Serious infighting has broken out in the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) over the issue of the amendment of the controversial Tourism Act.
Former president Maumoon Gayoom has been sending individual messages to PPM MPs on Viber so as to avoid phone tapping by sitting President Abdulla Yameen, who incidentally is also his brother.
Gayoom's message is to revolt against the President on the amendment that would empower the government to lease or allocate islands for resort development to the foreigners, who could be fronting foreign governments.
80 percent of Maldives foreign exchange is earned through tourism. There are about 1,200 islands in the Maldives, but only 250 are inhabited. Foreign ownership of the islands was prohibited till last year under Article 251 of the unamended Constitution.
But now, following the 2015 amendment, the foreigners can buy land if they invest US $ one billion or more of the land used as reclaimed from the ocean. The amendment further states, "no part of the territory of the Maldives shall be used for foreign military purposes without the approval of the majority of the total membership of the People's Majlis."
Gayoom has been sending messages to colleagues not to vote for the Tourism Bill which he says would undermine the sovereignty of the country and increase the scope for corruption and unfair practices as the clause of open bidding has been done away with.
During a debate last week, the opposition MPs accused Yameen's government of using loopholes in the Tourism Act to siphon of millions of dollars from the state coffers. They cited an audit report that US $ 65.01 million had been collected as acquisition costs by the state owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation but was embezzled under Yameen's watch.
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President Yameen is well aware that Gayoom's messages are having an impact as even the opposition seems to be echoing his sentiments. Gayoom had made similar appeals to the party MPs to vote against the party whip in July 2015 when the Bill had come up for voting.
Gayoom's appeal to his party men for a conscience vote did not prevent passage of the Bill in 2015. But things are different now. President Yameen's public appeal has taken a hit as he is being accused of misgovernance and corruption, many even saying that the time is ripe for an overthrow of President Yameen.
Political analysts say the decisions earlier this week by the country's Supreme Court, which summarily upheld convictions of former president Nasheed and former defence minister Nazim despite evidence to the contrary, proved that Maldives' judicial system had been weakened by Yameen to such an extent that the country now appeared like a failed state.
The opposition is also showing signs of uniting, including mounting international pressure about the failing economy and increasing radicalisation of its polity.
Ahmed Naseem, former Maldivian foreign minister and senior leader of the opposition MDP, recently said, "We believe that Yameen's policy of playing one country off against another is undesirable, untenable and unwarranted."
The comment was made in apparent reference to China showing keen interest of buying some of the Maldivian islands which are now available for purchase.
President Yameen, who came to power in 2013 by overthrowing his half brother, is now weakened to such an extent that his presidency now seems on its last leg.