New Maldives - Political Take-Off

Political Take-Off

As a ginger group, the New Maldives reached their high point when they produced the Roadmap for the Reform Agenda in March 2006, through which they tied the president to time-bound steps to create a new political order in the Maldives. The campaign to produce the Roadmap, January – March 2006, saw the New Maldives ministers clash openly with the Old Guard, especially over the insertion of provisions in the Roadmap to combat corruption and to subscribe to international human rights norms. The New Maldives claims credit for having acceded to all the major international human rights treaties.

By April 2006, the Old Guard led by the President’s half-brother, Abdulla Yameen, clashed openly with the New Maldives ministers during the elections for the DRP Council. Saeed and Shaheed were joined by other new ministers: Youth Minister Hussain Hilmy, Atolls Minister Waheed Deen, Construction Minister Mauroof Jameel, Housing Minister Ibrahim Rafeeg, Gender Minister Ayesha Didi and other young politicians such as Imad Solih and Lubna Zahir Hussain. In the elections that followed, the New Maldives faction gained a majority of the seats in the Council. In the process, the New Maldives effectively destroyed the careers of both Ilyas Ibrahim and Abdulla Yameen, who had been the leading contenders to succeed President Gayoom.

Saeed was elected as one of the four Deputy Leaders and became the rising star of Maldivian politics.