In December I posted a link to the Top
5 International Documentaries of 2011. If you haven’t already I highly recommend
checking them out, especially The Island
President, the story of then President Mohamed Nasheed and his struggle to
raise awareness of the dangers of global climate change. This story is captivating for two reasons: the
first is that in 2008 Nasheed became the first democratically elected President
of the Maldives, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. The second reason is that for the Maldives
climate change doesn’t just mean more powerful storms or extreme
temperatures. Rising sea levels threaten
to submerge the nation (highest elevation is eight feet) beneath the waves of
the Indian Ocean, literally erasing it from the map.
The reason I say “then President” is on
February 7th Mr. Nasheed resigned from office. He succinctly chronicles the events leading
up to his resignation in an Op-Ed
piece he submitted to the New York Times.
To summarize its contents, Mr. Nasheed asserts that he was forced out of
office at gun point after cracking down on a corrupt judicial system and
Islamist Extremists using the freedom of expression guaranteed by the new Constitution
to spread hate and intolerance.
In addition to his Op-Ed piece, Mr.
Nasheed was recently interviewed
by Christiane Amanpour.
In the interview Mr. Nasheed asserts that, “What happens in the Maldives
happens in the Middle East always two or three years later.” This assertion foreshadows a similar upheaval
in Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and Egypt in 2014.
Mr. Nasheed has been succeeded by his
Vice President, Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik.
After taking office the new government issued
a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Nasheed on
unspecified criminal charges and began to rebuild the President’s cabinet with
individuals who held high offices during Mr. Guyoom’s dictatorship. Initially President Waheed said Presidential elections
would be held as scheduled in October 2013, however he has recently changed
his stance and said elections would be held, “as early
as considered feasible by all concerned.”
This was further solidified by Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai
who brokered an agreement between the two parties for early elections.
If the word of former President Nasheed is taken as the truth, this coup d’état represents a dangerous future for nations emerging from the Arab Spring with new governments. However it is promising that both sides of this issue have thus far been able to work through their differences and agree on a course of action to resolve their dispute. To quote current President Waheed Hassan, “this is an opportunity for us to regain the respect of the international community, but most importantly continue to build a safe, democratic, and prosperous Maldives for all our people.” Clearly the truth of this statement can’t be over emphasized.
Assuming early elections are head in the next few months; the success of this brokered peace will be determined by how free and fair the election is, and the acceptance of the election results. If the losing candidate and their supporters acknowledge that the election was free and fair, and that they accept their opponent as the peoples’ choice for President of the Maldives, than this will be a perfect case study for the peaceful resolution of contested Presidencies. If however, civil unrest ensues or the election is not democratic, the Maldives would become the newest example of a country in chaos and unable to escape political strife.
If the word of former President Nasheed is taken as the truth, this coup d’état represents a dangerous future for nations emerging from the Arab Spring with new governments. However it is promising that both sides of this issue have thus far been able to work through their differences and agree on a course of action to resolve their dispute. To quote current President Waheed Hassan, “this is an opportunity for us to regain the respect of the international community, but most importantly continue to build a safe, democratic, and prosperous Maldives for all our people.” Clearly the truth of this statement can’t be over emphasized.
Assuming early elections are head in the next few months; the success of this brokered peace will be determined by how free and fair the election is, and the acceptance of the election results. If the losing candidate and their supporters acknowledge that the election was free and fair, and that they accept their opponent as the peoples’ choice for President of the Maldives, than this will be a perfect case study for the peaceful resolution of contested Presidencies. If however, civil unrest ensues or the election is not democratic, the Maldives would become the newest example of a country in chaos and unable to escape political strife.