The great irony: a review of ex President Waheed’s biography
Does Waheed’s biography live up to the promise of truth and accountability its title, Justice, offers?
08 Jan 2017, 9:00 AM
Of all the men who have served as the Maldives’ president, none have faced as many questions of legitimacy as Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan. Having assumed power in 2012 when his boss, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned in what is widely held to be a coup d’état, he was branded a traitor or baaghee by the opposition and is regarded by many as the man who derailed the Maldives’ hard-won struggle for democracy.
In December, Waheed published a biography in Dhivehi, offering a behind-the-scenes look at key events of his life and two years in office, including the persecution of his family by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the controversial transfer of power of 2012, his humiliating defeat in the 2013 presidential elections, and decision to overstay the presidential term.
The biography is titled Insaaf or Justice, and according to Waheed, contains his version of the truth.
Its main treatise, as expected, is Waheed’s fraught relationship with Nasheed, who he blames for the turmoil that roiled the Maldives during his tenure.
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