No More Cat and Mouse Game of Delaying in the Constitutional Reforms. A warning to the So –Called MDP and DRP Punters.Back in early 2004 just before I left for UK it was campaign time for appointing this current batch of Special Majlis members. As those appointees for over two years had forgotten their pledge please let me remind you how you ended up your bottom in these chairs with a fat pay check. It is not an MDP or DRP who put you in that chair. There was no MDP or DRP then, whose interests you are protecting for the last two years; instead of fulfilling your promises to us. You came and knocked on our doors, gave us a list of the things you will do if we put a tick against your name and make you the choice for our chair. You people should never forgot where you loyalty lies also the fact that you are been employed by us and your duty is towards us the citizen.
I remember back in 2004 when I was in my island atoll of Fuvahmulah. Normally since I got married at the tender age of 16, although I am from Dhadimagu, I lived on the other side of the island Dhoodigam. So I made home away from home in Dhoodigam. Despite of warnings and bullying from my colleagues and friends of high places in Fuvahmulah, the fact of the matter is I always have found solace, friendship, strong bonds of love from the common citizens of the community. My family one of the higher cast of Fuvahmulah never subjected the way I was warming to everyone, instead they supported me. I had the same approach of relating to parents, students and the wider community of Fuvahmulah through my job at the GN Atoll Education Centre where I was an employee since I was fifteen; despite of immense jealousy and attempts of destruction by some powerful few jealous co male workers who lacks such human relation. Although this got me into trouble just before the presidential election the only election held when I was in the country since my voting age. By trouble means I was kept home from work for 3 months prior to election and on Election Day when I went to vote I was refused the right to vote. Although after a much heated argument with the two people sitting there to conduct the election a cousin of mine and another relative who has been my sister and my best friend throughout my childhood years in the island. they allowed me to vote. As they have to make sure Dhadimagu box only contains hundred percent ticks for the president I was allowed to vote under the condition that I put a tick right in front of their eyes. Use of the voting tent, was too much to ask. I accepted the deal after all I do not want to waste the first opportunity to vote and wanted to vote once in my life at any cost. However where I have the same approach of relating to the wider community and my friendship with the people paid off in the next election which came along. This was the special Majlis election.
The point I am trying to make is these relations had an impact during the special Majlis election time and was really glad then that I was able to contribute to people making the right decision. My cousin was one of the candidates for election. Not on his request, but out of the candidates that were to contest I felt that he is the most capable person for the job. He has always been vocal in expressing what concern the people. He has shown strong commitment in politics, and what it matters to Fuvahmulah when he registered and found the now sold famous Fiyes News Magazine through which he got the government to initiate some of the luxuries that we seen in Fuvahmulah today. I was very happy to oblige and I made a lot of others get convinced in him. When the time came to campaign in the island some people on his visit has told him, or already Haulath has come and asked us to vote you so our vote is yours. He later got elected as one of the special Majilis members of Fuvahmulah and appreciated my efforts, although I was in the UK then.
But soon after he decided to join the Political Party MDP according to his wishes. The people outraged, feeling betrayed has attempted to oust him from the special Majlis chair, and however that kind of rules and regulations are not present in the constitution. The fact of the matter is people like us in every community work hard to get these people elected with hopes and dreams for a better future for us. The common citizen decides on them trusting them to do the right thing by them. However as soon as they are given the responsibility to represent us they become something else. Following Respected Gasims pledge to Finnish the constitution in a few months the honourable the great chair holder appointed Male’ people with great trust, from MDP, the so called MDP parliament group leader is showing his devilish; predatory, money oriented intentions with the statement he made to news papers. That is
“But Gasim has to be unbiased. He should not take any sides. If he starts to take sides, it is going to be a problem,”
I call him and his people and others like him to step down from the high horse, remove their blindfold and step into the chairs we provided them with and do what we employed them to do. This kind of threatening behaviour and verbal manipulation is an attack and abuse of the citizen rights. Our rights. Do not forget you are our employees and we citizen are your employers. If any member we appointed using our citizen rights show gross misconduct and engage in disrespectful behaviour of obliterating the constitutional reform process which we employed you for; we have the power to get rid of cheap people of this sort and put in proper committed people in those chairs and their place.
I guarantee that if this kind of gross misconduct against the citizen needs is carried on in the special Majlis, we will make sure that The Honourable Speakers first job is to get rid of these people on the ground of misconduct per the citizens wish, or pass bills without their consent. If any of the people show childish behaviour of stamping their feel and walking out of the parliament, or others of the sort we do not want our constitutional reform process stalled in wait for another day for them to come back. We do not want the speaker to give them the lilies of their liking and re-establish the waiting game of the past, prolong the reform process on hold for them to stop their baby behaviour. We did not employ them to represent our needs in this manner. This is undermining their job description, so in future if any cases as such arises the Special Majlis should make allowances to pass the bills be it 10 people attending or sitting on that particular day. This obviously is the only way forward, as these people are still giving hints of continued cat and mouse game in the law making process with comments as such immediately after the new Speakers appointment. I say enough is enough. The behaviour of these irresponsible members is making a laughing stock of us Maldivian and our country in front of the neighbouring countries and other countries alike. If not fit for purpose, why bother trying to include a bunch of misfits as our representatives. It is high time to cut the bull and move forward at any cost, and get on with the job in a disciplined grown up mature way or the time has come for us citizens to intervene and abolish the special Majlis with a bunch of lunatics and appoint a proper one so that the job at hand can be done in a normal way as soon as possible. I warn every misfit in the Special Majlis that this is not an individual view and I can guarantee that there are many Maldivian watching your charade and façade disgusted and enraged, very depressed; to the point that your only survival is to show immediate cooperation, responsible behaviour, commitment in the constitutional reform process. No matter whether you belong to a party or not do the job you have been given by us or you will see another side of us. This is the call from all of us; the citizens who gave you employment and status in our constitution making body the special Majlis. @ hu.
