The Press on Maldives モルジブに関する報道

On February 7, 2012, the breaking news of the
Maldives came in as a surprise, especially being a
good friend and a colleague of ex-Vice President
Waheed Hassan. However, the news on the following
day has been worrying. Ex-President Mohamed Nasheed
was accusing President Waheed Hassan to be part of
the “coup” a day after resigning for the best of
the people!

I have known Waheed when we worked in UNICEF
Tanzania in the 1990s. He has a calm, patient, and
warm personally, and professionally, he was
dedicated to his work and priority was put on the
fact that his work benefits the people. His work in
Zanzibar was highly evaluated appreciating the
culture and religion of the people.

While dedicated to his work at UNICEF, he always had his
love for his country. He believed that democracy
will be a great asset to the country and the people,
and I am confident that he still does. Knowing his
peaceful characteristics, it is very difficult to be convinced that Waheed could be part of the “coup”.

Looking into the press, lots of the news has been
quite biased for the Ex-President Mohamed Nasheed.
It is not surprising considering the fact that he
has been a journalist and an ex-human rights
activities, he has the grip of the western press.
But is the press being fair? Have they looked deeply enough on the situation?

Wishing for a fair press and peace in the Maldives.

SAKAMOTO Kumiko (Dr.)
Associate Professor
Faculty of International Studies
Utsunomiya University
Japan