Dhivehi Observer: Can Civil Society Organizations bring the country out of this crisis?

Dhivehi Observer, 3 July 2010

Constitutional crisis? Power struggle? Encroachment of one power over the other? However one may define what is going on in the Maldives, there is one thing that is certain – that is our country as a young democracy is trying to emerge from 30 years of darkness and what we face today is the fall out of that past. If we thought that on the dawn of October 29th 2008, we faced a perfect model democracy in the Maldives then we were either too high on euphoria to think straight or we were damned fools. It is going to take more than an election and a separation of powers on paper to bring democratic change to the Maldives and the situation we face today is one of those several hurdles that we have to cross before we reach our final destination.

But one thing is certain – that is there is a section of our society who is really tired of all the political high drama. And that contingent is growing larger by the day. The question is what we going to do about it? Are we going to let the parliament take over the role left vacant by the dictatorial regime of the past? Are we going to let the government and parliament throw stones at one another and see the political fabric of our nation disintegrate before our very eyes? Or are we going to tell them that they are there because we put them there and that they have a responsibility to us, the people of Maldives.