the presidency. Some have surmised that DQP has recently been asserting itself as it needs to be seen as an active organization by the Elections Commissions, which will soon be allocating funds for political parties. ¶24. (SBU) The government, by way of MDP supporters, has been accused of using the streets as a venue for pushing its policies. If the government hopes to move its agenda, the ruling party has to recognize that while the demonstrations served its purposes when it was the opposition, it is now faced with the bigger task of running a country, which would require engagement of coalition partners and opposition alike. At the same time, the opposition also has to learn that a stable democracy requires a constructive opposition. BUTENIS