Maldives: Supreme Court tries to impeach president
February 4, 2018
The Maldives government claims the Supreme Court is trying to oust President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who has refused to obey the top court's order to release political prisoners, including former President Mohamed Nasheed.
Image: Imago/Xinhua
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The Maldives government has ordered law enforcement agencies to disregard any move by the country's Supreme Court to arrest or impeach President Yameen Abdul Gayoom for not obeying its ruling to release jailed opposition leaders.
But the Yameen government has so far refused to comply with the court's order despite calls from the United States and India, among other nations, to heed the court's decision.
The order could allow Nasheed, who was granted asylum in Britain after leaving the Maldives to receive medical treatment, to challenge President Yameen when he seeks re-election later this year. The exiled leader said on Friday, he will be contesting the presidential elections expected later this year.
Impeachment fears
Maldives Attorney General Mohamed Anil claimed on Sunday that the government had received information the Supreme Court was preparing to fire Yameen.
"We have received information that things might happen that will lead to a national security crisis," Anil told reporters in the capital, Male.
"The information says the Supreme Court might issue a ruling to impeach or remove the president from power," he said, adding that government bodies had been given instructions not to carry out such an "unconstitutional order."
The government has ordered riot police to stand guard outside government offices in Male and the Republic Square, a site of protests by opposition activists.
The opposition said in a statement that it feared President Yameen might order a military takeover of the country to prevent his ouster.
"The intimidation of the Supreme Court justices, with the highly irregular statement made by the attorney general defying the Supreme Court, supported by the two chiefs of the security forces, is tantamount to the effective sidelining of the judiciary and in direct contravention of the constitution," the statement read.
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Parliament under lockdown
Earlier on Saturday, the government indefinitely postponed the opening of the parliament.
The opposition alleges the move was prompted by the government's fear of losing their majority. This came after the Supreme Court in its Thursday ruling also reinstated 12 lawmakers who had been ousted for switching allegiance to the opposition.
Yameen also fired a national police chief for the second time since the court order. The president's office said he dismissed Ahmed Saudhee and appointed Deputy Police Commissioner Abdulla Nawaz to act as interim police chief. No reason was given for the dismissal.
Yameen also said he was open to holding an election several months before his term ends in November.
But Nasheed was not impressed and termed the move as "ludicrous."
ap/jlw (Reuters, AFP, AP)
Sinking islands battle tides of climate change
The IPCC has warned that the impact of climate change will be felt around the world, including in some of the world's low-lying island nations and coastal regions.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Paradise lost
Small island nations around the world are already feeling the impact of rising sea levels. And probably none more so than the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, which is considered the lowest-elevation country on the planet. The average elevation of its 26 atolls is just 1.5 meters (5 feet) above sea level - so it wouldn't take much for the country to be rendered completely uninhabitable.
Image: picture alliance/chromorange
Underwater property
Rising waters have already caused some islanders to flee their homes for higher ground. On the Kiribati islands in the Pacific, some villages have been completely flooded. Local farmers also have to worry about encroachment of saltwater on their crops. The ever-approaching sea means less surface area for agriculture, and a greater need to transport food from afar.
Image: John Corcoran
Temporary escape
Around 113,000 people call the Kiribati islands home. Locals who've been displaced often end up on the main island of South Tarawa, which has a sea wall to protect low-lying properties on the shore from rising waters - but that's no permanent solution.
Image: picture-alliance/AP
Keeping the ocean at bay
The Dutch are famous for their efforts to fend off the sea - they built their first dikes to protect land from flooding more than 1,000 years ago. Today, a sophisticated system of dams and dikes allows two-thirds of the population live below sea level. Nevertheless, rising ocean levels are still a concern in the Netherlands, where there are future plans to fortify levees and build surge barriers.
Image: picture-alliance/Ton Koene
Sinking world heritage
Venice in northeastern Italy is no stranger to flooding - and according to experts, the iconic city will continue to sink. The Italian government has invested 9.6 billion euros ($7 billion) in the "Moses" water barrier project, designed to protect the city - a UNESCO World Heritage site - from rising oceans and high tides. The barriers are expected to be completed by 2016.
Image: AP
Crisis in the Caribbean
Many small islands in far-flung corners of the ocean don't have the money to fund large-scale climate change mitigation. And often, they're not just facing rising seas - they're also under threat from increasingly frequent cyclones and hurricanes. In the Caribbean islands of St. Lucia and Dominica, frequent storms wreak havoc on local agriculture, including bananas and avocados.
Image: picture-alliance/Robert Harding World Imagery
More severe storms
The devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines last November is a clear example of how the unpredictability of climate change can make weather events more severe for islands. Many homes in the typhoon’s path weren’t built to withstand typhoons, which previously tended to strike the north of the country. More than 6,200 people were killed.
Image: DW/T.Kruchem
Paying for prosperity
Some argue that poorer, less-developed countries are now suffering as a consequence of Western industrialization. At the recent climate conference in Warsaw, Philippines Commissioner Yeb Saño made a passionate plea for action, saying: "What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness."
Image: DW/ A. Rönsberg
Floating in the floodwaters
Although Bangladesh is on the mainland of Asia, it faces a huge risk from climate change due to its low-lying geography and population density. A mere 1-meter (3-foot) rise in sea level would cause half the country to be under water. Communities have started adapting to increased flooding by using floating agricultural technology to grow their crops.
Image: dapd
A new brand of refugee
There are fears sea level rises could eventually displace entire populations, creating hoards of climate change refugees. One idea floated by President Anote Tong of Kiribati some years ago was the possibility of building artificial islands for displaced locals to live on. Dubai - with its artificial island projects, like the one pictured here - may be able to help by sharing its experience.
