The Deputy Speaker of parliament is taking the Leader of the Opposition of which the Deputy Speaker’s party is a coalition member; to court, for defaulting on payment of a personal loan. The Courts had to issue a Red Notice to the leader of the opposition party which was pasted on the gate of his residence as earlier summons were disregarded by the leader of the opposition. This was reported in the Maldives media today.

An American company is taking the parliamentary leader of the President’s party to court for alleged defaulting on payment of a loan which was given to him in 2007. The alleged amount is over 4 million Rufiyaa according to local media reports. A contract which was awarded to his company is alleged to have room for serious allegations of corruption, and the state owned company which awarded the contract has been asked to re-tender for the project, by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The state owned company has since sought a court order to nullify the ACC ruling.

Civil Court has revealed that they have not been able to serve summons to a leading MP because his address in unknown to them. The case has been lodged by the Attorney General. His company is alleged to have not paid rent to the government for several years now, to a restaurant in a prime location of the capital city. The other shareholders have told in court that they are not aware of the conduct of business of the company and that company accounts have been operated through personal bank accounts of the MP.

The Supreme Court has issued a press statement negating allegations of corruption by Justices regarding phone allowances and car repair. The Supreme Court has also stated that the media reports were defamatory of the institution and the high judges of the Court.

All this in a backdrop of a blackmail scandal involving respected dignitaries who are alleged to have strip and masturbated on webcam in an act of fetish. The police are investigating the blackmail and the government has stayed quiet on the matter except a response from the Press Secretary of the President who indicated that action on the allegations can only be taken only after a court ruling. The alleged video clips have been circulating around town during this week.

All this has been reported in the local media, of which the truth cannot be verified independently. The local media including the government media is alleged to be biased in their reporting.

All this in a hundred per cent Muslim country where the traditions of Islam is allegedly observed. Maldives seems to have turned from Paradise on Earth to Democracy Paradise. I was told by a visiting professor of human rights at a public lecture in Male’ that my assertion, that this and the ongoing victimization of innocent people and freedom to those who disregarded the law was the “collateral damage” of democracy, was wrong. I was later able to convince a colleague that it was indeed collateral damage and not a failure of democracy.

And I am writing this post when I have once been bullied and harassed by an independent commission of the State for expressing my views on this blog which they found to belittle them.

The country, which is alleged to be a breeding ground of extremism and a supplier of international terrorists, in addition to all of the above, and allegedly one of the most unsafe places to be in broad daylight or in the early evening hours of Male’ morning, is aiming to increase its tourist arrivals to a million visitors, to enjoy this paradise.