Maldives President Yameen decries western values; police remove anti-Islamic figurines from luxury resort

Tourists in a luxury resort were privy to Maldivian police removing statues of human figures, that were deemed un-Islamic.

They vandalised the facility armed with axes, saws and rope.

Amid fears of rigging and largescale irregularities, Maldives is going to hold another Presidential election on Sept 23 with the return of President Abdullah Yameen to power almost pre-determined.

According to Maldives Independent, The Maldives election body  published a list of international monitors and observers for this Sunday’s presidential poll, but it includes journalists and organisations that cannot enter the country because they do not have visas.

The European Union and United Nations will not be sending observers for the September 23 presidential election, the Elections Commission revealed Sunday, said Maldives Independent.  

Standing on the tarmac of an incomplete airport in northern Maldives, in the midst of a tropical storm, Yameen took a dig at the opposition for promoting Western ideology, which he deemed "are intolerable to our society and values".

"I bring you development and prosperity," he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Yameen's brutal rant was also directed towards the LGBTQ community.

Undermining gay rights, he said: "What does the opposition offer? They talk of democracy ... What do they do in the name of Western-backed democracy? They protest to seek rights for homosexuals."

Yameen, who had driven away most of his opponents, jailing some and forcing some to go into exile, has been termed as a mad man.

Speaking to Just Earth News earlier this year, Ali Zahir of the Adhaalath Party said: "Politically we cannot do anything. The only hope is international help."

Independent Member of Parliament Ali Hussain told Just Earth News: "The situation is grave. The Supreme Court is under siege. The military has broken down the gates of Supreme Court and they have entered inside .... we hear that there were two judges [including chief justice] and they were in their control [they were arrested according to latest reports].

"The most important powers of the Supreme Court, the last judgement [to release the opposition leaders] have been taken away, the power of Parliament has been taken away too," he said fearing his arrest."

"We were utterly shocked when the announcement was made. We sought an appointment with the Election Commission and could finally meet some bureau staff as the Election Commissioner did not meet himself. We will fight for our voting rights till the end," Mauroof Zakir, General Secretary of Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM), told Just Earth News.

Mauroof Zakir said: "I do not really know why the EC decided to have ballot boxes in only seven resorts but the fact is that they have decided it. We can assume that it was influenced by the fact that in last election a large number of the resort employees had voted for Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed."

"But whoever the employees vote, the EC should be fair to all. The current election commissioner was once in the ruling party after all," he said.