From: mnasheedh's blog
I read with immense curiosity what has been reported in the Minivan News today on the Situation Committee. It paints a very evil picture of the Committee.
Yes, the Situation Committee is a standing committee of cabinet ministers. Yes, it acts as a link between intelligence management, law enforcement and senior government in tackling crisis situations.
In the US, there is the highly secured “Situation Room” with lines of communication to all important agencies of the US Government. It is located in the basement of the West Wing of The White House and is run by the National Security Council. It is used to brief the President and his advisers in domestic and international crises. It is staffed by intelligence agencies and the military. It allows the President in his command and control functions.
In the UK, there is the “COBRA”, or the Cabinet Office Briefing Room at Conference Room A of the Cabinet Office. It used to be called the Civil Contingencies Committee. It comes into action in domestic or regional or international crises or emergencies. It functions as a highly secured intelligence facility for the Prime Minister and his senior ministers, key government officials, police and intelligence officials. According to published literature it is attended by the Police Commissioner and the Head of the SAS Intelligence. It has secure communication channels to police, army, intelligence agencies, hospitals, and emergency services in any crisis situation.
Given those examples, I am not sure if I understand the unusual nature of a Situation Committee that comes into being when Maldives is faced with critical situations, domestic crises and emergencies that need to be tackled with information and intelligence collected from and processed through coordinated efforts of several agencies.
Specifically in relation the arrest of any individual or individuals, it is not that the Situation Committee itself has the power of arrest. It is not that it has any extra-judicial or like-judicial powers. It functions as a collection point for vital information. It processes intelligence. It serves to list out tasks and actions to be taken immediately. It then communicates with line ministries and agencies of the Government with the sole view of bringing crisis situations under control.
The Situation Committee is all about having command and control in situations – in very much the same way as COBRA acts in the UK and Situation Room acts in the US. But yes, because it happens in the Maldives, it must be a "democratic deficit" of the country and an inroad into the "judicial process", Right?
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