Disobedient Writer. Occasional satirist.
Comments on society and politics in Maldives.
To the southwest of the Indian subcontinent, strung across the Indian Ocean, there are two countries superimposed on each other. One of them, I call the Maldives. This is the one where wealthy honeymooners come and enjoy their martinis on the sun-kissed sandy beaches. The other one, Dhivehistan, is the longest running experiment in controlled […]
The elections prove one thing: the Maldives electorate is yet to mature. The outcome of the election was more or less decided on November 9th, when – despite all the ugly episodes that played out in full public view – the public actually rewarded Abdulla Yameen with a slightly increased vote share. It was clear […]
It is voting day and the stakes have never been higher. The Daily Panic is proud to bring you the latest on the Maldivian elections. The Daily Panic understands that the fate of the world depends on the outcome of this election. Many Maldivians are determined to vote in Abdulla Yameen to deal with the […]
Dr Hassan Saeed is an educated, articulate man. The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) leader, former Attorney General and one time Presidential hopeful has penned a series of articles in a local daily, in which he outlines his vision for a democratic future for the Maldives – although one could argue that much of it is […]
As of 00:00 hrs of 11th November 2013, the Presidential term has ended. According to the constitution, as well as a resolution passed by the Parliament – currently the only elected and democratic entity in the Maldives – the power is automatically transferred to Speaker Abdulla Shahid. Yet, to the surprise of exactly no one, […]
One of the most painful, overused cliches of modern times is the saying that insanity is the act of repeating the same action over and over again and expecting different results. The Maldives, then, can be considered to be suffering from a bizarre national lunacy. On elections day a little over two months ago, some […]
My Visa card got blocked again. It is the second time in two weeks that this has happened. Last week, I found out that my card was blocked while attempting to pay for a meal late at night. I didn’t carry enough cash on me, but luckily I happened to be with friends who offered to cover […]
The world’s largest Qur’an was unveiled in Kabul yesterday in the presence of senior clerics and government officials, who hailed it as a ‘great achievement’ for Afghanistan and Muslims around the world.It took over 5 years to finish; 218 pages, with gilded letters and varied, intricate calligraphy designs on 7 feet long pages. For five years, a calligrapher […]
Islamic radicalism, which played a key role in the ouster of the government of Mohammed Nasheed, continues to grow in the Maldives several months after his ‘resignation’. While Nasheed has repeatedly warned of the danger of growing religious intolerance, political polarisation around the issue has also meant that for the first time space has opened […]
It appears that “Sheikh” Imran of the Adhaalath party has proclaimed on a television program that Raajje TV’s logo depicts a crucifix.For those of you who don’t get the significance, I have previously pointed out that Maldivians are the world’s truest Christians. Due to an unfortunate medieval accident involving Jesus, a treadmill and a flux capacitor, […]
This Week in Maldives: January 8
Because you guys liked, RT’d and shared the hell out of the last edition, this week I focus on aqeeda-endangering textbooks, Dunya’s return to the dark side, and Muizzu engaged in a series of unfortunate Muizzed up things. These are short takes on the headlines of the week gone by. Dunya rejoins the regime Dunya […]
Dhoonidhoo Diaries: Part 3 – Heat and Captivity
This is the third instalment in the Dhoonidhoo Diaries series where I pen down my experiences in Dhoonidhoo prison where I was incarcerated following an unprecedented regime crackdown on the May Day rally. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Nearly 200 democratic protesters were arrested on 1st May 2015 by the Maldives’ authoritarian […]
Dhoonidhoo Diaries: Part 2 – Prison Cell
1st May 2015 saw the largest anti-government protests in Maldivian history, with nearly 20,000 protesters filling the main thoroughfare in Malé. I was among the nearly 200 democratic protesters arrested that day, in the largest police crackdown in over a decade. I was released after being held for 21 days without trial. But several May […]
Dhoonidhoo Diaries: Part 1 – Arrest and Incarceration
1st May 2015 saw the largest anti-government protests in Maldivian history, with nearly 20,000 protesters filling the main thoroughfare in Malé. It also saw the largest police crackdown in over a decade, with nearly 200 democratic protesters arrested. I was among those arrested, and was held captive for 21 days, including 5 days of house […]
I remember the exact moment when I first saw Ahmed Rilwan. It was late 2009, and I had just arrived in the Maldives. Some bloggers had gotten together to sort of welcome me and get introduced. We were sitting in a sea-side café at night, when he walked in with two other well known bloggers. We hit […]
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