Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The Attack On Velezinee.

Third of January, Two Thousand and Eleven.Ten Sixteen a.m.

Woke up to an unexpected phone call from the bearer of extremely shocking and upsetting news. The worst of it wasn't that the President's Appointed Member at Judicial Services Commission had been stabbed (though this was terrible enough news). What I found the most appalling was that this country had come down to such a sorry state.

Let alone the shameful act of stabbing a woman (and not just any woman, but rather someone who is renowned for her courageous and persevering acts to free the judiciary from corruption) from behind and wounding her with repeated attacks, has anyone bothered to wonder how and why she, who had been stabbed near Fariva/Chandhanee Magu, was helped into a police car near the Maaveyo/Majeedhee Magu junction? We're talking about the bustling main streets of Male' at the busy tenth hour of a weekday. I can assure you that it wouldn't have been one potential saviour who opted instead to be a bemused/bewildered/indifferent on-looker. Where is our sense of humanity? Has the recurring violence in the country created a generation deaf and blind to its acts and consequences? Are we dead of conscience and devoid of guilt? What made those present be able to look and leave? That force is what scares me. In a country so empty of human, naturally impulsive acts of empathy anything can happen

Today's stabbing was not a mere warning or cautionary notice. Judging from the nature and the place of the wounds (even with my limited knowledge), I feel it wouldn't be far-fetched to say it was aimed to kill. And what motive would a person have to kill Velezinee? The most obvious reason that springs to mind would be 'to silence Velezinee'. And there's no need to do so unless you have at least one dirty truth to hide, right?

Is it still not time for you to spare a couple of minutes to hear her out? Please do so. There must be truth in what she says for any person to feel so threatened by her. Hear her out. Demand for a public enquiry into the parliament/the JSC. Let us not let her courage be in vain.

It is a blessing that Velezinee got away without fatal wounds, but that doesn't diminish the seriousness of the incident. It isn't enough to condemn the act. This is not a one-off random attack. It will happen again, and again, and yet again.

Third of January, Two Thousand and Eleven. Indeed, a sad day.

Please find the human within. Join the campaign to acquire a fair judiciary.

Visit Velezinee's site or Article 285 on Facebook for information regarding Velezinee's work.