21 August 2007
Report: Soodh
MALE, August 21, 2007 (Haveeru News Service) -- Maldives' Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed has resigned from his Cabinet post today.
Shaheed told Haveeru that he quit because he did not believe in the no-confidence motion which the parliament has put on agenda for tomorrow’s sitting.
The no-confidence motion comes after Shaheed told a ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party meeting that the Maldivian people had failed to get their rights because the parliament had failed them.
MPs accuse Shaheed of undermining an important pillar of democracy and also of partisan bias as at that time the DRP was campaigning against a parliamentary system for last Saturday's public referendum to decide on a style of government for Maldives. DRP proved to be the winner after getting more than 60 percent endorsement for a US-style presidential system.
Shaheed said that it was unacceptable that the parliament take a no-confidence motion against him as he has a right to criticize the parliament as a Presidential appointee to the People’s Special Majlis, the interim constitutional assembly tasked with amending the constitution by November 30.
Reuters news agency said that Shaheed called Reuters from Male just before handing his resignation letter to President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom today.
“Unlike his two colleagues, Shaheed did not accuse Gayoom himself of delaying reforms. But he did say he thought it was time Asia's longest-serving ruler passed on the baton after 29 years in power,” Reuters said in an exclusive report.
"I want to applaud Gayoom for risks he has taken by taking forward the sweeping reform agenda and I remain a friend and fan of the reform process," Reuters quoted Shaheed as saying. "President Gayoom has a chance to emulate Nelson Mandela to pass the torch on to a new generation, and I hope he does it."
Rumors of Shaheed’s resignation flew on August 16 as well but at that time Shaheed officially declared that he had not resigned.
Shaheed, one of the New Maldives group of technocrat and reformist ministers, was given the Foreign Minister portfolio on 14 July 2005 during a Cabinet shuffle.
Shaheed is the third member of the New Maldives group to have resigned from the Cabinet this month. Earlier, Shaheed’s close friends Attorney General Dr. Hassan Saeed and Justice Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed resigned from their posts, blaming President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as directly having a hand in blocking his own Reform Agenda, an accusation which the President denies.
Before becoming the Foreign Minister, Shaheed was the Chief Government Spokesperson.
Sources claim that Shaheed’s resignation comes after being overwhelmed from the hardliners in President Gayoom’s Cabinet.
Gayoom has said that he will stand for re-election during next year’s Presidential elections, but that he will stand down after one term when implementation of his Reform Agenda is complete.
Report: Velidhoo Community
Courtesy: Haveeru
No comments:
Post a Comment