Abdulla Shahid as the State Minister for Defence???

I simply cannot comprehend why HEP Mohamed Nasheed appointed Abdulla Shahid as the State Minister for Defence. It's not that i have anything against Abdulla Shahid nor i doubt of his capacity to execute the duties required by the post. But i just cannot understand why HEP Mohamed Nasheed would appoint Abdulla Shahid when he was one of the men who was convicted of his involvement in the coup plot lead by Luthfy and Sagaru Nasir on 3rd Nov 1988! This was the day so many lives were lost and till this day, the memories are still fresh in the minds of many Maldivians who witnessed the horrific events that took place.

Maybe Abdulla Shahid was falsely convicted. I am not sure. However, for 20 years or so, that is what all Maldivians were made to beleive and till today, the new government has not come up with a statement or a press breifing regarding the matter - For the public to know that Abdulla Shahid is innocent of the charges made against him and therefore he is eligible for the post. Since none of this was done, I would say that appointing Abdulla Shahid as the State Minister for Defence is a bad move made made by HEP Mohamed Nasheed.

Ofcourse there are other people also, who were appointed for senior posts who does not qualify for such posts and who have had a bad background. But Abdulla Shahid being appointed as State Minister for Defence is quite different as we are talking about 3rd Nov 2008! He had been convicted and sentenced for many years in Jail. Thus, it cannot be justified. Maybe this move was made to "humiliate" Qayyoom. But then it is ridiculous. I wonder why the Majlis approved the appointment considering the seriousness of the matter.

Then there is also the question if the Maldivian National Defence Force personnel would be happy to work under Abdulla Shahid? For me, all this is simply heinous!

Well, I can only hope that in future, HEP Mohamed Nasheed would make more sensible moves and atleast consult with his advisors and the relevant personnel before appointing a person for such a post. I also hope that the Majlis would play a far greater role against these kind of decisions made by the elected government or by the President himself.