Minivan News has published an interview with Dr. Shaheed which begs some attention. One of the statements is, 'We’re in danger of sliding back either into a Gayoom-style autocracy by Gayoom himself or perhaps by some other person.'

Apparently his fears hinge on the premise that 'if an old guard comes back, they come back with the message that democracy has failed.'

On 28 April, in an article published on Minivan News, Anni's press secretary was quoted as saying, "What I mean to say is that even if the president wanted to be a dictator, he can’t... The constitution prevents one man holding all the powers. Otherwise, independent institutions wouldn’t exist."

This shows how desperate the current government is of attaining absolute majority in parliament. The government's Foreign Minister is squashing its own claim of institutionalization of democracy. All this, just for the sake of ensuring that no one else gets a seat in parliament.

With regards to institutionalizing democracy, what little work Gayoom did is being undone by the current government. At the moment, the Defense Minister is the Home Minister, the parliament is still on a government payroll, the judiciary accedes to the president's whims (the changing of defamation suits to criminal cases from civil actions) and the constitution does not recognize any of the current MPs.

As for Shaheed's fear of what might happen if the 'old guard comes back', one of their staunchest supporters, the conservatives, are the old guard in UK. No one there is afraid of their resurgence, simply because the institution is stronger than the government. Also, the conservatives' representation in parliament ensures the Labour Party's continued honesty. Hence, without DRP representation (or that of another very strong opposition) in Majlis who will keep MDP in check?

In response to the question of his tenure with the former administration Shaheed says, "Yes accountability doesn’t exclude anybody. I mean it. But I’m not saying everyone should be dragged to the courts and into prison. I’m talking about the rule of law here. We have to know what happened. The danger here is democracy is still a very new idea in this country." Thereupon he goes off-topic by a mile. He does not manage to give a convincing reason for his continued support for Gayoom despite Maldivians (this blogger included) voicing out their concerns (even as far back as the Sangu days) about corruption and injustice.

Many public figures of the former government excuse themselves by claiming fear of repercussions. If this is Dr. Shaheed's claim too then he should consider the countless Maldivian families he sacrificed in order to feel safe.