Gayoom, who recently called a state of emergency in one of the most exotic tourist destinations in the world, denies police brutalities and blames a "mob" for stalling the democratic reform process in the interview.

When asked about the crackdown against the reformists, the president retorted by saying that there was no crackdown, some people were not happy, because, they thought they might lose their power and position.

Fielding some hard-hitting questions like why a number of senior MPs including former secretary general of SAARC Zaki or the former attorney general have not only been detained by the police but some of them have even been punched and beaten up, an unfazed Gayoom reaffirms his commitment to reforms.