Nearly a fortnight ago, the whole nation was shocked and awed by the public display of the “bad-guy” side of the religous-scholar turned into long serving head-of-state of a SARC country. The President of Maldives and Leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, showed a list of “liars” in the political playing field who had lied to him personally; and briefed his supporters on the details of the lies of five people. They are all key players in the opposition to Maumoon’s DRP.

The nation was shown the “bad-side” of Maumoon, just after his national unity address July 26th, National Independence Day. In his campaign speech following the Independence Day sppech, he also dragged into the political-wrangling, the national icon the Late Saikuraa Naeem who passed away just before the Independence Day. It has been reported that Maumoon claimed Saikuraa Naeem to be a victim of the street protests of the National Unity Alliance

Just a week after Maumoon’s speech to launch his Campaign Haruge, Anni – the presidential candidate of MDP claimed that his party was not out to take revenge on anyone. His speech was his first national-unity speech since his party launched a nation-wide opposition to Maumoon. His leadership of the party as Chairperson of MDP and also his alleged shady interventions in the party primaries to elect a presidential candidate, has seen the defection of many prominent politicians.

Within a day of Anni’s national-unity speech following Maumoon’s, Chairperson Mariya of MDP who was the at the center of Maumoon’s attack on the opposition; went into the offensive by claiming that they were out to wipe the nation of Maldives from Egyptian colonialism. Chairperson Mariya is also said to have belittled the Late Saikuraa Naeem by disgracing him and belittling him, though he had said nor done nothing to her. This display of Mariya’s arrogance and political immaturity and disrespect for basic human dignity shocked even her own party colleagues.

Neither did MDP nor Chairperson Mariya so far has shown the courage to accept responsibility for this shameful incident. They seem to have brushed it aside hoping that it would be forgotten by the people. The consequences were on display in the market area of Male’, which I have personally experienced. A group of elderly and middle aged people who were expressing their discontent to Maumoon and his party were having a laugh joking that Saikuraa Naeem is now in heavan.

Speaking at MDP Haruge on the day Mariya made her ill-fated speech, Anni had called upon the trio of Dr. Hassan, Dr. Shaheed and Dr. Jameel to join the a political party claiming that the path they had taken is similar to the trio of Egyptian scholars who came to power thirty years ago. Dr. Hassan responded by saying that none of the nation’s political parties were good enough for them. I am not quite sure what he meant; but what it implied was that the people who belonged and cherished these political parties were not good enough for him.

These past two weeks in the run up to the ratification of the New Constitution was crowded with shocking political realities of the immaturity, the bad-side and a lack of basic respect for human dignity of our political leadership. Maumoon in his Ratification Day Speech called upon the nation to make an effort to promote human dignity.