Cablegate: Maldives: Post Support for Ndi Proposal

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 002144

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV KDEM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: POST SUPPORT FOR NDI PROPOSAL

REF: A. COLOMBO 1680
B. COLOMBO 2138
C. 12-08 MAHONEY-WILLET E-MAIL
D. 12-09 MAHONEY-GHORI E-MAIL

1. This is an action request. Please see para 6.

2. The Republic of Maldives, a moderate, pro-Western Muslim
nation, is taking its first faltering steps along the path to
democratic reform (Ref A). A special Parliament is meeting
to consider far-reaching changes, but is moving slowly. In
part because of the slow pace of the special Parliament, in
June the President issued a decree legalizing political
parties. Since then, four political parties have registered
in Maldives: the opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP),
the government's DRP (roughly translated as the Maldivian
People's Party), the reformist Labor Party, and the Islamic
cleric-based Adalath, or Justice Party. The MDP just held
its first party congress in Maldives, successfully electing a
new leadership (Ref B).

3. Despite this promising beginning, however, multi-party
democracy is a novel concept in Maldives, for everyone from
voters to government officials to police to the party members
themselves. Many Maldivians remain ignorant of each group's
proper respective role--a sad fact evidenced by periodic
arrests of opposition activists. The problem has been
exacerbated by the lack of social studies education at the
secondary school level. On numerous occasions, interlocutors
from the Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM),
members of the opposition, and representatives of civil
society groups have lamented to emboffs the lack of public
awareness of basic democratic principles and asked for
international assistance (Reftel A) to correct this deficit.

4. We understand that the National Democratic Institute
(NDI) forwarded a concept paper to the Department's Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) on December 3
proposing a civic education program for Maldives. The
Embassy has also forwarded the proposal, via e-mail, to DRL
(Refs C and D). NDI proposes to conduct an assessment of
civic education needs via workshops and interaction with
political leaders, local activists, journalists, and other
stakeholders. NDI will present its findings at a public
workshop and solicit effective local strategies for
disseminating information. Based on the feedback, NDI will
design appropriate instructional materials and train local
leaders to work with the community. The program will last
for one year and cost approximately USD 375,000.

5. In our view, this program has the capacity to strengthen
nascent civil society groups while building local capacity to
educate the public about civic participation. In addition to
building civic awareness, NDI's proposal could also act as a
vehicle to promote dialogue between the political parties and
the GORM, thereby easing the shift to multi-party democracy.
We believe ESF funding to support this initiative would
provide one non-partisan tool to help us meet our key MPP
goal of promoting democracy in Maldives. In addition, NDI,
which conducted a political assessment with GORM cooperation
in 2004, has the benefit of a proven and credible track
record in Maldives. In fact, the GORM even adopted some
recommendations from NDI's 2004 report, including the move to
grant legal recognition to political parties and to permit
opposition media to function. GORM officials have noted to
emboffs that NDI's last assessment was useful, and have
requested similar assistance in the future. MDP members,
too, have noted that assistance from impartial international
bodies such as NDI would be welcome, especially in the
current atmosphere of mistrust and animosity between the
opposition and the GORM.

6. Maldives is a long-standing friend of the U.S. that is
attempting a difficult shift to a system of multi-party
democracy. However, GORM officials have expressed concern
that during this uncertain transition, Islamic fundamentalism
or partisan violence could gain the upper hand, derailing
efforts to transform this formerly autocratic state into a
viable modern democracy. Helping Maldives peacefully achieve
this important but challenging transition serves USG
democracy and human rights interests. For now, Maldives
remains a place where the U.S. voice carries a great deal of
weight. (The marked improvement in prison conditions soon
after the Ambassador visited detainees in 2004 is just one
example.) In Maldives, a small investment has the potential
for a large return, both in terms of tangibly cementing
democratic processes and in generating good will. We believe
the NDI proposal offers a low-cost approach that will assist
parties in becoming politically mature, spread knowledge
about civic processes, and offer a forum for dialogue between
divergent groups in Maldivian society. For those reasons,
Post fully endorses the NDI proposal and asks that DRL fund
the project.

LUNSTEAD

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