Is president Yameen making the same mistake former president Nasheed made?

Most people have come to believe that the main reason for the collapse of former president Mohamed Nasheed’s administration was because of the arrest of then criminal court chief judge Abdulla Mohamed. As it happens, the former president did get unduly involved in the matter. It is the reason terrorism allegations were made against him and he was given a prison sentence of thirteen years. Instead of letting the equitable institutions take care of the matter, he got so tangled in the matter which in fact resulted in the downfall of his tenure. Yet again today we perceive history repeating itself, we see president Yameen plummeting down the same path.

The translator had informed that president Yameen himself had ordered to execute the court order on Member of Parliament for Dhiggaru constituency Ahmed Faris Maumoon’s confinement.

There are two implications that can be followed from spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali’s tweet.

The first implication is, the police refusing to obey the order issued by recently sworn in judge Shaheed. Consequently, the need for a second order to execute the first one is required.

The second implication is, president Abdulla Yameen having gotten himself unduly involved in matters out of the fear and unease brought upon him and the government having gone into a complete meltdown after the discussions former president and father of MP Faris, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom held in the gathering held at Maafannu Kunooz after the release of MP Faris on Thursday. Resulting in the enactment of the orders of the president himself, implying that in the near future court orders will be released upon the direct order of the president, arrests will be made and incursions will be conducted in various areas.

The police have followed the president’s command and put MP Faris Maumoon behind bars yet again. The verdicts issued upon him are for planning a coup d'état of a constitutional government unlawfully by offering bribes to fellow parliamentarians. However, MP Faris was not the one who spoke of the coup d'état. The ones who brought it on in their discussion on Thursday night’s gathering were former president and father of MP Faris, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Maldivian Democratic Party’s PG leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. There was an inner quaver within the government when ex-president Maumoon mentioned that the administration needs to be hoven before the presidential election of this year.

Tweets started flowing in by the government’s prominent officials even before the gathering came to an end. The tweets stated that the matter needed to be investigated and action taken at the earliest. Some even went as far as to claim that former president Maumoon needs to be arrested immediately.

Even though the matters are this far at hand, the former president evidently wasn’t implying that the government needs to be changed against the constitution. There are ways in which the government can be changed within the constitutional laws and they are very clearly stated in the constitutional conventions and that is, with a poll. If there is the amount of support required under the constitutional conventions within the parliamentarians among the people’s parliament for the change, then it can be instigated. From what the opposition believes, they have the required support from members to make it a reality. Therefore, there are no restrictions from the government to end this administration before the end of the president’s five years in term.

The government’s weakness is discernible given the president’s scared reaction when talks spread of his administration being overthrown within legal means. Under these circumstances and happenings, the president is seen making the same derisory blunders that former president Nasheed made. It can be visibly perceived that Faris Maumoon is behind bars under the president’s direct order. For this reason, there is a chance that terrorism allegation may be brought upon president Yameen and for him to end up in lock-up.

While MP Faris has been arrested under the accusation that he tried to overthrow a constitutional government there is a possibility that his father, former president Maumoon may be thrown in the cell for the same allegation. Yet, that would be the biggest mistake the president could make according to experts. Even though former president and half-brother Maumoon openly gave his support for the upheaval of the current administration before the start of the presidential race, the president would not have the backbone to arrest him. Also if such a case arises that he throw his half-brother behind bars, many believe that he will have to face the same bitter consequences former president Mohamed Nasheed had to face.