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Nasheed 'put on good media show'
Wahid's office denies coup claims saying former president had lost support of armed forces
- By Robin Chatterjee, Senior Associate Editor
- Published: 00:00 February 10, 2012
Dubai: Authorities acting on behalf of Dr Mohammad Wahid, the new President of the Maldives, have been swift to debunk the argument that former president Mohammad Nasheed was ousted from office in a bloodless coup.
Nasheed resigned as president on Tuesday and Wahid, who was the vice-president, assumed office immediately.
The Maldives has been rocked by unrest and violence in which Nasheed's supporters have clashed repeatedly with law enforcement agencies.
In a bid to curb hostilities the government has issued an arrest warrant against the former president while it is being alleged that his wife and daughters have already fled to Sri Lanka.
Writing in an article for the New York Times, which appears in Gulf News today, Nasheed argued that he had paid a high price for trying to cope with a criminally corrupt legacy left behind by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had been in power for three decades. Nasheed argues he lost his job while trying to cope with a looted treasury, ballooning budget deficit and rotten judiciary.
Rejecting Nasheed's views in a telephone interview from Male, Mohammad Hussain Sharif told Gulf News: "Nasheed may claim that a gun was held to his head, but it was all a stunt for the international press who have come into the country. He put on a very good show in front of the media. The truth is that he resigned gracefully. However, we made it clear to him that he would not get any form of political support. According to our constitution if the president resigns before the end of his term, then the vice-president takes office."
Sharif is a spokesman for the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), which has joined the National Unity Government at the invitation of the new president.
"The former regime is trying to project events as a mutiny when it was the police who defied orders as they saw that the people's protest, since January 16th, was peaceful and non-political," he said.
"The former president had also lost the support of the country's armed forces and was facing the prospect of a heavy defeat in the elections next year. Resignation therefore was his best option."
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