The Maldives in a stalemate
DR. SIEGFRIED D. WDLF
THE ANTI-DEMOCRATIC
MOMENTUM IS, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, CREATED BY THE UNWILLINGNESS AND INCOMPETENCE OF POLITICIANS TO WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE PROSPERITY AND WELFARE OF THE COUNTRY AND ESTABLISH 'DEMOC-
RATIC PROFESSION- ALISM' WHICH WOULD LEAD TO TRUST WITHIN SOCIETY
III the last decade it seems thm South Asia witnessed fI
'waveof dcrnocrncy. A qui le grund and overstrall\cd term
u~cd TO describe 11 phenomenon which generally emphnsises Ihe successful lr.U1siliOll tOWltmS non-<Iuthor- itari,Ul Tl'gimcs. J ]owl.,\w, there is nu doubt that the Indian subcontinent was marked by scllCraJ critical junctures influ- encing the najcclorics of old politic,l] IIi1Ucrns. Bhutan bee,une ,I conSlilluion;iI monnrchy and carried out ils first cltoctor;1I excn::ise.ln Nepal.
after 11 major socio-polilit;al nl{)\"cmcnt, the kingwasollSled from power and far-reaching democratic reforms were intro- duced. Similarly in Pakistan, where after the rcsignaliQIl of former COAS "nd t'rcsidcnl l'crvcl. Musharmf, a ncwcivili;1I1 govcrnmcnt came into office, And last bUI not lellsl
&1ngllldl'Sh c:<periencctllhe re- introduclion of parlimnentary democracy after a Iwo-year phase of a non -elected <.:an.1akcr government, RUI it is in the nmure ofwflves to break and change ctin.'(:tion.ln some Soulh Asian countries there is (I.
tendency towards reversing dcmocr.ltic Ir.msilions. Despite Ihe introductions of electoral systems, dedsion·makers stjll remain in the pmtemsof estab- lished autocratic style of b'o\"cr· nancc and political culture. In this context, the Maldi\"cs illll the mOSI rt'(:cm :md dmm,ltic example for a democratic SClbilCk. Aftcr a promising politic31m(lvement enforced scvernl democrmic reforms_ e.g.
(I. Ilewconstitution, mdimentary sepnration of power and the formation of political panics.
These democratic steps led 10 the first free and fair presidential
elecliotL~ of2008 and the Island stint's tlm'C decade long nlle of M,IIH1100n Abdul Gayoolll W1:IS
broUgllt to an end. However, the ousting ofGflroom -bmnded as the sole symbol ofaurocmcy in the coulltry by self·declared liber.d democratic forces-iL~ well as theeleclions, did nOI illitime a successful consolid,lIiOIl of democmq: For sonic observers it might comeasa surprise, blll the politic31 situiltion in the Maldives is more cOlllplex th,m thc size of the coumry IIwy indicate.TIlc Maldivcs resemble a 'mini:tlUfe laboralOry', a reference I)()im for all kinds of social. political and economic dynamics which ~re par~dig
mmic for Ihe whole ft.,&ion and beyond. A deeplr polarised society, highly Iloliticised
securit~ sector, epidemic corrupllon, patronage, nepotism, weak political insti·
"uions, risinS crime, nn unemployed frustrUled ~'outh, religious extremism, as well as the personal rill<~ryoftwo polili·
ciarts ,md their pol ilical panics.
Although the firsl democrati- C'dllyelcclcd president Nilsheed was able to remove mcmiJ.ers from the old regime OUt of office hc was 1101 able 10 eradicate their well·eStablished power STrUCtureS and ~ones of illflucnce, thus giving them room to manoeuvre within the political landscape. ~Iis
illcvitablc dedine bcg3n when his Maldiliall Democratic I).drty (MDP) failed 10 \\in fllllaioritY in 2009 general electiollS. This lcd 10 the cstablishmelll of an opposition-led parliament which her.d(led the Slitrl of fI
politic,ll slflletTlfltc, Onc might raise Ihe Icgitimllle questions:
HowcouJrllhis happen and do the Maldivcs provide evidence for the often mentioned critical (western] predication of an anmgonism be(ween Islam and Democmq'1' Such a statement is naWc :md narrow-minded, bill the currclll turmoil in Ule 151:lI1d sWle do,",s nOl help 10
rebul it either,
TodflY it seems .hat lhe Maldives arc nOI only beset with cJimMe change, hut fllso marked hr lack of toler:lI1ce.
Whereas the natur.tl calamitics -cspeciaUy the rising scalevel -fire alre<ldy well-known, the tendenq of im:rcilsing intol·
erance is quite new. This finds ils expression in two phenomena: A continuation of
dOllbtlessly enhancing cflch other mllwally and can be idemilied flS major causes for the recell! 'coup-like' situation facilitated h)' Nasheed's political opponents and c"rried OUI by segments of the police alld the
mi~tat): Ila,;ug this in mind, one can stale that a main charJcll'r- istic of the r.13ldives political JandliUlpt'is UllIl-'srriClcd po~ticaJ
struggle. A tussle featured by a
democracy to the Atolls was cOlltrasted by the inability to establish a eOllstructil'c, parlia- lllell!ary working relationship between the b'O'o'enHl1el1l and the opposition, On Ihe onc side the OPI)osition was guided by its main interests to undennine the gtJI-'l'Tmnent bynot onl}' blocl::ing
<111 its decisions but 3lso bylI)ing 10 displ3ce the mini.sten; Ihroll~
no-confidence \'Otes. On thC
A supporter 0' ousted Ma!divian plesldent Mohamed Nasheed throws a botHe at riot police In Male
a non-democratic culture find the growth of mdicallsl:ullic elemellls, 130th arc distinct occurrences, but Ihey arc
diS3..~trous display ofbehnviour of all i!wol\'ed actors. I'or example,lhe latest Clumnitmcnt byNashl't.-d 10 brings\lstainable
other side, the government increasingly followed in Garoorn's footsteps br adopting an autocratic stylcof l,'O\'CntatlCC,
Presidellt Nasheed was overwhelmed by an OIlPositioll Ivhieh stOI)ped at nOlhlllg to p~rnlrse his b'fwcrnrnent and ill addition hy tensiuns within factions of his own political alliance as well as between the differl.'rll gO\'cfnmcntal institu- tions. '111lS prompIL-d N~shct.-d to threaten members of the opposition through charges of comlption.
Consequently, the govern·
ments' suppon st,mcd eroding trernelldously, turning Ihe political institutions in tlysfunc- tiollal bodies. I'urthermore, effective and efficient l)arlia- mentaT)'work\\<\s hindered by Ihe tendency from both the gtJI-'CffimelU and the opposilion 10 mOl'Cpolirical deb.1lcsoU\of the parliament on \0 the streets which led to violent clashes.
This did not onl}' worsen the e(:onomicsituatitm but also ~Iid
the foundation for 11 political nnd cOnslilUlionnl crisis. It creatcda powervnctrum which was easily filled by radical religious forccs. l3eing backed by clements orGn~oont's fonner regime flS well flS a benevolent iudid tt)', the Islamists havcthe necessary tailwind 10 promote radicalism and turn this moderate Islamic l1:uion [l1\oa new hub for religious extremisnl.
To slim up, the ongoing political deadlock most likely h3s the potential 10 create the political space necessary for a 'Wahabisatiou' of Ihc archi·
pelago. The hope that undcr dernocratic govcrnllllCC, religious extremism would be rOllled out automatically by liberfll forces was obviously a misperception, It might hetnte thal Islamic radicals were gaining a foothold in Ihe Maldives rluring the authori- tarian regimc of Garoom, bill their political prominencc and influence was dcfil1ileiy b'TOl,;ng
\ll(lre rapidly durillg the paSI few years ullder Nashecd. The fact thal mdicnllslamic panics do 1I0t win much of the votes does 110t ncccs.'iolril}' rcnCCf their political influencc.l'unhcmlore moder.uc forces tend IOOVCrcs-
till1~te tht:ir()l.<m position witllin dlcongoing'kk'ological battlc' for thllltoI3Idive5.
Onc should not bcfoo1cd and mistake the risc of Islamist rorces wilh a religious radicali- S.1Iion oftllC b'Cncr:r1 public.. 'Ihe anli-cIClnOCralic ItlOlllcntUJtl is, more than anything else, created by the llI1\\tillingness llI1t! inCOrnpClencc()fpollticians 10 work together in order 10 improve Ihe prosperity and
\,'elfare of the country nnd establish 'democmtic profes- sionalism' which would lead to
Iru~t wilhin society. The rejeclion of the proposal for a 'ul1ited gOl'ernmclll' comprising thc Ill'\\' l)resi<ie11l as well as the ousted Nashl'Cd including their respective political camps is another milestone of elite failure in Ihe Maldives. Ongoing violent clashes, tactical rllalleUVers rCl:;arding the dMe for new elections are processcs which have the power to sillk M;lldivian democrntic hopes.
However, it is definitely too early to gh'e up the emergence of a genuine Islamic dl'mocracy in the M31dives. M31di\ians mi~t
nOl be able to stop rising sea levels, blll they do hold the power forstopping rising funda- mentalism and aultJcmcy.
nr. Wfit8f Is alectu'8f 01 PoIillcal ScIence and In\&ln31100al R&latloo$ 1$ w< IS I senior .esea.ch tellow In u.. Department 01 PoI!lIcaI Science, South AlIla InstitlllG, H&ldGlberg Unlv&lslty.
AddlUonal~ he 1$ dI.ector ClI ._ ch, South Asla Democratic Fo.um" Brussels based thInk lank
