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| President Solih with Speaker Nasheed. Photo by: Indian Express Website |
It
is undeniable that President Solih is the binding force of the ruling MDP led
coalition government, but has somehow failed to establish his absolute control
over MDP’s functioning as it’s “most senior leader”. On the other hand, Speaker
Nasheed seems to have emerged as the only man when it comes to taking policy
level decisions within the party, an area of Solih’s interests. It’s been days
since anti-MDP opponents is debating whether Speaker Nasheed can be replaced by
President Solih as the “real leader” of the ruling MDP. With equally
interesting ease, the coalition allies, Jumhooree Party, MRM led by Former
President Mr. Gayyoom and the religious Adhaalath Party too has endorsed President
Solih’s leadership over Speaker Nasheed when it comes MDP’s stand in important
matters within the coalition. However, till date President Solih refuses to be
engaged in the controversial topic though the debate goes on.
Indeed,
there are reasons why this debate is important. President Solih is extremely
busy to meet the deadlines of his manifesto and should not be burdened with the
extra pressure of running a large party like MDP. Even before President Solih
took oath of office, his best friend Nasheed had lost the technique of keeping sustainable
bonds with political allies and leading a coalition. Furthermore, Speaker Nasheed
is no longer decisive as he was known to be. Therefore, MDP definitely needs a
more dynamic leader than Nasheed to prove itself as a father for a coalition of
different political ideologies to keep the Solih administration on its toes.
But
can President Solih be a choice in this line of debate? Two reasons can be
cited for those who believe that's possible. One, the esteemed leader has
proved that he has the stature to lead a coalition government in Maldivian
political history. Apart from Speaker Nasheed, he is among those few leaders
within MDP who has vast political experience, having decades of parliamentary
experience and seen enough politics to claim that space. If the MDP led
coalition government is running smoothly today, credit should be given solely
to Solih – as he was the engineer of the diverse coalition. Two, as a prominent
politician, Solih has friends in every party. He is one of the few most wired politicians
known in the island nation across party lines. He can pick up the phone
and talk to any leader in the country any time and is on first-name basis of
MDP with all of them. This is a plus point for President Solih when it comes to
the debate of replacing Nasheed’s influence within the party.
Today, the MDP with its super majority at parliament has
unimaginable power in Maldivian politics to discredit opposition parties. Even the
main opposition PPM is aware that it is impossible to match the MDP on this
front, but to put up a good fight, one needs sizeable resources, which currently
only President Solih can organize. But in a controversial topic
like this, counter-arguments should also be poured into the glass. Equally
strong reasons can be articulated for why President Solih is not the right
person to lead the MDP. First, his credibility is unchallenged, but his eminence
is suspected. Second, ideologically, he is not very solid compared to Speaker
Nasheed. Solih, in true sense, believes in mutualism in politics. For the sake
of unity, he is willing to make any compromise without checking or assessing the
political waves he might face due to a certain stand. The biggest fact is seen
during 2018, where he was seen more than happy to take the support of the Jumhooree
Party to secure the seat of Presidency despite his party grassroot members
applying serious allegations against tycoon Qasim for almost non-stop 7 years. Third,
it is a fact that Solih is a big name within MDP but he has a limited appeal
among the masses. He derives his power from being the longtime wise leader in
Maldivian politics. He takes lot of pride in being called a leader of unity.
Though, he managed to lure only a few leaders like Abdulla Shahid from MDP, he still
lacks the support of the majority of the powerful grassroot leaders within the
party machineries.
Naseed succeeded in 2008
because he was the only choice left in order to transform a change in the
governance of the nation, but today he has failed to comprehend the new political
realities and the totally new concept of mutual power sharing in local
politics. Maldives has changed a lot since Nasheed was personally on the
frontline of politics. It is true that Speaker Nasheed, with his unmatchable
charisma, has turned MDP into a game changer in local politics. To challenge his
leadership, the MDP needs a solid leader who is not new to Nasheed’s power politics.
The leader who can challenge Nasheed requires a new sketch with a brand-new
icon. Hence, it is evident that Speaker Nasheed’s supremacy in MDP can only be
challenged by a wise opponent like President Solih who understands the Plan B
of the “spiritual leader”. In an era when the political battle is more ideological than
nearly ever before, the MDP needs a leader like Solih who has the courage of
his political conviction.
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