Feature Comment
Has the Maldives United Opposition failed to ‘restore democracy’?
As rumours of Yameen’s imminent ouster fizzle out and detainees languish in jail, Omkar Khandekar asks if the opposition coalition has failed in its bid to remove the embattled president and “restore democracy.”
02 Oct 2016, 9:00 AM
Gasim Abdul Kareem: the hand that rocked the boat
To prosecute Gasim sends the message that protecting the privacy of individuals who engage in corruption on a grand scale is more important than protecting whistleblowers who expose their corruption, writes Transparency Maldives
24 Sep 2016, 9:00 AM
‘Let me know if you need a lawyer’
Omkar Khandekar recounts the police raid on the Maldives Independent’s office in the wake of the much-anticipated release of Al Jazeera’s corruption exposé Stealing Paradise.
13 Sep 2016, 9:00 AM
Q&A: Fisheries minister takes questions on Maldives crisis
Mohamed Shainee speaks about the Maldives United Opposition, rifts within the ruling party, talk of the transition of government and how President Abdulla Yameen keeps his cabinet together: by sending the message, ‘Whatever you do, you can’t get away with this.
05 Sep 2016, 9:00 AM
A conversation on the MUO’s plan for a transitional government
Hussain Shameem, the MUO’s shadow cabinet minister for constitutional reform, speaks about details of the opposition’s plans for the transition and beyond
29 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
Paradise with hell’s furore
Mushfique Mohamed writes on how the Maldives’ government uses postcolonial rhetoric to justify subjugation and economic exploitation
27 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
How the defamation law has changed Maldives’ media landscape
The new defamation law has forced newsrooms across the Maldives to practice self censorship, use broadcasting delays and control what is said by politicians on talk shows
24 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
How can a sitting president be legally removed in the Maldives?
With Malé rife with rumours of the president’s ouster, we take a look at the constitutional avenues and key players involved in removing a sitting president
21 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
Maldives ‘defamation law’ to curtail freedom of expression
Azra Naseem dissects the government-proposed bill to recriminalise defamation. “To start with, direct full-frontal assault on the right to freedom of expression,” she writes.
09 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
Remembering Rilwan
“My pain over losing Rilwan is largely about what could have been: a close friendship; a long, productive relationship in which we could have spent all this time working towards a shared goal and purpose: of making the society we were born into one that is more tolerant, equal and more…loving,” writes Azra Naseem
08 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
A conversation with Umar Naseer
Ex Home Minister Umar Naseer speaks candidly about his resignation from the cabinet, the changing political landscape, and the high-profile murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali.
03 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
Death in the tropical paradise
Omkar Khandekar explores “the melting pot of conspiracy theories” spawned by the assassination of Dr Afrasheem Ali in October 2012.
29 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
An eye for an eye, or save the lives of mankind?
As the state prepares for its first execution in more than half a century, Shahindha Ismail ruminates on the value of forgiveness and mercy in Islam.
16 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
Chaos islands
With the new opposition coalition’s first protest rally due to take place tomorrow night, a divided government now readies itself to face a fragmented opposition, setting in motion a battle for legacy in the Indian Ocean, writes Omkar Khandekar.
13 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
A tightening of the noose
“Humam’s death will affect all of us, our national psyche because with him we will lose that sense of longing for something good that we might have been,” writes Latheefa Ahmed Verall.
07 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
Forced migration around the corner: Time to act
“Maldivians are paying a high social and economic cost for development policies that force atoll populations to migrate to Malé,” writes Salma Fikry in her foreword for Falhu Aliran Muiy, a book by Muna Mohamed on the inhabited islands of Maldives.
07 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
Tariq Ramadan’s appeal for President Yameen to stop imminent execution
In a letter sent to President Yameen on July 5, the renowned Islamic scholar wrote that executing Hussain Humam without the consent of the victim’s family “would contravene the fundamental principles of Islamic law.”
06 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
What some people call journalism
The role of ‘journalists’ like the editor of pro-government outlet Avas and the establishments that prop such people up, was crucial in bringing to an end the Maldives’ democratic transition. It is playing an equally crucial role in strengthening the current government’s authoritarianism, writes Azra Naseem.
30 Jun 2016, 9:00 AM
Maldives state ready to kill Humam, and a way of life
The noose around Humam’s neck will put an end to not just his life but to two problems the government encounters: rumours of President Yameen’s involvement in Afrasheem’s murder that just won’t die; and accusations that it is not following the path of ‘true Islam’, i.e, Saudi-led Salafi Islam, writes Azra Naseem
25 Jun 2016, 9:00 AM
Maldives Inc.
Maldives today is a capitalist dream. Mega development projects that aspire to ‘change the very map of the country’ are underway across the length and breadth of the 1200 islands. But the fact is, the very existence of Maldives is at risk, writes Azra Naseem
21 Jun 2016, 9:00 AM
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