The opposition parties of the Maldives including that of former President’s Gayoom, and Nasheed have signed an unprecedented nine-point agreement aimed at consolidating their opposition to the Government of Abdulla Yameen. The four political parties which entered into the agreement that was signed yesterday in Colombo included the Progressive Party of the Maldives, Maldivian Democratic Party, Jumhooree Party and the Adhaalath Party. The nine point agreement includes:
= Safeguard the tenets of Islam, independence, sovereignty and nationalism.
= Protect ownership of the land, sea and natural resources belonging to the Country.
= Find a resolution to the political discord afflicting the Country.
= Safeguard civil and political rights abrogated from citizens.
= Ensure elections held in the Maldives are free and fair in which candidates of political parties choosing are allowed to contest.
= Secure freedom for all individuals who have been arrested, under investigation, on trial, or convicted of politically motivated charges.
= Prevent corruption and embezzlement within the Government;
= Seek the restitution of transactions and properties unlawfully seized from citizens by the Government.
= And contribute to the cause of nation building and development of society and individuals effecting lasting peace of the country.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer former President Nasheed said that they are hoping to bring the country to a more democratic track, and to start reforming the elections commission and other independent commissions.
“We also need to get the Parliament to function as a more democratic institution. There are number of legislations also that we need to amend. And so with this agreement which will give us a parliamentary majority we hope to proceed with a more vigorous reform program,” Nasheed said.
Speaking on the change of heart of former President Gayoom, President Nasheed said that although they are half brothers unfortunately President Yameen doesn’t see that and he has treated President Gayoom in a very condescending manner and I think that has had an effect on a number of people.
“The reason why we had to come to this agreement was so that we can overhaul the whole system. The elections commissioner is politically motivated. It takes its commands from the president. We are unable to have a free and fair election, a provincial election. So the idea is to see how we could reform the elections commission. I don’t think we will have the local government elections with this elections commission.”
When asked if the expectation is for the coalition to work together beyond the elections Nasheed said that he was hopeful of it.
President Yameen has already tried to react by trying to suppress and by trying to intimidate and by trying to instill fear amongst people so we expect him to resolve to the same tactics Nasheed explained of he thinks the current Maldivian President would react to this agreement.