“Gaumee thashi gaumu fundaalanee” is what came to my mind as I watched a news report on the Ten o’clock News bulletin on TVM Friday morning. This championship trophy which united the nation in support of the national team and the national effort, are today divided in half by those who support the lavish and prolonged style of jubilation that the National Football Team has brought upon the nation, and those are not in favor of the wasteful and unnecessary spending (israafu).

The national football team and the championship it won for the nation has finally become a bad omen for the nation. It is perhaps a consequence of the wasteful extravegence that hit the nation in a moment of blind nationalism. When the nation was on the brink of complete economic disaster, we spent over 7 million United States Dollars just to watch the championship finals in Colombo. Today, we are all cursing the near starvation we have amidst us, on ourselves. Then, there were no experts or economists or parliamentarians to warn us of our actions!

The national football team nor the Football Association of Maldives, would take any responsibility for ripping the nation into pieces by their extravegence and their actions. They will say they have no part to play in it. That they are helpless when the government decides to take the championship trophy on a multi-million Rufiyaa round trip across the nation. The stars will neither condemn nor distance themselves from the act. They and the top officials of FAM and the govnerment will blame it all the government. The TVM news bulletin also refrained from speaking to the national team and FAM officials in its report.

It is so typically Maldivian not to have a mind that works! Fantastic slave mentality! And we claim to be marching to demoracy and good governance!