A democracy activist president suffers a coup, Maldives – democracy in the news week 6
Mohame
d Nasheed, the highly acclaimed president of the Maldives ‘resigned’ from office recently amid protests surrounding his rule. He was well known for his environmental policies and his international fight against climate change. He was also well known to be a highly moral man, and apt politician. Before his political career, he was held in prision for over a year for an article he published accusing the then party in power of manipulating elections in 1989. He was then held again later on fake charges of conspiracy and sentenced to two years in solitary confinement where he was tortured. During his political career as an MP he stole documents proving electoral fraud from the president’s estate and was subsequently banished from the country. Nasheed has bounced back on his return to become the leader of the nation. He is a clear voice for democracy, human rights, and is regarded as one of the most highly acclaimed national rulers of the day.
His recent resignation is being called into question as he states he was ‘forced out of power at gunpoint’. The security services of the Maldives are believed to be responsible. He defiantly awaits the execution of an arrest warrant issued by the new president. For someone who has fought his whole life for democracy, and has risen to the highest possible political office, it is a shame to see that he is being forced by what is essentially an undemocratic coup.
February 10th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
Interesting to read that he has been arrested and accused several times for dishonest actions. But in another article I read, it stated that he is actually being asked to step down from his presidency because he ordered an unfair arrest of someone. He called for a military arrest of a person who wanted the release of a political prisoner who had opposed his government. Doesn’t this make you think that, perhaps, he was not being a good democratic president, after all?
February 12th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
i suppose it depends on who you ask. there are varying degrees of democracy. consider this then. President Obama authorized the assassination of an American Citizen in Yemen, Anwar Awlaki. He was a well know Muslim cleric who assisted in many al-Qaeda plots, and was also considered to have headed that organization’s propaganda wing. Obviously he was opposed to the American government and foreign occupations, but was still an American citizen. Was Obama acting undemocratically? I am sure you will point out some key differences in the two situations, but there are many perspectives and ways to see this. I still come down on the side of the former president (of the Maldives, not Bush, god no) I believe that given his reputation and history, he would have had some good reasons to do what he did.