The Fall of Mohamed Amin Didi (English)

Описание: Correction: The singer’s name is Masodi Ibrahimfulhu. Apologies for the mistake in the credits.

Disclaimer:
This project includes AI-generated video and narration audio. The script, translation, and all creative direction are original works by the creator. No part of this production may be copied, altered, re-uploaded, or reused in any form without written permission from the creator.

AI-generated visuals were used to recreate historical events for illustrative purposes. These are reconstructions, not archival video footage. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, though some visual details may vary due to current AI limits.

The Fall of Mohamed Amin Didi

August 21, 1953 – The Overthrow
On August 21, 1953, the Maldives’ First Republic collapsed. After Friday prayers, crowds gathered in Malé’s central square. By sunset, President Mohamed Amin Didi was declared deposed in his absence, and the People’s Majlis endorsed it. Leadership passed to Vice President Velaanaagey Ibrahim Mohamed Didi, joined by Ibrahim Faamudheyri Kilegefaanu and the Majlis. Amin was in Colombo, returning from medical treatment in India.

The Telegram
Amin received a telegram in Colombo in Ibrahim Didi’s name. The original message warned him not to return, but it was altered at the Maldivian office into an invitation. Trusting it, he returned on August 31 by RAF seaplane. Denied entry to Malé, he was diverted to Dhoonidhoo and held for months.

Ibrahim Didi’s Role
Relatives Ibrahim Zaki, Mohamed Zaki, and Ibrahim Nasir persuaded Didi to support the overthrow. They cited Amin’s tobacco ban, capital punishment, and misuse of resources. Didi resisted but eventually agreed, giving the coup legitimacy.

Detention and Discontent
From Dhoonidhoo, Amin’s standing eroded. His reforms—women’s education, new schools, banning exploitative trade—clashed with custom. The tobacco ban bred resentment. Religious leaders called him un-Islamic. Many, still facing postwar poverty, blamed him for hardship.

December 1953 – The Return Attempt
Letters from Kakaage Shamsudeen Hilmy and Ibrahim Hilmy convinced Amin he retained support. He entered army headquarters hoping to rally soldiers, but they refused. News spread quickly, and leaders called on the public to defend the new order.

The Mob Attack
By night, mobs surrounded the headquarters. Inside, Amin was handcuffed. The crowd forced entry and attacked. He was beaten, tied to a lamppost, then dragged to the harbor, struck with an oar, and left overnight, badly wounded. By dawn, he was bloodied and near death. A healer applied iodine at Ibrahim Didi’s order.

Trial and Banishment
That day, Amin was stretchered before a three-member panel. Judge Abdul Gayoom Seedhee sentenced him to life banishment. He was sent to Gaafaru, later moved to Vihamanaafushi (today Kurumba resort) as his health declined.

January 1954 – Death in Exile
Already diabetic, his untreated injuries worsened. On Gaafaru he was kept in chains. At Vihamanaafushi, healers and a foreign doctor tried, but too late. Isolated and weak, Amin died on January 19, 1954, at age 43.

Legacy
The December 1953 attack remains one of the most violent episodes in Maldivian politics. The First Republic ended not with ceremony, but with mob violence and exile.

Amin’s reforms reshaped the Maldives yet provoked resistance. He banned tobacco, enforced capital punishment, and faced corruption claims. But he also championed women’s education, founded Aminiya School, built a boarding house for students from atolls, and offered scholarships abroad. He promoted youth programs, launched the People’s Big Store, started the first newspaper, oversaw the first Dhivehi dictionary, and established the anthem, National Day, and National Museum.

Although brief, his presidency left enduring reforms. The Maldives did not see another republic until 1968, but the foundations Amin laid in education, culture, and governance influenced the nation long after his death.