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THE UNITED STATES has asked the Maldives to restore faith in democracy after the government deployed troops to parliament to forcibly remove opposition politicians, sparking chaotic scenes.
The US expressed concern about “irregularities” that impeded a free and fair vote in parliament, after plainclothes soldiers evicted MPs as they attempted to impeach the speaker.
“We call on the government to restore faith in democratic processes by ensuring free and impartial proceedings in parliament,” the US embassy to Sri Lanka and the Maldives said in a statement.
It came as the Maldives’ ruling party sacked the country’s former strongman president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as its leader, after he led an unsuccessful rebellion against his half-brother, who is now in power.
Gayoom’s sacking followed an abortive bid to impeach the speaker and take control of parliament, as part of a pact he entered over the weekend with exiled opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed.
National President Abdulla Yameen had recently taken executive control of the party, but his half-brother was its nominal president.
“Gayoom has been accused of sympathising with the opposition,” said a Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) official who asked not to be named.
His ideology no longer aligns with that of the PPM.
Gayoom had urged PPM legislators to vote with the opposition yesterday to impeach the speaker of the house, a move aimed at undermining Yameen’s hold on power before 2018 elections.
Nasheed had hoped that the surprise alliance with Gayoom would provide enough parliamentary support to oust the speaker.
Instead there were chaotic scenes in parliament as opposition legislators staged a rowdy protest before losing the vote as some of their members were physically carried away by troops.
Unprecedented disturbance
The government blamed the chaos on the opposition.
“The no-confidence motion (impeachment) was defeated after unprecedented disturbances perpetrated by the opposition members inside the parliament chamber,” the government said in a statement.
Media were not allowed access, but images posted on social media showed several opposition-aligned MPs being evicted while armed police kept opposition supporters from gathering outside the building.
“What we saw in Majlis today was a total disgrace” Gayoom tweeted after the vote, referring to the country’s parliament.
The extent of govt’s fear of a free vote. All the reason why we must overhaul the system!
There was no immediate comment from Gayoom, currently on holiday in neighbouring India, on his sacking from the party.
He ruled the Maldives for three decades before founding the party when the country embraced multi-party democracy in 2008.
Nasheed became the Maldives’ first democratically elected president in 2008 by defeating Gayoom. But he narrowly lost the 2013 run-off elections to incumbent Yameen.
He now lives in exile in London after he was convicted in 2015 on terrorism charges widely seen as politically motivated.
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This case showed exactly what is right with due process.. Mr dwyer got his chance to tell his story, was assumed innocent and the prosecution then proved his guilt. Now he’ll rot in jail and everyone knows he did it
Reality is more gruesome than a movie could ever be.
The jury system relies heavily on the assumed ability of the jurors to be able to comprehend complex legal matters that are sometimes crucial to a case.A juror is not obliged to offer any proof of his or hers understanding of such a matter.That could lead and has done in many cases to an ‘incorrect’ verdict.While the appeal system cleans up most of these errors, I wonder if it is time to test jurors for simple comprehension skills rather than let them lose on long costly trials that lead to long costly appeals….etc.It is the best system to have… A jury system ,But it needs to be reviewed.
Claiming to understand reasonable doubt and actually understanding it are two different things.
What parameters would you use to decide that Alan? Sounds to me like the process of jury selection would be so complex as to be unworkable and appeals more likely to succeed due to technicalities concerning juror selection.
Agree completely with you. The selection should at the very least be based on educational standards.I know that sounds elitist and even snobbish. It is not intended to be so.A very good friend of mine took literacy classes about 8/9 years ago.He had served on a jury and there were requirements to ‘read’ some of the evidence in the jury room afterwards.He admitted that he struggled to do so and could not understand half of what he read.Even the ensuing debate among the jurors was double dutch to him in parts.He said he was to embarrassed to admit this. I do not believe his experience to be unique.
I cannot offer a solution,Though I still believe there to be a problem.
This IS a difficult question. However, having an education is not the same as having intelligence or even comprehension. I know several people with degrees, but little real understanding of their subject. A degree gan be obtained with a good memory, or even using memory tricks. In the Elaine O’Hara case, I do think there IS reasonable doubt. The Master/slave relationship is not nearly as uncommon as many people believe. Dolcett or killing, can easilly be a fantasy, but there is a huge difference between having a fantasy as extreme as that, and actually doing it. I think it is a definite possibility that Elaine took her own life, telling Dwyer where, and that he burried her. That doesn’t absolve him from responsibility though, as I do believe it likely that he pushed her in that direction, and failed to report her death.
It doesn’t sound like the concept of reasonable doubt is very complicated at all to be honest.
On the face of it, no. But in practice it becomes exponentially more complex as more and more issues come into play.
I disagree Alan. Reasonable doubt is exactly that, reasonable. It is a subjective concept that a jury of one’s peers is assumed to understand. That is the whole basis of a jury trial. It only becomes complex when one attempts to explain a meaning or definition around it.
Hope he rots in hell
There is no hell. I hope he rots in his head!
It is not the same as a philosophical doubt…but it is often compared to a doubt about making a major decision e.g. marriage..buying a house…..at the very least you must be pretty sure or happy to go ahead.
He looks strange and was into weird sex = guilty
He doesn’t look strange at all to be honest and plenty of people are into weird sex but aren’t murderers.
In cases like these, most people would prefer to wrongfully convict a weirdo than to have weirdo murderer running free. Smoke and fire. Lots of smoke with this weirdo, hence he is almost certainly guilty!
Wish the media didn’t focus on this case as much as it did.
If you understand what a Theory is in the scientific sense, then there should be no problem understanding the premises of reasonable doubt.
It really is actually simple.
That was a good and helpful explanation. Thanks.
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