Flush funds and family games in the Maldive Islands

The combination of feudal patriarchy, big business and religious extremism that exists in the Maldives is not only lethal for the future of the country and its people but also has serious implications for the South Asia region. The milky white and spotless beaches of the archipelago can give the casual observer the impression that all that there is to those beaches are the white sands by the blue lagoons. What they do not see are the numerous crabs with sharp claws that live in the sand.  This is an apt metaphor for the political scene of the Maldives. The government rules unopposed with no political strikes, demonstrations or agitation. There is a seeming air of serenity in which it is easy to miss out the resentment against the government. At least, that is how it was until a few weeks ago when the popular image of a tranquil and placid archipelago was shattered by the sound of gunfire, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters. Angry rioters ransacked government buildings and burnt the office of the Election Commissioner in Male, only a day after Maumoon Abdul  Gayoom submitted his application to remain president for a sixth consecutive five-year term. Suddenly, the myth of a peaceful polity and stable society was being shattered and without any warning at that. International correspondents were as baffled as regional governments were by the brutal turn of events in the islands' capital.

Atolls of repression
On 20 September 2003, the dead body of a young prison inmate from the Maafushi Jail, in the South Male atoll, was brought to Male for burial. The body was covered with burn marks and other visible signs of torture and beatings. Even as the grim evidence of police brutality was just sinking in, the city's residents got news of a prison riot and shooting of inmates by guards. Many young people who knew the victim went on a rampage, leading a spontaneous riot unseen for decades in the country. Riot control police were deployed on the streets as news and rumour spread, the mobs began to burn and ransack public buildings. Their anger was clearly directed at the government. As the hours passed it became clear that the prison riot at Maafushi broke out following the beating and killing of the first victim. But to add insult to injury, the police had used live ammunition to quell the protesters in prison, killing at least two more and injuring several others in the process.