Ajit Randeniya

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rightly warned against external meddling or intervention in the Maldives following the peaceful transition of government that took place on 7 February.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Such a warning was warranted in view of the flurry of activity that began within the first 24 hours of change of government in the Maldives, with India, Robert O. Blake (not necessarily the US government or people), the UK and the United Nations trying to get involved.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Also, Sri Lankan ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”friends of friendsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the ousted Mohamed Nasheed, such as Gamini Weerakoon of The Sunday Leader and other agents of the British and US embassies in Colombo have pleaded for international intervention. Sri Lanka needs to represent resistence against any such moves in its own backyard.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ One needs to look at NasheedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s bio-data in order to fully understand Robert O BlakeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s interest in keeping Nasheed in power if at all possible: Mohamed Nasheed is the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ultimateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ in terms of the misguided third world lackey Blake and others of his ilk are aiming to exploit as catsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ paws to achieve their weird aim of manipulating geopolitical events for the benefit of Israel.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Gamini Weerakoon gloats on NasheedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s personality and his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”achievementsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢; Weerakoon does not do much for his own credibility though, when he describes Nasheed as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”freedom fighter of reputeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, elevating him to the same league as Nelson Mandela!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Weerakoon tells us that in 2010, Nasheed was named one of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Ten Top Global ThinkersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by Foreign Policy journal; in 2011 British Premier David Cameron has declared Nasheed his ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”new best friendƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and said that he would be on his guest list for the exclusive stag weekend which would have only Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Nicholas Sarkozy and John Key. Weerakoon, in his boot licking, servile mindset may see this as a great honour. However, looking at the list of warmongers and nonentities Cameron keeps company with, he probably had a hard time finding any other takers!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Such meaningless plaudits and perks are thrown at people like Mohamed Nasheed because he is the archetype of the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”globalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ agent conspirators like Blake are seeking to nurture for the implementation of their privatised US foreign policy: such agents are usually men and women from the developing world who have grown up under lengthy political regimes (benevolent or otherwise), on a make-believe US propaganda diet that drums-in the belief that solutions to all their problems (arising from poverty, and government ineptitude in some cases) lie in the made in USƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ contraptions of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”democracyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”human rightsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ etc. Many such individuals may have received a UK or US sponsored tertiary education in these countries and have returned home, aspiring to gain political power by using the formula handed down by the masters: it is a strategy based on the cynical exploitation of human nature (of ambition or greed), misguided belief systems, and limited knowledge, by conspirators like Blake.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka is witnessing such agents in operators like Milinda Moragoda, Kumar Rupesinghe and Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, to name a few, who join the gravy train for the millionaire life style it affords, fully knowing that they will not be able to make an iota of difference to national politics.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In NasheedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s case, it is significant that Nasheed met with Weerakoon (an agent of foreign embassies for a very long time) on the way back from Liverpool in fact, seeking assistance to launch his political challenge to the then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Interestly, Weerakoon, forever the brave guardian of everything wholesome, has advised Nasheed against his plans, on the grounds that he was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”qualifying for exile in a remote islandƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. Nasheed went home and formed the Maldivian Democratic Alliance and won the elections in 2008.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The honeymoon of the Nasheed regime ended early due to public resentment against the political and economic direction of his government, with progressive forces in the Maldives intervening last week to gain control of their country.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Ironically, what brought the matters to a head was his arrest last month of the nationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s top criminal court judge for ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”freeing a government criticƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢; Blake has obviously taught him during his frequent visits to the Maldives within the last couple of years that concepts like the rule of law, democracy and human rights are quite malleable, depending on whose interests they serve! About 200 policemen mutinied and seized control of the state TV station. Nasheed announced his resignation and within hours retracted, claiming that he lost power in a coup.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The former presidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s attempt for a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”people powerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ coup by gathering outside a mosque failed due to only a couple of hundred of his supporters turning up. He demanded that the new government step down and hold early elections, and more importantly, adding: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-IƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢m really hoping there is some kind of intervention. ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s hopelessƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This is when his friend Blake sprung in to action; having earlier ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”recognisedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the new government of Mohammed Waheed Hassan, he got the State Department also to retract and to announce that they want to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”investigateƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the power transfer. Blake was in the region, on another of his uninvited visits to Colombo to terrorise the government with demands of accountability in fact, and flew to Male to ƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¡nalyseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the situation.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Also arriving in Male on 10 February was ƒÆ’†’ƒ¢¢”š¬…”scar FernƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚¡ndez-Taranco, the United Nations assistant secretary general for political affairs. His visit signified the westƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s attempt to transform the UN (under the ineffective leadership of Ban ki Moon) in to a global police force that seeks to intervene in domestic affairs of member countries, against the UN Charter. In a statement that merely represented waste of breath, Fernandez-Taranco told reporters that he requested ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-all political actors to remain calm and prevent any type of violence!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As it usually happens, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”regime change propagandaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the western corporate media began their usual supply of opinion and lies dressed as news. Allegations of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”widespread abuse of civiliansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ by the armed forces and police, based on ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”sources that cannot be identifiedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, are presented to tarnish the image of the new leader as a dictator. A clear example of this shameless practice was the CNN reference to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”a teacherƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ who mourned that the clashes reminded him of the 30 years of single-party rule. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Brutality is returning, and that brings out bad memories,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the teacher is alleged to have said. Report also referred to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”some users of TwitterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ who reported ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”knowingƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ people who were treated similarly.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Rupert Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal invoked the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Islamic extremistsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ card, (naming the new Home Minister Mohamed Jameel as one such extremist) and expressed concerns about the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”stabilityƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the Maldives, located on a strategically important sea route. Needless to say, such lies are necessary to justify possible future international intervention and also to unsettle Indian policy makers concerns that the Maldives could be used as a potential base for Islamist militants.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Maldives, as is common knowledge in Sri Lanka, is a predominantly Islamic country and some Muslims have taken justifiable umbrage against some of NasheedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s domestic and foreign policies. In the domestic policy arena, his governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s decision to extend permission to operate spas and massage parlours in the main island Male and other inhabited islands, previously confined to atolls where luxury resorts operate, attracted opposition. Though the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”enlightenedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, American trained minds may not be able to understand, such religious (Jewish, Christian or Islamic) and cultural sensitivities do exist and they need to be respected!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ On the foreign policy front, due to his friendships with people like Cameron perhaps, Nasheed became the first Maldivian leader to send his foreign minister to Israel. Also, his decision to allow an Israeli airline to land in the Maldives prompted the Islamist Adhaalath Party to leave the coalition government in protest.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In December Islamic political parties held rallies against him and his government, accusing of defiling Islam, their national religion – hardly an extremist activity. The problem appears that Nasheed seems to have clearly judged the mood of his country looking through the veil Blake and others have provided him with!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ India, Sri lanka and Pakistan would be the only countries with a justifiable interest on Maldivian affairs. India should not be moved by BlakeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s false propaganda that Islamist extremists have taken control in the Maldives. As Sri Lanka has provided the lead, these three countries together with SAARC need to keep events local and regional, barring intervention from afar.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Regime change is a universal human right after all!