MDP is not above the law: Shafeeg Moosa

A senior founding member of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ahmed Shafeeg Moosa (DO Sappe) has said that no one is above the law, and that even MDP must obey Court orders.

Shafeeg, who is currently in Glasgow, Scotland, told Sun Online in an interview over the phone today that Maldives has a Constitution and a Court system that functions, and that a political party of 50,000 people passing that it will not obey Court orders is ‘a joke’.

“We can challenge and criticise Court rulings. But it is a big joke when the executive council of a political party passes a resolution that it will not obey Court orders. We have to accept that Maldives has a Constitution. We have Courts and Judges. Trials are conducted every day; people are being sentenced and acquitted. A political party of 50,000 people cannot make the decision to abolish Courts and Court orders. This decision is a big joke. No one is above the law,” former President Mohamed Nasheed’s close friend, who also acted as the Science and Technology Envoy during Nasheed’s presidency, told Sun Online.

Shafeeg said that the judicial sector of Maldives is in need of reform, but it is not acceptable to disrespect the Courts instead of allowing time for these reforms to take place.

“I will not follow this decision by MDP, and no other member should follow either. Honestly, a party cannot instruct people not to obey Courts. My question is, if a Court issues a verdict against me, and if I follow that verdict, will I be kicked out of the party? That should not be the case,” he said.

MDP’s National Steering Committee passed a resolution, submitted by former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem and supported by former Housing Minister Mohamed Aslam, that MDP will not accept trials held at Maldivian Courts until the judicial system is reformed.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s legal team indicated today that Nasheed will follow this resolution.

Nasheed neither showed up in Court, nor had appointed a lawyer to represent him for today’s hearing on defamation charges against him.

Shafeeg, who was a member of MDP’s first elected National Council, said that the resolution was ‘a decision made in haste without proper study’.

He said that it would result in MDP losing prestige and people losing confidence in MDP, which would be problematic for Nasheed as MDP’s presidential candidate.

He stressed that even Nasheed must attend Court when summoned.

“For whatever reason, our presidential candidate Nasheed has been summoned to Court. If he refuses to obey, he might again be charged with contempt of Court, which might result in another sentence,” he said.

This is the first time Shafeeg talks to media since the change of government on 7 February. It is also the first time that he targets such serious criticism at MDP.

Referring to some incidents within MDP after 7 February, he said that he did not support the removal of MDP’s elected President Dr Ibrahim Didi and Vice President Alhan Fahmy from their posts.

Shafeeg noted that MDP is still the strongest political party in the Maldives, and stressed that he is not criticising MDP’s leadership, rather, it is his responsibility in his capacity as a member of the society to advise on how transgressions can be rectified.

He stressed that MDP needs to focus on the upcoming elections, and responsibly criticise the current government to bring about reform.

“I believe that MDP will win the next election. They have to focus on that. We have to invest energy on campaigns; political research shows that it is difficult to campaign in Maldives. We have to think about how opposition groups will react before announcing resolutions. We will succeed if we are more serious about these efforts,” he said.

Shafeeg has been living in the UK in voluntary exile since the death of Evan Naseem, who died in Maafushi prison as a result of injuries inflicted by security forces. He is the Editor of online opposition news Dhivehi Observer which was first published in 2004. Shafeeg has played a major role in providing information to European countries on democratic reform and how inmates are treated in the Maldives.