Selective amnesia: Muizzu administration lectures public on manners they never possessed

Public demonstrations and street-level friction are staples of the Maldivian political sphere, yet the current verbal acrobatics from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s high-ranking officials are nothing short of breathtaking. The administration has the audacity to brand the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s gatherings as toxic and contrary to the collective welfare. They have gone so far as to label MDP’s activities as repulsive, alleging the use of vulgar rhetoric and claiming these events shatter the peace of the community.

A history lesson for the hypocrites

One only needs to glance back a few short years to identify the real champions of public disorder and personal character assassination. The "India Out" movement and various other rallies orchestrated by the now-ruling coalition comprising the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) during Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s presidency stand as some of the most insolent displays in the nation's records. During that era, the individuals now sitting in the seats of power including President Muizzu himself, frequented the streets to hurl degrading insults and dehumanizing labels at the sitting head of state.

Fabricated lies and puppet press

The citizens of the Maldives have not forgotten the way baseless accusations and pure fiction were manufactured to drag Solih’s name through the mud. The previous opposition utilized activists masquerading as members of the press to sow seeds of social division. It is the height of irony that the very people who screamed insults at Solih now occupy the most prestigious government offices, from which they have the nerve to preach about morality and ethical behavior. Since Muizzu was a central figure in those chaotic street scenes, his newfound obsession with ethics reeks of blatant hypocrisy.

The true face of "peaceful" protesting

The demonstrations of the past were anything but tranquil. One particularly stomach-turning event remains burned into the national psyche: at the peak of the global Covid-19 crisis, a demonstrator chose to spit betel nut juice directly into the face of a police officer who was simply doing his job. This was just the tip of the iceberg in a long catalog of misdeeds that included physical battery, the biting of law enforcement officers and various other soulless acts of aggression.

The limits of indecency

Back then, no line was left uncrossed when it came to assaulting the police, inciting urban chaos, or slandering individuals. By comparison, the current rallies held by MDP lack that level of brutality or bottom-tier conduct. When looking at the evidence, the Maldivian people can easily distinguish which faction truly operates in a way that damages the public interest. It is truly something to behold how, upon grabbing the reins of power, this group has developed total amnesia regarding their own history while nitpicking the political work of others.

Silencing the critics

The reality is that the rhetoric heard at MDP events is vastly more polite and their conduct is notably more orderly. When measured against the terrifying environments once manufactured by PPM, the current opposition’s efforts look like the height of civilization. Consequently, the government’s present complaints are nothing more than a groundless scheme to muffle the voices of the opposition. The undeniable fact remains that the genuine displays of malice and crudeness occurred when the current leadership held the opposition mantle. They might have decided to delete those files from their brains, but the Maldivian people are still holding onto the receipts.