Category: Parliament

The silent speaker: what role Shahid?

Abdulla Shahid, the speaker of parliament, is pivotal to Maldivian politics. As head of one of the three separate powers that govern us, his actions are of equal importance to those of the Executive and the judiciary. Yet he has remained largely silent through the current crisis, seemingly not in possession of any opinion whatsoever on the matter. Is his silence meant to convey neutrality? Does it?

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Why so many male chauvinistic pigs when pork is haraam?

by Azra Naseem

For a place where all things pig is a big ‘Haraam, haraam’, the Maldives seems to be breeding a shocking amount of male chauvinistic pigs these days. Their numbers and presence have increased markedly since the coup on 7 February.

Maldivian women became a bold and vital part of the pro-democracy protests led by MDP, and has presented some very difficult problems for movers and shakers in the new regime:

  • Religious extremists see it as a kick in the teeth of their long campaign to turn Maldivian women into ‘submissive maidens of abject modesty’;
  • Coup-leaders see a very vocal and visible loss of support;
  • It is harder to find international support for a regime that brutalises women – they have to be removed from the frontlines of protests. All the easier to shoot, gas and violate the rest.

Hence a very public campaign to ridicule women who join politics by painting them as brainless harlots and MDP whores.

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