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Maumoon Gayyoom and Nationalism in Maldives

Maldivian students in Malaysia, with other DO contributors - 29 October 2004

Nationalism is sometimes defined as an attitude that members of a nation have when they care about their national identity. Nationalism is the actions that members of a nation take when seeking to achieve or sustain some form of political sovereignty.

In Maldives, we hear a lot about nationalism and the benefits of peace and prosperity. Is there any feeling of nationalism or feeling of belonging for our country among those who advocate these qualities? We wonder why there are so many acts of discrimination, violence, destruction of property and loss of life in our tiny nation, when there is meant to be freedom of speech and a sense of belonging to the mother nation.

Maldivians are a peace-loving and hospitable people. This is one reason for the growth of tourism in our homeland. Maldivian warmth has impressed the tourists who come to enjoy 'the sunny side of life'. However, to know the real anguish in those hospitable eyes, one has to be a Maldivian, because Maldivians have always refused to let strangers perceive the hidden truth.

Maldives has the highest divorce rate in the world. The family, the very foundation of a community, has little meaning for many Maldivians. Drug abuse, organised crime, and child abuse are common. What has gone wrong in this Indian Ocean paradise? It has become a place where tourists experience pleasure in a violent hidden dictatorship. It is hell for Maldivians who anger the dictator by demanding justice. We have a dream to make Maldives a great nation where there is real democracy. A nation where there is no official cover-up of deaths, violence, discrimination, and destruction of private property.

Maumoon Gayyoom has always argued that nationalism and peace in Maldives demand that true reforms be rejected. It has been a handy propaganda tool for Gayyoom to justify his dictatorship.

Anyone who dares to speak for the people and show true nationalism, is accused of treason. They are mentally and physically tortured, and deprived of their most basic human rights.

After 27 years of political viciousness, Maldivians' fear of the Gayyoom regime is far greater than their love for Maldives. Nationalism now means lauding Gayyoom and working for him like slaves for a pittance.

Maumoon has always portrayed himself as a religious scholar. Along with the 'nationalism and peace' slogan, he uses religion to attack his opposition by labelling reformists as Islamic fundamentalists and/or Christian missionaries. For the western world, Gayyoom plays the hero battling Islamic terrorists; for his Saudi and other Middle Eastern oil and aid suppliers, Gayyoom plays an Indian Ocean ally fighting Christians and Zionists.

After 27 years of Gayyoom's cultural protection, Maldives has lost her tradition and values. Bollywood and western media saturate Male'. Hindi dramas and western television series are the main talk of many households. Today's youth loathe traditional Maldivian values and beliefs, and enjoy presenting themselves as westerners. Why is Maldives media flooded with news of Bollywood stars? Where are the much-needed lessons about Islam and what it means for our society?

Maumoon has succeeded in his plan to confuse and corrupt us. He and his families have become multi-millionaires while we remain their humble servants. We are 100% Muslims only in name. Most of the children living in isolated islands away from Male' are suffering from malnutrition, and education in these islands is in crisis. The average living standard in the islands is extremely low. 42% of the population is living on less than one dollar a day. Gayyoom spends a budgeted $40,000 each day from our state treasury!

The Maldives health and education systems are under-funded, while the National Security Service has money to waste on all sorts of horrible things and Gayyoom darts from one luxury hiding-hole to the next like a golden kakuni. Adequate health services are provided only in the capital, and sick islanders have to travel to Male' where rents are among the highest in the world.

The cash cows of the Maldives economy- fishing and tourism – should generate for our small population as much money as Brunei gets from selling its oil. But our government salaries barely cover the rent. We are surrounded by inflated prices and inflated material desires.

Gayyoom fears the effect of educated Maldivians. Only his families and their siblings can be trusted to keep power in his greedy hands. A prosperous and educated community won't have any time for his idiotic posturing and blatant corruption. Gayyoom will be remembered as an educated but deeply corrupt man who enjoyed torturing his country.

We wonder why most of the drug addicts and criminals in our country come from families who have nothing to provide for their children and no proper family ties. There is no proper family planning, and this means children don't receive proper care and love. There are many drug addicts all over Maldives and it isn't a law and order problem at heart. It is a social problem. We don't need more laws to tackle drugs seriously, we need better social communication and a government that treats us with respect, and allows us to treat others that way too.

Maumoon wants us to blame everything on drugs. By swerving attention to this social problem, Maumoon keeps attention away from his own more important crimes. Maumoon gets real pleasure in pardoning these 'criminals', especially when parents plead for their children's quick return home from the torture chambers. All Maldivians are well aware what is happening.

From the day Gayyoom took office, we have been told: 'Aman amaankan tharaqeege siru', peace and harmony is the secret to development. People speaking against his barbaric rule are branded as terrorists threatening this 'peace and harmony'. What is wrong with speaking up for your own rights? It is just a dirty political game by this regime.

Maldivians must stand for freedom, justice and equality. Defending these principles will make our dream a reality. We must build a society where members share a special religious and national culture with each other. Nationalism is about love, not hate.