Can MDP afford this infighting?

One leader has a meal at a teashop above the fish market in Male’. The next day, the other leader sips tea in Hulhumale’. One gathered a team and went to meet fishermen, and the other went with a team to meet farmers.

The year 2024 is not yet over. But the fervor for the 2028 presidential ticket has already spread within the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the country’s main opposition.

But the passion and courage MDP was once famous for remains sorely missing. The party’s great “yellow army” is nowhere to be seen. This came under renewed focus with the current MDP leadership’s lackluster remarks regarding the recent constitutional amendments and the glaring divisions within the party. They said the incumbent administration was being autocratic, but then asked “what should we do?”. What can they do?

As MDP’s leadership discussed what it should do, it was a former lawmaker with a different political affiliation who filed a case with the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional amendments that introduced anti-defection clauses.

They did hold a press conference the next day to say they are unhappy with the amendments. And about a dozen MDP supporters did protest outside the Parliament as it passed the contentious amendments.

But does this count as MDP fulfilling its responsibility as the country’s main opposition? Is this what the MDP, with its 60,000 members, can do?

Leaders locked in internal power struggle

On Saturday, MDP’s chairperson, Fayyaz Ismail went to the fish market and met with the local fishermen there. He had a meal with them. The party’s president, Abdulla Shahid was glaringly absent from this meeting. Many questioned his absence.

Shahid was unaware of this meeting. He was displeased about this oversight and questioned why the party’s president wasn’t informed about the event.

Shortly after, Fayyaz announced via the MDP National Council’s WhatsApp group that he plans to contest the party’s primary for the 2028 presidential election. He became the first within the MDP to announce his candidacy. His aspirations for presidency might have been the reason Shahid wasn’t informed about the earlier event.

The next day, Shahid visited teashops in Hulhumale’. Fayyaz was not present during these visits.

Shahid, who had expressed interest in contesting the 2018 elections, has aspirations to contest the 2028 elections as well. However, he has yet to publicly announce his candidacy.

“As the president of this party, my entire focus is on holding the government accountable,” said Shahid, when asked about this in an interview with RaajjeTV earlier this week.

“I do not intend to make a decision regarding 2028 right now. I do not want to go offtrack by talking about the election. Decisions regarding something that is in the future must be made after careful consideration.”

The other presidential hopeful within the party, Male’ City Mayor Adam Azim, has hired eight MDP members as high-salary consultants at the council. This is something he admitted himself.

According to former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, there are two other presidential hopefuls within the MDP. This might include he himself. However, this remains unclear as he refused to provide a clear answer.

Having aspirations for the highest office is not a problem. It is a natural aspiration for a politician to have. Having more than one contender will increase the competitiveness and revitalize the party. That is a good thing. But this competitiveness, which once pushed the MDP to become the dominant party in the Maldives, must not become something that locks its leaders in petty squabbles and hinders the party.

‘Not taking to the streets, but MDP is active’

It is the grassroots members of the MDP and the larger public who complain that the MDP is not active. Fayyaz is aware of this. He admits that he has been repeatedly questioned by people and reporters over this.

“I want to ask how [are we not active]. I am unable to understand how,” responded Fayyaz, when asked about this in an exclusive interview with Sun earlier this month.

Fayyaz believes MDP is active. Perhaps even more active than before.

Fayyaz said that the MDP had also been largely silent during the first year of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration. The MDP had been focused on restructuring the party for about one-and-a-half years. Fayyaz said that the MDP eventually took to the streets after it was left with no other choice.

“For about one-and-a-half years, the MDP was focused on restructuring the party. There were no street protests during this time. As far as I remember, the party started street action around November 2015,” he said.

Fayyaz believes that the MDP remains active. He said that its campaign for the 2023 parliamentary elections was a parliamentary campaign “the likes of which the MDP has never held before.”

“It has been just two months since we lost after the campaign. We have come out and are doing in two months what it previously took one-and-a-half years,” he said.

“The MDP has always taken to the streets to protect rights as a last resort.”

The MDP said it is working on repairing fractured ties and uniting its members. It is working on identifying the reasons for its recent election defeats. The party said that this is being done at full speed.

Fayyaz believes the MDP will expand and strengthen its street activities once they are left with no other choice.

Can MDP revive its previous fervor?

It is not just the street protests that lack MDP’s usual passion and fervor. The regular rallies it holds at its party center lacks the usual fire. The party held two or three demonstrations outside the Parliament. But it was attended by only a handful of supporters.

The turnout was so low that that it is shameful to call it a MDP protest. Neither Shahid nor Fayyaz attended these demonstrations.

“What would happen to a party when it is divided into two, and now to four or five factions? Who will lead the party when everyone is busy running their campaigns for the primary? This is what’s happening with the party,” said a former MDP member.

“The party should hold the primary as soon as possible. And end all this.”

No matter how much the party’s leaders may deny this, they are busy campaigning. Though they claim their entire focus is on fulfilling its responsibility as the main opposition, their eye is on the election. Their target is the presidential ticket. This is what they are silently preparing for.

But Fayyaz’s opinion differs in this matter. He does not believe it necessary a party have a single powerful leader. Nor is it something he wants.

“What we are doing now is; the party will not have a single powerful leader. This party is functioning in accordance with the principles of democracy. There is not necessarily a single powerful personality within this party,” he said.

He firmly believes the MDP should not revolve around a single leader.

But the MDP is not functioning with its trademark passion and fervor because its leaders are locked in an internal power struggle. The single rift that appeared within the party has now increased to multiple fissures.  The leaders are engaged in intense rivalry. How is the party supposed to unite as one when the president and chairperson hold separate events, unbeknownst to each other?

The reason for such division may perhaps be linked to former President Solih, once the top leader of the MDP, taking a backstep from party activities following his 2023 election defeat. He has failed to show the leadership required of him as one of the founding leaders of the MDP. He is not active in the party’s activities. Nor is he involved in efforts to hold the government accountable.

His involvement has been infrequent and inadequate.

In order to repair these rifts, the MDP needs to hold its primary and unite behind a single leader. This is the only way the MDP can revive its trademark fervor. The party cannot afford this infighting.