It was with deep sorrow that I heard of President Nasir’s passing away last night. I was sad for many reasons. First and foremost is that President Nasir is someone that I had admired for a long time, and it is he, that I believe, is the person who laid the foundation for the “modern Maldives”. I have said this publicly on a number of occasions. Second is that as a nation, as a people, Maldivians have failed horribly to honour him appropriately. Third is that we never had the opportunity to benefit by his wisdom after he left the Office of the President. He was, and will always remain in the history books as a Great Maldivian, and one who was abandoned by his people in spite of all he had done for them.
One of the first thoughts that occurred to me after President Nasheed was sworn into office was to request him to invite President Nasir back to the country, and to bestow on him the honour that he deserved. President Nasir was, of course, quite ill by then. Nevertheless, the gesture would, I am sure, given him great happiness in his final days.
I hope that President Nasheed will consider restoring on President Nasir the titles of RBK, NGIV which were stripped off from him by the Qayyoom regime. Of course he still holds the title KCMG because the Queen of England never withdrew it from him.
That President Nasir has been brought back to the Maldives for the state burial he has earned should not be seen as an honour on him. Rather, we should be humble enough to admit with humility and gratitude that it is an honour for the country that he did not, in his will and testament leave instructions for him to be buried elsewhere. And we should be thankful to his family that they were gracious enough to allow him to be brought back here for burial, giving us a final chance to at least try to honour him in death.
When I heard news of his passing away, I was reminded of this song from Mike and the Mechanics. I hope that what has happened in the case of President Nasir will force us to re-evaluate our petty feelings towards events in history.
Every generation; Blames the one before; And all of their frustrations; Come beating on your door; I know that I’m a prisoner; To all my father held so dear; I know that I’m a hostage; To all his hopes and fears; I just wish I could have told him; in the living years. Crumpled bits of paper; Filled with imperfect thought; Stilted conversations; I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got; You say you just don’t see it; He says its perfect sense; You just can’t get agreement; In this present tense; We all talk a different language; Talking in defence.
Say it loud, say it clear; You can listen as well as you hear; It’s too late when we die; To admit we don’t see eye to eye; So we open up a quarrel; Between the present and the past; We only sacrifice the future; Its the bitterness that lasts. So don’t yield to the fortunes; You sometimes see as fate; It may have a new perspective; On a different day. And if you don’t give up, and don’t give in; You may just be o.k. Say it loud, say it clear. You can listen as well as you hear. It’s too late ; when we die; To admit we don’t see eye to eye.
I wasn’t there that morning; When my father passed away. I didn’t get to tell him; All the things I had to say. I think I caught his spirit; Later that same year. I’m sure I heard his echo; In my baby’s new born tears. I just wish I could have told him in the living years. Say it loud, say it clear. You can listen as well as you hear. It’s too late when we die. To admit we don’t see eye to eye .
May Allah grant President Nasir rest in his grave, and may Allah forgive him his sins, and may Allah grant him a place in Heaven.
we share the same sentiments and hav been looking forward to his return. he is truly the pioneer of the developments we see today. alas! life is too short.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteYou echoed my thoughts exactly. Wish he could have returned to the Maldives in his final days.
A great Maldivian indeed.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteHope Maumoon realizes something now.
Your getting caught in the latest Maldivian fever by labelling him great. Meh
ReplyDeleteHe was just another tyrant no worse than Maumoon.
althought we have to praise his good doing. He is Just another tyrant nonetheless.
I am greatly sadden for the the people of HAvaru thinadhoo today what a Heart ache for them not even a formal apology from Nasir's family on his behalf or the government.
ok ibra tell me about the uprising in thinadhoo. i have lots of respects for u as a modern fair person. a great parliamentarian.. but if i found u to be defending the undefendable then i will adjust my views accordingly.
ReplyDeletenow we do not have to foul mouth the departed. but..
history shall be written correctly.
i know nasir did not commit a massacre in thinadhoo. but something happend there. a few ppl lost their lives. not by gunshots. but mostly by starvation and some by torture. i know alibeyya. a thinadhoo person who lost 3 of his sons to famine there directly linked to thinadhoo incident. alibeyya at the time was in addu. was prevented from returning to thinadhoo becuase of the tenseness of the situation.. his wife was left alone to cope with the impossible situation. their home was torched as were all the homes in thinahdoo (said he) . they lost all their belongings. and alibeyya lost 3 healthy sons to famine.
little wonder why thinadhoo ppl are angry.
@Don Keyothi and Anonymous (November 24, 2008 7:21:00 AM MVT):
ReplyDeleteIt is not my intention to "defend" anyone or anything. History speaks for itself, and each will form his/her opinion based on fact and analysis.
Nasir did a lot of good things under his watch, and some of the things he did obviously angered some.
I do not want to go into a debate on the issue of what happened in Thinadhoo. But let me ask you this: If you were the Head of State, and you did not have troops and arms, and you did not have any means of fast transport at your disposal, and a large chunk of the country had unilaterally declared severing off from the country to go under British rule in the name of "self government", what would you do to protect territorial integrity of the country? Let it happen and wait for the Northern four atolls to declare "self government" and go under Indian rule? And then allow the rest of the country to be sandwiched between India and Britain?
It may do us well to understand the fact the the Suvadib Republic had effectively declared war on the Republic of Maldives.
This is not to say that the atrocities that happened to "prisoners of the civil war" can be justified by any means.
As for apologies, yes, apologies are certainly in order. I also don't hear any apologies coming from the leaders of the insurrection to thier own people, who were led astray.
The point I am trying to make is, vindictiveness doesn't get us anywhere. We have to put the past behind us, and go on with the nation.
Let me predict something here. We are all very bitter towards Qayyoom and the atrocities of his regime today. But I have the feeling that our children, at age 40+ will most probably forgive Qayyoom, and sing his praise. Do we want to be in the position of Abbas Ibrahim on that day?
Let us let go of the bitterness, my friend. My own father was jailed by Nasir when I was barely 8 or 9 years old. My own family was brodering on hunger at the time. But who am I, as an individual, in the face of so many other things at a national level?
We should simply strive hard to PREVENT such atrocities from happening ever again in this nation.
Let us not get caught up in the fever of hatred. Let us strive to allow Justice to prevail by letting due process to take charge.
Judge ye not, lest ye be judged.
Dear Ibrahim Ismail,
ReplyDeleteMy father was banished several times by Nasir's regime. Once because he didnt vote for Nasir's proposed budget in the Majlis. My paternal grandfather was sent to colombo and his passport confiscated by Nasir. He lived there for 25 years and died there. Isnt it even more shocking that my grandfather was not only Nasir's uncle but also the person who looked after Ibrahim Nasir when he was a young boy by taking him to live in our house as his very own son. These remain my memories of Nasir.
But yes, I totally agree with you. We must all learn to forgive. What good does it bring in being vindictive and hate filled. In a national level, Ibrahim Nasir is the father of the modern Maldives and I have no question about it.
May God bless Ibrahim Nasir's soul and accept him to heaven. Amen
Thank you.
Some people I know had remarked that they were happy to see Nasir pass away, and they hoped that he died in pain and agony. I saw it written on social network on the web. Apparently their whole paternal family was murdered by Nasir.
ReplyDeleteI'm in my late 20's and all I ever saw was Maumoon's stupid drama. And the history of our country has never been told properly. Even in the Social Studies books I studied in 7th grade, had the story of Rannamaari as how we converted to Islam but nobody is told about our own history.
I know we have many pieces of the puzzle missing, nevertheless Nasir is the visionary leader who laid the foundation of our modern Maldives, I agree. And forgiveness is the way to true freedom from our demons of the past. But about this family, I don't know how they would react...are they justified to hate and cry for vengeance? Maybe..maybe not. Without the missing puzzles who will know?
We cant JUST let the past be the past. This is whats wrong with us Maldivians. My mother suffered under Nasir. My grand mother died of hunger. Our family is for ever scared.
ReplyDeleteWe JUST cant let it be, and forget about it. As a nation if we are to go forward .. we should get an apology.
I think to heal the wounds and to note the right history for the countirs sake, Anni gov should apologise the people of the south and all the others who suffered under Nasir, who was a head of state then.
Kevin Rudd apologised to the aborigines. Why cant we apologise. Saying sorry can heal many wounds. Sorry is a more stronger word than many people expect. I have seen it and i am experiencing it in front of my eyes here down under.
Naisr was a complicated man. he did what he did for the country. No questining about it. If he did not take the action he took that day, we might not be able to go to huvadhoo without a visa.
ReplyDeleteHe was a stringent nationalist. A dictator. A visionary. A leader. Many things .. yes he was.. But many do want an apology from him. If his family is reading this . it will be worth while thinking about this and saying sorry will make him a true hero among many.
One of the main reasons our younger do not understand the feelings people have towards Nasir is because we do not have an accurate history of the last 50 or so years (maybe more). Our leaders have a tendency to write history to suit what they want people to believe.
ReplyDeleteMost people relate the suffering of the Southern three atolls to the Suvadive incident. This was the second round. A lot of people including my maternal uncle, and Afeef Didi were whipped until flesh was bare from their backs (in Dhivehi burin han negun). This was BEFORE the Suvadive incident.
The torture at the Villingili Jail and the deaths are not documented.
Nasir and Maumoon both ruled Maldives in a dictatorial rule, becuase the power was given to them and they both did what they believed was the best at their time. They both did bad as well as good things.
It remains a fact that Nasir laid the foundation for the country we see today and Maumoon was the person who built on it. Neither was perfect. We have Anni to do the interior decoration now and I am sure it will not be perfect either, simply because all three are human and they have all the shortcomings of the human species.
Personally, I admire Nasir more than Maumoon, but I also appreciate what Maumoon has done for this country regardless of what many say. May Allah grant Marhoom Nasir a place in Heaven.
He did some harsh things, but what the lazy people of that time condemn him for - but posterity will fall to their knees and thank him with tears of gratitude.
ReplyDeleteAnd to Don Keyothi, I am ashamed that you posted with a maldivian name; Sure, he made us work for the greater good of Maldives - but people who see this as a "tyranny" is, in my opinion - unfit and unworthy of life.
Don't believe me?. Try lazing around on your fat rear ends without the International Airport. We'd STILL be in the agricultural civilization point.
Nasir Kilegefaan does not owe apologies to anyone.
ReplyDeleteNasir was a great leader. Ibra, did you know that there were more than 8000 prisoners without trial, when he left Maldives?
ReplyDeleteyour blog very beautiful and more info ,make me excited. Congratulation!!
ReplyDeleteTo the last Anonymous.Nasir kilegefaanu is just Ibrahim Nasir.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous (November 25, 2008 2:01:00 AM MV):
ReplyDeleteNo, I did not, anonymous. Where from earth did you get that statistic? Have you considered what the adult population of the entire Maldives was when President Nasir left office? Did you know what the prison capacity was at the time?
And where were you, my firend, when President Nasir left Office? If you are younger than me, which most probably you are, you are simply relaying "information" passed on to you by someone who claims to know. Bad habit.
Yes there were some issues during Nasir's leadership. It wasn't a real democracy! But 8000 prisoners!?!? You've got be kidding me! What is wrong with some people! Lots of these stories/figures are fabrications by Maumoon's regime.
ReplyDeletenasheed is going to suggest to extend the lease of resorts to 50 years. no wonder all resort owners are backign him. this is a nightmare for all of us. it simply means that the we and our children will be at the mercy of new type of land lords who owns not a plot a but a whole island (city) male' and its landowners would be nothign compared to this.
ReplyDeleteas commoner i can agree to that if these resorts are willing to sell 50 percent of their shares to public.
NGOs and people like you need to join hands for a strong campaign against it.
@ ibra.
ReplyDeletewhere is the evidence that the suvadive ppl did decide" to go under British rule in the name of "self government""?
the time the british were demobilizing their forces and cutting costs across the board. the RAF base in gan was also on their list to be decomissioned. cos they found diego garcia islands further south... besides they were questioning the whole british commonwealth concept at the time in view of past experiences from troublesome india etc.
so what possible benefit or advantage would the brits derive from sowing discord in a small island nation except to earn notoriety of world opinion? me thinks this idea that somehow the brits were aiding the suvadive ppl to form parallel govts in southern atolls is popular Male' folklore. my dad tells me that the british scolded afif didi and the top brass of the suvadive govt (like children) for doing what they did and asked them to mend fence with male' govt. but by that time things gone out of hand and the rest is history...
I have a question for you Ibra, I hope you may answer it. To what extent is democratic ideology masking the power play of the concerned clans. For example, the link between MDP's middle class democratic economic liberalism is, someone told me, only to mask the interests of the Kerafa family, the Laftheef's and a few middle size business interests who had been competing with the bigger business interests of Kolige, Endhiremage' and their puppets the Kaamine clan (Maumoon the puppet who could religiously sanction their resorts.) Naseem and them were dispossessed when Nasir left, and so they the dispossessed organized a coup we are lead to believe. Either that or the Government staged the coup to frame Naseem because they thought he was corrupt or too threatening? The coup attempt, if their was a genuine one, failed, so nephew Anni is thrown forward to help them regain their interests by staging a neo-Gandhi like reform process. Of course, it seems that Kolige' ended support for Maumoon because Ali Maniku does not like Yamin because Yamin is against Gasim and Endhiremage'. Hence, the interests of Kolige' were best represented by change, so Anni got in on the basis of promoting human rights, equity, justice. But some say it is a front, a universalization of the interests of a few businesses and families only. Now, I have no idea if any of this is true, I mean these are just all rumours and crazy talk perhaps, but to what extent is Maldivian politics about character rather than clan, are MDP and Gasim Jumhoree people fighting for all or for their respective families? Also, you ever notice how the supporters of Adalaath party always seem to be the dispossessed islanders from the smaller islands who use Islam to empower themselves against the Male' and Addu derived business classes? To what extent will Aneh Dhivehi Raaj aim to benefit all Maldivians, the islanders, the poorer classes and the Be'fulluh, all? To what exyent has Maldivian politics matured? Please do tell me honestly if the Dhivehi soul thinks universally or clan interests only. Is a Maldivian a Maldivian or a Kolige' or whatever first? I am relly sceptical about talk of rights and freedom for all, am I excused for being sceptical?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous (November 26, 2008 12:30:00 PM MVT)
ReplyDeleteThat is more than one question!
As for what is being planned in the Aneh Dhivehiraajje, I am no wiser than you. I guess we will see it as it unfolds.
As for Maldivian politics, I can't purport to know what is truth, what is rumour or what is false and innuendo. Nevertheless, from wha I have observed, and experienced, I have formed my own opinions. Let me make a very genralized statement.
In the final anaysis, political power rests with the people, and "those in power" possess only that much that the people give them. Hence, if the people cast their votes based on what they will get personally, or what they hope to get by "getting close to the verimeehaa" and pleasing those in power, and when votes are cast on clan and family basis, the benefits of government and national wealth and means of production is also likely to be shared on the same basis, at all levels.
If on the other hand, when voters disregard clan and family connections and other kinds of bias and cast their vote based on principle and character, the resulting government is likely to govern based on principle.
The move from feudal structures to rule and principle based society is achieved over a period of civilization.
If you can tell me where the Maldives is on the feudal - rule based continuum, I can give you a morea ccurate representation of the nature of political dealings.
On the other hand, if we can determine the nature of political dealings, it gives us an insight into the position that we are on the continuum .