Reading "The Plague" in Malé

In 1947 the Nobel prize-winning writer Albert Camus published a novel entitled “The Plague”. Set in the Algerian coastal town of Oran, it tells the tale of the townsfolk as they battle a deadly plague that has spread through their home.

The entire town is forced into quarantine. No one can enter or leave as the city walls are barred. Panic grips the town. Those who display symptoms of the disease are quickly condemned to death, both by their closest friends and relatives, and eventually by their Maker. Some try to escape Oran. An underground racket by people smugglers begins. Sentries are forced to shoot down those who try and escape.

We are now witnessing the eerie, early signs of such a reaction to the H1N1 epidemic here in Malé. The news of the first swine flu death in Inguraidhoo was met with silent disbelief. Fear levels went up once more cases were reported in Muli- this time in an island located to the south of the capital. More and more cases are being reported. It seems like we are in for an onslaught.

People have taken to wearing facemasks on the streets. What is most striking is that it is not just the frail and elderly. They have good cause to be cautious. Young men and women are also donning masks as they go about their daily lives.

Malé is one of the world’s most congested cities. If swine flu does take a firm hold here, there is no doubt that it will spread like wildfire. But a sense of proportion must be retained. Unlike Camus’s plague, which leads to a quick and agonising death, the affliction that threatens us is milder and does not have a significant fatality rate.

Calm and focus is needed. Ultimately the answer to our problem can also be found by reading Camus. In the book, a group of medical practitioners and their associates decide to fight the disease- instead of resigning to death or succumbing to panic as many of their compatriots had. They bring a much-needed dose of optimism to an ocean of despair. Solidarity allows them to weather the storm.

I will close this post by wishing you all a very happy and relaxing Eid holidays. And remember; please exercise basic hygiene at all times.

The Game

In politics there is no black and white; only shades of grey. Or at least that is the message that politicians who find themselves on the wrong side of history would sheepishly tell you.

Of course there are many intractable conflicts that litter the world. “Reasonable” people argue the merits of their respective sides of the argument. Israel/Palestine, China/Taiwan, India/Pakistan, Frost/Nixon- you get the drift.

But the reason that these battles go on is more to do with the basic power dynamics. It has nothing to do with the moral superiority of one side over the other.

The balancing of competing interests dominates the international arena. However, this realpolitik is also seen within the borders of a country. Politicians jostle for position as they seek to survive or advance their careers.

This does not have to be the natural state of affairs. Principles do come into the equation. And it is often those that do not subscribe to any and just play the game for the game’s sake that get left behind.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A great liberal tide swept aside a block of authoritarian states.

In each of these countries- in East Germany, in Poland, in Czechoslovakia, in Romania- there were those that found themselves on either side of the divide.

Some were with the communist rulers. Others were with the dissidents. Some worked to prop up the system. Others set out to smash it.

Those that dared to dream big and faced the colossal power of the state head on emerged triumphant. Those that got stuck in the revolving doors of the system were humbled.

We are a country that has gone through a similar process ourselves. It is interesting to reflect on the experience of the Soviet states and see how it relates to our own nation.

What makes one person a dissident fighting against a repressive state, and another someone who allows them self to be absorbed into the state apparatus? What makes one person Vaclav Havel and another Milous Jakes?

What makes one person Lech Walesa and another Wojciech Jaruzelski?

Think about this question in the Maldivian context. What makes one person Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) and another Mohamed Nasheed (Kutti)? Or for that matter, another Mohamed Nasheed (Kaanal)?

Everyone is playing the game. But some play for a higher purpose. And providence guides those whose hearts are true.

Who Am I?

I am an elitist

I have trouble meeting new people and making friends

I do not speak for myself

I have trouble working in a team

I am unable to contain my ego

I came desperately close to winning my dream job

I stabbed my last two bosses in the back

I have fallen out with my entire parliamentary group

I skulk in the shadows

I inadvertently display authoritarian tendencies

I am consumed by bitterness

Who am I?