Two years after the current Maldivian government assumed power, democracy most certainly has not become ‘the only game in town’ – the happy state of affairs that most experts agree signifies successful completion of the consolidating process. Ample evidence has emerged during this short period that other currencies of power, deeply embedded in socio-cultural norms formed over centuries of varying types of authoritarian governance, are still very much in circulation in the country. These forms of power most clearly and commonly manifest as clientelism and patriomonialism, where power is exercised through informal networks based on political favours, connections between friends, family and a clique of elite individuals and groups. Such networks of informal power exist in perpetual tension with the official institutions of democracy. In the Maldives, they have created an atmosphere that discourages popular participation, makes a mockery of the rule of law, renders problematic the delivery of public services, discourages both domestic and foreign investment, and is highly conducive to corruption, rent-seeking and other forms of abuse.
Azra Naseem The long shadow of authoritarianism