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Maldives: Protesters Win Demand for Early Elections from Coup Government
On Tuesday, February 7, 2012 a coup carried out by armed police and military officers ousted the elected president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed’s government came to power in 2008 at the head of an anti-corruption and pro-democracy movement. Their movement forced the dictatorship of Maumoon Gayoom to hold elections which Nasheed won. Nasheed’s presidency has since been very active speaking out in the world arena on the desperate need for real action on climate change. Nasheed’s government was also vocal on the need for assistance from rich countries to the poorer ones to help them with problems caused by climate change, problems caused primarily by the pollution of the rich industrialized countries in the first place. With thousands protesting in the streets, the coup government has agreed to demands for early elections.
[Photo: Protesters clashed with police and troops in riot gear last week, Ishara Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images]
Elected Maldives President Wins Demand for Early Elections from Coup Government
By Steven Argue
Friday, February 17, 2012. Thousands of Maldivians are reportedly protesting against the coup in the capital this Friday. Facing this pressure, reports have indicated coup President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has agreed to the demands of protesters and elected President Naheed for early elections. Reports have not indicated when those elections will be held, but statements do indicate that President Nasheed is happy with Hassan’s announcement. A week ago coup President Hassan and Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Baker both stated they were opposed to the early elections demanded by President Hassan. It seems mass protests may be having an impact.
Obama received $884,000 from the oil and gas industries for his 2008 run for president. In return Obama has attempted to do nothing real on climate change and supported the overthrow of President Nasheed in the Maldives, an elected president and outspoken world voice for real action on climate change.
Today, Obama once again showed his total indifference to the world’s environment by ordering shark fin soup. Beyond climate change with warmer rising oceans and increased ocean acidification due to CO2, both causing a coming mass extinction of species and massive human suffering, one of the next big issues in the rapidly declining health of the oceans is the elimination of sharks from the oceans through the shark finning industry. Besides causing massive environmental damage, the industry is particularly cruel and wasteful, cutting the fins off the animals alive and throwing their painful wreathing bodies back into the ocean. Obama’s a symbolic environmental indifference here is on par with Governor Arnold Schwartzeneggar’s fleet of 8 Humvees. And like Obama, Schwatzeneggar did huge damage to the environment, conspiring with the auto and oil industries to eliminate California’s electric car mandates that were placed on the auto industry, doing massive damage to present and future generations for immediate capitalist profit.
Human rights have also suffered in the Maldives due to this U.S. backed coup. In response, Maldives UN Ambassador Farah Faisal has resigned in protest saying, "I can't serve the regime which overthrew a democratic regime. They robbed the people of the vote and when I saw the brutality of the police last week, that was the final straw."
See Amnesty International reports posted at the end for more on that brutality.
Here is an Amnesty International report on the brutality of the coup government (and there are other reports of large numbers of Nasheed supporters being tied together by the police and being threatened with being set on fire).
Maldives security forces must stop using violence against supporters of Mohamed Nasheed
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/maldives-security-forces-must-stop-using-violence-against-supporters-mohame
Maldives: End use of excessive force against protesters
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/maldives-end-use-excessive-force-against-protesters-2012-02-08
Also see from Liberation News
Oppose the U.S. Backed Coup in the Maldives!
By Steven Argue
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/10/18707054.php
This is an article of Liberation News (not associated with the Stalinist PSL who stole our name, subscribe free
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news
Check out the statement of purpose of the Revolutionary Tendency of the Socialist Party (RT-SP):
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2012/02/251336.php
Elected Maldives President Wins Demand for Early Elections from Coup Government
By Steven Argue
Friday, February 17, 2012. Thousands of Maldivians are reportedly protesting against the coup in the capital this Friday. Facing this pressure, reports have indicated coup President Mohammed Waheed Hassan has agreed to the demands of protesters and elected President Naheed for early elections. Reports have not indicated when those elections will be held, but statements do indicate that President Nasheed is happy with Hassan’s announcement. A week ago coup President Hassan and Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Baker both stated they were opposed to the early elections demanded by President Hassan. It seems mass protests may be having an impact.
Obama received $884,000 from the oil and gas industries for his 2008 run for president. In return Obama has attempted to do nothing real on climate change and supported the overthrow of President Nasheed in the Maldives, an elected president and outspoken world voice for real action on climate change.
Today, Obama once again showed his total indifference to the world’s environment by ordering shark fin soup. Beyond climate change with warmer rising oceans and increased ocean acidification due to CO2, both causing a coming mass extinction of species and massive human suffering, one of the next big issues in the rapidly declining health of the oceans is the elimination of sharks from the oceans through the shark finning industry. Besides causing massive environmental damage, the industry is particularly cruel and wasteful, cutting the fins off the animals alive and throwing their painful wreathing bodies back into the ocean. Obama’s a symbolic environmental indifference here is on par with Governor Arnold Schwartzeneggar’s fleet of 8 Humvees. And like Obama, Schwatzeneggar did huge damage to the environment, conspiring with the auto and oil industries to eliminate California’s electric car mandates that were placed on the auto industry, doing massive damage to present and future generations for immediate capitalist profit.
Human rights have also suffered in the Maldives due to this U.S. backed coup. In response, Maldives UN Ambassador Farah Faisal has resigned in protest saying, "I can't serve the regime which overthrew a democratic regime. They robbed the people of the vote and when I saw the brutality of the police last week, that was the final straw."
See Amnesty International reports posted at the end for more on that brutality.
Here is an Amnesty International report on the brutality of the coup government (and there are other reports of large numbers of Nasheed supporters being tied together by the police and being threatened with being set on fire).
Maldives security forces must stop using violence against supporters of Mohamed Nasheed
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/maldives-security-forces-must-stop-using-violence-against-supporters-mohame
Maldives: End use of excessive force against protesters
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/maldives-end-use-excessive-force-against-protesters-2012-02-08
Also see from Liberation News
Oppose the U.S. Backed Coup in the Maldives!
By Steven Argue
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/10/18707054.php
This is an article of Liberation News (not associated with the Stalinist PSL who stole our name, subscribe free
https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news
Check out the statement of purpose of the Revolutionary Tendency of the Socialist Party (RT-SP):
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2012/02/251336.php
Add Your Comments
Comments
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On the Class Basis of the Maldives Coup and the Internationalist Socialist Response
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/17/18707597.php
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/02/17/18707597.php
Early elections perhaps may be an answer only if we punish the perpetrators of the coup.
We can have the most fair and free and a fairy land election in the world but it will simply be pointless and wast of money and time if we don’t get rid of the junk who took part in this.
We seriously must know who paid and bought this coup, who are the planners and who helped carry out this coup.
Following are the People who paid for the Coup. I am getting more info about some more people who paid, will give out the names as I find out, for now these are the names that needs investigating: Maumoon, Yamin, Gasim, Thasneem, Crown Company Saleem and Bandos Waheedheen.
Those filthy Police and Army Personnel who took part and disgraced our national emblem and insult the proud forces who has being performing in Uniform they must and should kick out of the forces, everyone of them and we must make sure that they never be allowed wear the national emblem or the proud uniform of our forces. They must not ever hold a government position or civilian position.
As for the people who paid for this coup they should be declared bankrupt and all there assets including land should be seize by the state.
Without this deterrent this will keep happening over and over again. Businessmen having ambitions is fine but we must not tolerate this kind of evil.
Judiciary seriously need to be overhauled, and the fanatic Muslim freaks should not be allowed to spread and give hate speeches.
We all must urge the Majlis to pass a bill to this effect. without it we find this happening time and time again.
We can have the most fair and free and a fairy land election in the world but it will simply be pointless and wast of money and time if we don’t get rid of the junk who took part in this.
We seriously must know who paid and bought this coup, who are the planners and who helped carry out this coup.
Following are the People who paid for the Coup. I am getting more info about some more people who paid, will give out the names as I find out, for now these are the names that needs investigating: Maumoon, Yamin, Gasim, Thasneem, Crown Company Saleem and Bandos Waheedheen.
Those filthy Police and Army Personnel who took part and disgraced our national emblem and insult the proud forces who has being performing in Uniform they must and should kick out of the forces, everyone of them and we must make sure that they never be allowed wear the national emblem or the proud uniform of our forces. They must not ever hold a government position or civilian position.
As for the people who paid for this coup they should be declared bankrupt and all there assets including land should be seize by the state.
Without this deterrent this will keep happening over and over again. Businessmen having ambitions is fine but we must not tolerate this kind of evil.
Judiciary seriously need to be overhauled, and the fanatic Muslim freaks should not be allowed to spread and give hate speeches.
We all must urge the Majlis to pass a bill to this effect. without it we find this happening time and time again.
[Photo: from Minivan News, protest February 17th against the coup d'etat]
Thousands participated in protests against the February 7th coup in the Maldives on Friday, February 17th. The protest, unlike protests last week in the aftermath of the coup, ended without bloodshed. The streets were filled with young protesters many of whom had never attended a protest. As a result of the protest, coup president Hassan promised early elections, a demand of protesters that Hassan said he would not meet up until now. The Obama administration had also backed the coup and opposed early elections. Protesters, however, responded that the promise of early elections was not good enough and demanded a date. They say they will stay in the streets until a date is set for new elections. Coup president Hassan has called this move irresponsible. Anti-coup protesters will be back out on the streets Saturday, February 18th.
Thousands participated in protests against the February 7th coup in the Maldives on Friday, February 17th. The protest, unlike protests last week in the aftermath of the coup, ended without bloodshed. The streets were filled with young protesters many of whom had never attended a protest. As a result of the protest, coup president Hassan promised early elections, a demand of protesters that Hassan said he would not meet up until now. The Obama administration had also backed the coup and opposed early elections. Protesters, however, responded that the promise of early elections was not good enough and demanded a date. They say they will stay in the streets until a date is set for new elections. Coup president Hassan has called this move irresponsible. Anti-coup protesters will be back out on the streets Saturday, February 18th.
I gathered early reports from the African press on this, but only discussed this on Facebook and didn't follow up because I was so disgusted.
Glad to see the people would not tolerate this.
Our State Department of course, was only interested in seeing that order was restored.
Glad to see the people would not tolerate this.
Our State Department of course, was only interested in seeing that order was restored.
For more information:
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