From “Anni” to “H.E.P”

Ibrahim Didi and Naseem traces the rise of a President

“You know, they said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said that this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.”

So spoke Barack Obama on the night that he won the Iowa caucuses.

These are words that could have easily been spoken by Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) had he contested in the US Democratic Party primaries instead of challenging Mohamed Munavvar in the MDP primaries in Maldives.

People try to put us down

When Anni and other reformists first launched the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) many did not believe that it had a chance of succeeding. Anni himself was seen as a figure who did not “look” like a president because he did not regularly visit Singapore for Botox injections. This is why Dr Ahmed Shaheed promoted a mullah called Dr Hassan Saeed who looked like a President.

Despite all this, against the odds, Anni managed to cobble together a victory in the presidential election. The election was, in many ways, a fairy tale. Or, as Playboy magazine described it, a “momentous victory of belief against chaos.”

Talking ‘bout my generation

Since assuming power President Nasheed has further confounded critics by fitting into the role in a refreshing way. He has scaled back on the pomp and ceremony that Gayoom enjoyed. He exposed the lavish lifestyle Gayoom enjoyed such as the gold-plated toilet seats in the President’s Office. Nasheed said the private office Gayoom had inside the President’s Office was too large and luxurious for the new President to move in. For a few months Nasheed stayed behind a desk in a corridor of the President’s Office. Then he moved into the large and luxurious office Gayoom had used.


Photo: Gaanagaa

Domestic bliss

And what has been achieved in one year? Better governance: corruption has been curbed and there is greater transparency. Nasheed has appointed experienced politicians such as Ibrahim Hussain Zaki to key government posts to make sure the machinery of the government is well-oiled and free from corruption.

Steps have also been taken to foster a climate for economic development. A responsible economic framework has been established with the assistance of the IMF. The Ministry of Economic Development has been put in the hands of a physiotherapist; because only a physiotherapist has the skilled hands to heal a bruised economy.

International affairs

President Nasheed’s star has really shone on the international stage. Seeing their foe being elevated to the role of global statesman has been a particular source of ire for his critics.
Since taking office, Nasheed has forged close links with democratic India and spent a night at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth II. Being the modest person he is, Nasheed has downplayed the significance of this.

“For me there is no difference between sleeping at Muleeaage or at Windsor Castle. After all, it was on a bed I slept at Windsor Castle and it was on a bed I sleep at Muleeaage,” Nasheed said about his experience of sleeping with Queen Elizabeth II.

Love of extremists

Nasheed has started an experiment conducted never before by a moderate democrat. He has invited the radical Adhaalath Party to his cabinet. This has resulted in a growth of radical Islam in the Maldives. Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Bari has become a close confidante of President Nasheed.


Photo: Gaanagaa

Great Expectations

This assessment began with a parallel to the 44th American president, and it ends on a similar note. In many ways, the situation this country’s 4th president finds himself in is not much different: universally adored abroad, met with a sceptical and divided country at home.

Playing with the hand you are dealt whilst not losing sight of the long-term objective is what this is all about. And it is in this sense that Anni and His Excellency the President have proved to be not so different after all.