China and Russia blocked West’s bid to raise Maldives issue in UNSC

Male,February 10 (Avas): China, Russia and Saudi Arabia had blocked attempts to have the crisis-hit Maldives tabled on the official agenda of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Maldives President Abdulla Yameen revealed here on Friday.

Speaking at a ruling party rally late Friday, Yameen revealed that the UN Security Council on Thursday discussed the crisis in the Maldives, especially whether to include the archipelago in its official agenda.

But Maldives’ “closest friends” had blocked the attempt, President Yameen told his supporters.

“Up until last night, UN Security Council was discussing what measures to take against the Maldives. But the discussions were unofficial. The discussions then moved to table Maldives on its official agenda. But that move failed.”

“Our foreign policy has also emerged victorious. This was made possible by the efforts of our closest friends. That is China, Russia and Saudi Arabia,”  Yameen explained.

The island nation has been embroiled in fresh political turmoil after the Supreme Court last Thursday ordered the immediate release of jailed political leaders including self-exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed.

President Yameen had declared a 15 day state of emergency after his last ditch attempt to convince the top court to revoke the order failed as the apex court rejected the government’s ‘legal and judicial’ concerns over the order.

Since emergency state was declared police have made a series of high profile arrests including former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, two lawmakers, chief justice Abdulla Saeed, top court judge Ali Hameed and the chief judicial administrator.

Less than a day after the arrest of the two judges, the remaining three judges rescinded its ruling to release the political leaders referring to the concerns raised by president Yameen in the letters he had sent to the chief justice hours before state of emergency was declared.

Police have now confirmed that Gayoom had bribed the judges into issuing the order in a bid to overthrow the government.

President Yameen meanwhile on Friday admitted it would be difficult for the rest of the world to understand to his decision to reject the Supreme Court ruling.

Speaking during a ruling party rally on Friday, President Yameen reiterated that everyone including himself must obey Supreme Court rulings,  but added that if he had obeyed, the nation would have been plunged into further chaos.

Only referring to his elder half brother former President Maumon Abdu Gayoom as a ‘renowned scholar’ (he graduated from the famous Al Azhar University in Cairo)  the President Yameen said the ‘scholar’ had colluded with the top court judges to plunge the country into instability and chaos.

The President alleged that after the failed to attempt to impeach him through parliament, the Supreme Court was “dolled up” like a “bride” to “drive a final nail to the coffin” of his government.

Yameen said the rest of the world with independent and free judiciaries would not even think of questioning the rulings or decision of the apex court.

“I admit a state cannot challenge a ruling of such magnitude. So its difficult for us to explain to the world why we couldn’t implement this order. They don’t want to see what lies hidden behind the ruling. Because they can’t even fathom that a Supreme Court could do something so treacherous a thing, so evil a thing,” Yameen stressed.

“So reviewing a ruling by the Supreme Court is the last thing they would do. The first thing they will decide is that a stubborn and oppressive government is refusing to obey the Supreme Court. And Yameen as someone who has challenged the whole world.”

The arrest of the top court judges came after President had alleged that the Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed had been bribed to issue the court order in a bid to overthrow the government.

Following president Yameen’s accusations, police on Wednesday implicated Gayoom in a plot to overthrow the government by bribing the judges to issue the order to release political prisoners.

Acting police chief Abdulla Nawaz during a live press conference had read out the accusations against the trio along with the now jailed judicial administrator Hassan Saeed.

The accusations against Gayoom included bribing lawmakers and judges to influence their authority while the deposed ruling party leader has also been accused of creating discord within the security forces to back the overthrow of his half-brother’s government.

The two top court judges are accused of accepting bribes to influence Supreme Court rulings, abuse of power and blocking the functioning of the entire justice system.

Nawaz claimed that police had uncovered evidence of millions of transactions made in connection to the plot.

In addition to Nasheed, the other top political leaders named in the now rescinded order included Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim, religiously conservative Adhaalath Party (AP) leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla, former defence minister Mohamed Nazim, former vice president Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor and Gayoom’s lawmaker son Faris Maumoon.

Former prosecutor general Muhthaz Muhsin, magistrate Ahmed Nihan and Adheeb’s brother in law Hamid Ismail make up the rest of the list.

The top court had not rescinded the part of the order which quashed its anti-defection ruling ordering the country’s electoral watchdog to re-instate the dozen government lawmakers disqualified over the ruling.

(The featured image at the top shows the UN Security Council)

 

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