Honeymoon destination in disarray
President’s power grab worries U. S.
A honeymoon destination known for its azure seas, pristine beaches and romantic over- water bungalows is in disarray as the government locks up the president’s opponents, defies the orders of its supreme court and suspends its constitution.
Howdid the Maldives, an archipelago made up of more than 1,000 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, unravel?
Allegations of corruption
Political opponents of President Abdulla Yameen petitioned the supreme court Jan. 29 to investigate allegations of corruption andhuman rights abuses and to remove him from power temporarily. Opposition leaders accused Yameen, elected in 2013, of stealing more than $ 1 million of state funds. Yameen denied the allegations.
Add to the roiling pot a family feud. Yameen, 58, is the estranged halfbrother of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, 80, who sided with the opposition and was arrested a week later.
A few days later, the supreme court threw out the convictions of nine of Yameen’s political opponents and the terrorism conviction of another former president, Mohamed Nasheed, further threatening Yameen’s hold on power.
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, wife of actor George Clooney, went to bat for Nasheed in 2016, lobbying in London for him to be freed from jail and in Washington for sanctions against the Maldives.
Nasheed said recently thatYameen “has illegally declared martial lawand overrun the state. We must remove him from power.” He asked India to send in its military to oust Yameen.
The president fights back
Yameen said the opposition is “seeking to overthrow a legitimate government,” according to Al Jazeera.
Up for re- election this year, he issued a15- day state of emergency. This month, he started arresting supreme court justices, including Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed. Yameen’s actions prompted an international outcry.
The honeymoon’s over
After Yameen arrested the judges, the U. S. State Department issued a travel advisory calling on visitors to exercise caution “due to terrorism and civil unrest.” In 2016, nearly 1.3 million tourists visited the Maldives, and the government said tourism and hospitality account for 23% of the archipelago’s GDP and make up a third of the government’s revenue.
Hundreds of hotel bookings have been canceled every day since the state of emergency began. The government still says to come on over, as the water’s fine at resorts away from the capital, Malé, Reuters reported.