The Post that I wrote entitled “Aftermath” seems to have attracted a lot of comments from readers. The comments were so numerous that I did not even contemplate answering them. I have published every comment that was submitted barring comments with very foul language and comments aimed at other members of the Liberal Party. Those who had read the comments may ask me, were there other comments which were fouler than what was published? The answer is yes. All those chicken DRP supporters who were remaining quiet because they themselves were not confident of the outcome have come out in a storm now. You can imagine what they might have to say. The old saying in Dhivehi “mahaana machchah madiah jehun” comes to mind.
The comments can be broadly distributed into three categories.
One category of comments consisted of derogatory remarks aimed at me, calling on me to “disappear” from the political scene. Of course these commentators did not actually read the Post. If they had, they would have actually known that I had acknowledged my landslide defeat in the Post. Needless to say, these commentators are yet to learn how politics actually work, and that only one person can win an election, but there would be no election if more than one person did not stand up for election. Perhaps this concept is way too complex and complicated for some low intellects to grapple with. Might I also add that losing one election does not necessarily signify political death. Political action is not confined to elections alone. In the final analysis, political survival depends on how well a person is able to command public confidence within a given set of circumstances. Political success depends not on winning an election, but by the degree of influence one can wield on the outcome of national affairs.
The second category of comments consisted of people who expressed continued support to the work that I had been doing, and comments to lend moral support. I thank all those commentators. However, among these, there were many who said that they actually supported me and wanted to vote for me, but decided to vote for some other person because they did not want to “waste” their vote because they believed that I would not be able to make it: a self-fulfilling prophecy. While I do acknowledge the sentiment, let me point out a major fallacy in this argument. In order to highlight the point I want to make, I have put together a table of vote results which will illustrate the argument in numbers. A close look at this table will tell you it was immaterial whom you voted for, as long as it was not Qayyoom. Whether you had voted for Anni, Qasim, Hassan, Umar or I, we would still have gone into a second round because as long as you did not vote for Qayyoom, his percentage would not have changed! I tried to highlight this many times during the election, but the message did not seem to have gone through. For those of you who actually believed in my policies and me, had you voted for me, you would have increased the chances of taking what you believed into the second round, without compromising the first round in favour of Qayyoom!
(Click on the image for enlarged view)
The table paints 4 different scenarios by redistributing the opposition vote amongst opposition candidates and keeping Qayyoom’s vote and the total votes constant. Each scenario gives Qayyoom 41%, but in each scenario, the runner-up is different! This means that regardless of whom you voted for, as long as it was not Qayyoom, we would have gone into a second round, and no vote would have been “wasted”. But this is all water under the bridge now, and I simply presented this to you as an academic point. The fact is, the first round was successful in that we have another chance now to tackle the autocracy at the ballot box. This time we will all be united, we will be stronger, the people have resolved any differences amongst the opposition at the ballot box, and now The Alliance has the PUBLIC MANDATE to challenge autocracy, nepotism, mismanagement, cruelty, corruption, plain thievery and feudalism at the ballot box. For these are the things that Qayyoom represents and signifies.
The third category of comments represented a crafty, but cheap attempt by the DRP to try and influence anyone who may support me to vote against Anni in the second round. They tried to pretend they were ardent MDP supporters and were lashing out against me because I left the MDP. But their attempts will be in vain. It is so transparent it veils less than a see-through night gown! Don’t they know that even those who don’t support me, those who did not vote for me, have nothing against me personally? It is only hard core DRP supporters who could hate me so much because I have played a part in destroying the very foundation of the evil castle within which they reside. The MDP won a place in the second round, for God’s sake. Why would they waste their energies targeting me when they have the second round to focus on? Silly, silly geese! Try your low level intellect on your patrons. They will match your IQ and methods.
To the 1381 Maldivians who voted for me, and the people who voted for Qasim, Hassan and Umar, I have this to say. You tried your best to get your candidate elected. But all 4 of us are now out of the election. None of us has a chance of beating Qayyoom in this election. But Anni still has a very good chance of doing that. And I see his chances growing every day, and growing very rapidly. Now is the time to really do something for your nation, yourself and your off springs. Don’t get apathetic because your choice candidate lost the election. Get active. Gather resolve. Make sure that you have your say. Don’t stay at home without voting to kick yourself for the rest of your life if Anni loses by just one vote. Would you be able to live with the knowledge that your vote could have made the difference as to whether good or evil prevails in our nation?
Don’t get caught up in all the negative campaigning against Anni. I refer to Christianity, Anni is not Presidential material, Anni is an activist, Anni is a drug addict, Anni drinks, Anni this, Anni that……this election is no longer about Anni. Anni as a person is now insignificant. This vote will be about Qayyoom. Do we want him to continue in office or not. If we do not want Qayyoom to continue in office, we have only ONE chance left. That is to vote for Anni on the 28th October 2008.
I will vote for Anni.
Change we can, and Change we shall.
The comments can be broadly distributed into three categories.
One category of comments consisted of derogatory remarks aimed at me, calling on me to “disappear” from the political scene. Of course these commentators did not actually read the Post. If they had, they would have actually known that I had acknowledged my landslide defeat in the Post. Needless to say, these commentators are yet to learn how politics actually work, and that only one person can win an election, but there would be no election if more than one person did not stand up for election. Perhaps this concept is way too complex and complicated for some low intellects to grapple with. Might I also add that losing one election does not necessarily signify political death. Political action is not confined to elections alone. In the final analysis, political survival depends on how well a person is able to command public confidence within a given set of circumstances. Political success depends not on winning an election, but by the degree of influence one can wield on the outcome of national affairs.
The second category of comments consisted of people who expressed continued support to the work that I had been doing, and comments to lend moral support. I thank all those commentators. However, among these, there were many who said that they actually supported me and wanted to vote for me, but decided to vote for some other person because they did not want to “waste” their vote because they believed that I would not be able to make it: a self-fulfilling prophecy. While I do acknowledge the sentiment, let me point out a major fallacy in this argument. In order to highlight the point I want to make, I have put together a table of vote results which will illustrate the argument in numbers. A close look at this table will tell you it was immaterial whom you voted for, as long as it was not Qayyoom. Whether you had voted for Anni, Qasim, Hassan, Umar or I, we would still have gone into a second round because as long as you did not vote for Qayyoom, his percentage would not have changed! I tried to highlight this many times during the election, but the message did not seem to have gone through. For those of you who actually believed in my policies and me, had you voted for me, you would have increased the chances of taking what you believed into the second round, without compromising the first round in favour of Qayyoom!
(Click on the image for enlarged view)
The table paints 4 different scenarios by redistributing the opposition vote amongst opposition candidates and keeping Qayyoom’s vote and the total votes constant. Each scenario gives Qayyoom 41%, but in each scenario, the runner-up is different! This means that regardless of whom you voted for, as long as it was not Qayyoom, we would have gone into a second round, and no vote would have been “wasted”. But this is all water under the bridge now, and I simply presented this to you as an academic point. The fact is, the first round was successful in that we have another chance now to tackle the autocracy at the ballot box. This time we will all be united, we will be stronger, the people have resolved any differences amongst the opposition at the ballot box, and now The Alliance has the PUBLIC MANDATE to challenge autocracy, nepotism, mismanagement, cruelty, corruption, plain thievery and feudalism at the ballot box. For these are the things that Qayyoom represents and signifies.
The third category of comments represented a crafty, but cheap attempt by the DRP to try and influence anyone who may support me to vote against Anni in the second round. They tried to pretend they were ardent MDP supporters and were lashing out against me because I left the MDP. But their attempts will be in vain. It is so transparent it veils less than a see-through night gown! Don’t they know that even those who don’t support me, those who did not vote for me, have nothing against me personally? It is only hard core DRP supporters who could hate me so much because I have played a part in destroying the very foundation of the evil castle within which they reside. The MDP won a place in the second round, for God’s sake. Why would they waste their energies targeting me when they have the second round to focus on? Silly, silly geese! Try your low level intellect on your patrons. They will match your IQ and methods.
To the 1381 Maldivians who voted for me, and the people who voted for Qasim, Hassan and Umar, I have this to say. You tried your best to get your candidate elected. But all 4 of us are now out of the election. None of us has a chance of beating Qayyoom in this election. But Anni still has a very good chance of doing that. And I see his chances growing every day, and growing very rapidly. Now is the time to really do something for your nation, yourself and your off springs. Don’t get apathetic because your choice candidate lost the election. Get active. Gather resolve. Make sure that you have your say. Don’t stay at home without voting to kick yourself for the rest of your life if Anni loses by just one vote. Would you be able to live with the knowledge that your vote could have made the difference as to whether good or evil prevails in our nation?
Don’t get caught up in all the negative campaigning against Anni. I refer to Christianity, Anni is not Presidential material, Anni is an activist, Anni is a drug addict, Anni drinks, Anni this, Anni that……this election is no longer about Anni. Anni as a person is now insignificant. This vote will be about Qayyoom. Do we want him to continue in office or not. If we do not want Qayyoom to continue in office, we have only ONE chance left. That is to vote for Anni on the 28th October 2008.
I will vote for Anni.
Change we can, and Change we shall.
Great. I surely will vote Anni too.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! My vote will be against Gayoom too.
ReplyDeleteVery true Ibra. I don't believe you lost the election because you did not have the credibility to be the president of this country. As for not voting you while supporting you is not merely with the false idea that it'd be a "waste" vote. People are desperately in need of a change(at least the 60%), so each of them tried to vote the one whom they felt had the chance to win in the first round with with a wish and a hope that it'd become a reality.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, now it has gone, you were repeatedly compelling{at least what i heard}, to make the first round the 'primary of opposition'. Now that the opposition primary had ended and Anni happened to be the candidate...whats your stand on his chance of wining? We did hear all of you saying this will happen.
I vote anni too. Change we can, change we shall!
ReplyDeleteI am someone who voted for Maumoon in the first round. But I have changed my mind now. I am voting the collision on the 2nd round. Not that I hate Maumoon or anything, but I think that we should give new leaders a chance. And I would recommend Maumoon to run for the mid-term election and win again.
ReplyDeleteHello Ibra,
ReplyDeletewell said Ibra. I am one who voted for Dr. Hassan. I didn't work this math out before. I wish you had shown this diagram before. And I am one who was not going to vote in the second round simply because I really dislike anni's blackmailing methods and putting people in corners. Especially the way he made MDP a washing machine and made anyone who joined MDP a saint. I especially still remember Maria Didi ina rally at the artificial beach to launch the MDP manifesto, where she warned everyone not to vote for Dr. Hassan. She forgot to say not to vote for her "beybe" Golhaa.
Anyway, now you have convinced me to go and vote. And since it is never gonna be for golhaa it will be for anni.
More importantly, now I am a dedicated supporter of you and liberal party. CHANGE WE CAN, CHANGE WE SHALL.
i told u so. yes... change we can and change we will..
ReplyDeleteIbra..you said this..This vote will be about Qayyoom....I think this vote will be about the future of our nation. Not about Mamoon or Anni.- shakewellbeforeuse
ReplyDeleteIbra,
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring blog. Yes my vote will be for Anni!
Great article. Unfortunately I am still stuck abroad to make any difference. I guess most people still fear change itself, rather then anni or anyone else. Good news that maldivians in UK can now vote. Even better news that you are continuing in your stride. Whoever gets elected, I personally would feel that bit safer if you remain in the scene. all the best...
ReplyDelete