Hypocrisy of power turns yesterday’s activism into today’s indecency
The incumbent administration is facing criticism for labeling opposition protests as vulgar and indecent, despite previously using the same aggressive tactics to gain power. While President Muizzu and his allies once championed provocative demonstrations and mockery, they now condemn these actions as violations of social and religious values. This shift highlights a political hypocrisy where former activism is rebranded as instability once it targets the ruling elite.
Dr. Mohamed Muizzu was at the forefront of the 'India Out!' campaign led by the then-opposition. | Google
The digital landscape is currently on fire with a viral clash between two women that perfectly captures the shifting loyalties of the Maldivian political circus. One woman, a former die-hard supporter of ex-President Abdulla Yameen who has since traded her colors for the Muizzu administration, decided to take to Facebook to scold the People’s National Front (PNF) protests. She dismissed the demonstrations as vulgar and insisted such displays are beneath the dignity of women. However, her Yameen-loyalist rival was quick to clap back with a stinging reminder of the past. She pointed to a scandal involving the fraudulent use of fingerprints on forms to artificially inflate membership numbers of the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), basically telling her opponent that a person involved in such shady business has zero right to preach about moral standing or decency.
When chaos was considered trendy
What we are watching is a savage verbal battlefield where people who used to be in the same trenches are now tearing each other apart for doing the exact same things they once did together. Back in the day, when they were the ones lighting the match under the previous government’s feet, every crude tactic was considered acceptable. They mobilized crowds with a passion that bordered on the fanatical. The insults they threw and the scenes they created were often so offensive that they weren’t even fit for a family to watch on television, yet their followers cheered for every bit of that toxic rhetoric.
A toolkit of mockery and masks
Back then, no blow was “too low”. The synchronized shouting of slogans, the provocative imagery and the scandalous videos were all just part of the game. They gave leaders derogatory nicknames and circulated mocking cartoons without a second thought. They even used traditional Maali figures and masks designed to look like state officials, a move that was hailed at the time as a stroke of political genius. It was a time when being loud and offensive was the ultimate mark of political coolness.
The architecture of the uprising
The current leadership of PNC, who were the driving force behind the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in those days, played this game to perfection. No one was too high-ranking to get their hands dirty. Even President Dr. Muizzu was involved in these activities to a degree that is impossible to ignore today. During that era, nightly protests were held with a total disregard for the life-threatening risks of the global Covid-19 pandemic. They occupied whatever space they wanted, yelled whatever they felt like and blasted any provocative photo or video that served their purpose. To them, there were no boundaries, just targets.
Success built on manufactured outrage
For Muizzu and the elite circle now running PNC, those aggressive tactics were the height of political savvy. The spectacle worked like a charm on the islands, entertaining the public while successfully poisoning their hearts against the government of the day. It was a massive victory for them. By inciting public resentment and sowing seeds of hatred toward the previous administration, they managed to claw their way to a change in government. It was a triumph of the very "vulgarity" they now claim to despise.
The tables turn and the cool fades
The perspective has changed now that they are the ones sitting in the seats of power. Suddenly, the boldness they once championed is no longer fashionable. The reality of their past behavior is coming back to bite them and the very weapons they sharpened to use against others are now being pointed at their own administration. As they struggle to hide the failures of their leadership, the internal cracks are starting to show. Secrets that were supposed to be locked behind the doors of the highest offices are leaking out, revealing truths that the administration would much rather keep in the shadows.
A sudden case of moral superiority
Now that the shoes are on the other feet, the government has suddenly discovered a sense of public decency. What was once "cool" is now labeled a violation of social values. Muizzu has even gone as far as to describe these protest actions as the work of people who are distant from religious principles. They are being accused of attacking privacy, damaging dignity and using language that is too crude for children. This convenient moral awakening only happened once their own playbook started being used against them.
From activism to instability
In the end, the top officials and President Muizzu himself find the current wave of protests and criticism completely indigestible. Even the simple act of people gathering to protest is now looked down upon with disgust. The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), which now appears to be moving in lockstep with the incumbent’s desires, has issued long-winded statements claiming these actions incite instability and harm others. What was once celebrated as the height of political activism is now being condemned as indecency. In today's terms, they’ve decided it’s just "lame."
