Political parties; a snapshot

A political party is an organised group of people who share similar beliefs about how the country should be run and how to solve the major issues facing the country. In one regard, they are the biggest and most influential political interest groups in the country, influencing policy and outcomes that affect people's lives and standard of living, both in the short and long term. 

According to the Elections Commission, the first political party in the Maldives was the Muthaga'dhim party, established on 23 September 1951, and led by former President Mohamed Ameen Didi. It did not survive beyond his administration. 

In September 2003, then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, in view of pressure both internationally as well as domestically, spoke of the importance of introducing a multi-party democratic system in the Maldives. By this time, a petition signed by 42 individuals had been submitted to, and denied by, the government.  In June 2001, 43 members of the legislature had also voted against creating a multi-party system in the Maldives. 

After several studies and assessments, and of course under intense pressure for political reform, the parliament [at that time there was not much difference between the parliament and the government though], in June 2005, voted in favour of a multi-party system, allowing for the establishment of political parties. According to the Elections Commission, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) submitted its registration on 5 June 2005, and was the first political party to be officially registered in the Maldives. The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maldives Labor Party (MLP) and the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) also submitted their registrations on the same date, while the Adhaalath Party submitted its on 8 June 2005. 

As of 8 December 2021, there are 11 political parties registered in the Maldives, the last one being the Maldives National Party (MNP), led by Member of Parliament for Dhangethi constituency and former Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim. According to the Elections Commission, the MDP had the highest number of members, with 52,904 members, followed by the PPM, with 37,794 members, as of end 2020. There were five parties with less than 5,000 members, namely the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maldives Thirdway Democrats (MTD), Maldives Labour and Social Democratic Party (MLSP), People's National Congress (PNC) and the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM). 

Although political parties have been the main source for political change in the Maldives, most of the parties revolve around personalities, rather than policies. While the MDP is the closest to having established policies and a widely-published manifesto, the party also appears to revolve around the statements of a few politically powerful individuals. The same goes for the PPM/MNC coalition, the MRM, the Adhaalath Party, and so on. It is the political elite, under the guise of serving the public, who dictate policies, although the people they are elected to serve, of course, come to the forefront of their minds as elections draw near. 

Matters are not helped by the term limits set on the executive and the legislature, leading to sustainable policies with long-term political and economic gains being compromised or sacrificed at the altar of short-term gains. The glamour of winning the election, and then campaigning for the next, results in a hodgepodge of policies focused more on the bang than the buck. What the country needs is a set of sincere politicians (a rare breed in itself!) who look beyond the now towards the future. Alas, no such creatures can be seen on the horizon yet.