US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO1097

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001097 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR BELL 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, MV, Maldives 
SUBJECT: MALDIVES SEEKS "MANAGED CHANGE" AS PARTIES REGISTER 
 
REF: A. COLOMBO 1016 
     B. COLOMBO 0997 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (SBU) To date five organizations have completed the 
pre-registration process required to become political parties 
in Maldives.  In a June 16 meeting with the Ambassador in 
Colombo, Maldivian Foreign Secretary Abdul Hamid Zakariyya 
said that the Government of Republic of Maldives (GORM) is 
"trying to move as fast as possible" in instituting 
democratic change without inviting "chaos," but insisted the 
GORM "is ready to go ahead in good faith."  He appealed for 
U.S. assistance for this effort.  On June 14 the opposition 
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) held a roundtable discussion 
on democratic change in Maldives at a quasi-governmental 
institute in Colombo.  The GORM has protested to the 
Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) its semi-official sponsorship 
of the partisan event.  Democratic change in Maldives appears 
to be progressing in fits and starts, but in general the 
trend seems to be in the right direction.  End summary. 
 
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FIVE PARTIES COMPLETE PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS 
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2.  (U) To date, a total of five organizations have completed 
pre-registration requirements, as formulated by the Home 
Ministry, to be recognized as political parties.  In addition 
to the Maldivian People's Party, founded by President Maumoon 
Abdul Gayoom; the Maldivian People's Democratic Party 
(heretofore known as the Maldivian Democratic Party, or MDP); 
and the Islamic Democratic Party (Ref A), headed by former 
National Security Service (NSS) officer Umar Naseer, 
applications have also been accepted from the Maldives Labor 
Party, headed by the vice chairman of the Bodybuilding 
Federation of Maldives, and the Adalat (Justice) Party, 
headed by Sheikh Hussein Rahman Hassan.  (Note:  The leaders 
of the last three proto-parties appear to be relative 
newcomers to the political scene, and little is known about 
them, including among our regular Maldivian contacts.  MDP 
sources, however, were quick to accuse Naseer of torture 
during his NSS days.  End note.)  According to Maldivian 
government officials, the parties are currently canvassing 
for supporters (3,000 signatures are needed to for full 
registration), writing their constitutions and composing 
their manifestos.  Maldivian observers expect a few more 
parties to emerge within the next few months. 
 
3. (SBU) In a June 10 meeting, Hussain Shareef, a long-time 
GORM civil servant, told poloff that he believes Gayoom truly 
wants democratic change, but is sometimes held back by 
members of his own family--specifically, brothers Atolls 
Minister Abdulla Hameed and Trade Minister Yameen--from 
pursuing those aims.  Acknowledging that the appetite for 
reform in Maldives is great, Shareef said he hopes Gayoom is 
not deterred from these goals.  If he lets himself be swayed, 
his credibility will suffer greatly with the general public, 
Shareef said. 
 
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GORM PROTESTS SRI LANKAN SEMI-SPONSORSHIP 
OF NOT SO WELL-ROUNDED "ROUNDTABLE" 
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4.  (SBU) On June 14 the quasi-governmental Bandaranaike 
Center for International Studies (BCIS) held a "roundtable" 
discussion in Colombo on democratic change in Maldives.  The 
invitation, which was sent to Colombo diplomats by BCIS in 
the name of board member and Foreign Minister Lakshman 
Kadirgamar, listed Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama as the 
keynote speaker.  The list of participants at the roundtable 
consisted exclusively of MDP members well known for their 
anti-Government of Republic of Maldives (GORM) sentiments. 
 
5.  (SBU)  Late in the day June 14 diplomats at the Maldivian 
High Commission in Colombo made a hasty round of calls to 
other diplomats to convey their dissatisfaction at the 
partisan composition of the "roundtable," their surprise and 
dismay at the apparent Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) 
sponsorship of the event, and to poll diplomatic colleagues 
on their intention to attend.  (We sent a political officer. 
Despite the claims on the invitation, no one from the GSL 
turned up.)  At the event later that evening, MDP 
representatives stressed the continued need for reform.  MDP 
Chairperson Mohamad Nasheed (who returned to Maldives April 
30 to set up the party), predictably castigated President 
Gayoom as a repressive autocrat who "must go" before true 
democracy can flourish.  Nasheed implored the (sparsely 
represented) international community to support reforms to 
democratic processes in Maldives out of a sense of "common 
human decency."  MDP Spokesman Mohamad Latheef commended the 
U.S. and the EU for their efforts so far to support democracy 
in Maldives.  Latheef also weighed in against Gayoom for 
spending government funds to promote his own political party. 
 The event garnered little to no press coverage in Sri Lanka. 
 
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GORM WANTS CHANGE, NOT CHAOS 
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6  (SBU) On June 15 Maldivian Foreign Secretary Abdul Hameed 
Zakariyya, accompanied by Counselor Ghafoor, called on the 
Ambassador in Colombo.  Zakariyya described the Maldivian 
public as "very happy" with the move to register political 
parties, asserting that the initiative has "raised President 
Gayoom's credibility" and "demonstrated his commitment" to 
reform.  The challenge for the GORM now, Zakariyya continued, 
is "to manage that commitment."  To that end, the government 
is "trying to move as fast as possible without inviting 
lawlessness, chaos and disorder.  We don't want to create 
dislocation in society."  Nonetheless, Zakariyya emphasized, 
"I am here to assure you that we're ready to go ahead in good 
faith."  Maldivians must change their "mental framework," 
Ghafoor added.  Because of the small size of Maldivian 
society, "any step we take (in that direction) is huge for 
us."   Zakariyya reported that he had convoked the Sri Lankan 
High Commissioner in Male' to protest formally the June 14 
BCIS event.  Zakariyya said he was told that the Sri Lankan 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unaware of the event and he 
had received assurances that it would more closely monitor 
the wording of BCIS invitations in the future. 
 
7.  (SBU)  With its desire to "manage change," Zakariyya 
said, the GORM needs the "expertise and guidance" of the U.S. 
 Commending the work done by the National Democratic 
Institute (NDI) in assessing Maldives' needs last year 
(funded by UNDP), he expressed hope that additional funding 
could be found to bring NDI or a similar organization back to 
help the reform process.  He noted that other institutional 
reforms, e.g., of the criminal justice system and of the 
judiciary, are also in train. 
 
8.  (SBU) The Ambassador said that the U.S. is encouraged by 
the direction, in general, in which events are proceeding in 
Maldives.  Noting that many Muslim countries are currently 
grappling with how to open up their political systems, he 
said that Maldives could be a wonderful example of a moderate 
Muslim nation making a successful transition to democracy. 
He added that "managing" change is quite difficult, 
especially since recent advancements in information 
technology make information instantly available.  Zakariyya 
thanked the U.S. for "giving us comfort at a critical time" 
in Maldivian history. 
 
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COMMENT 
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9.  (SBU) The political reform process in Maldives appears to 
have begun, albeit haltingly.  While Gayoom seems to 
understand the need for change, he wants to control the 
change, regulating the scope and pace of reform to ward off 
the "lawlessness, chaos and disorder" he sees as the 
alternative to his steady hand.  Once begun, however, the 
process of change may be harder to manage than Gayoom and his 
advisors appreciate.  We remain generally hopeful that the 
trend, despite several false starts, is in the right 
direction. 
LUNSTEAD