Category: Politics

JP defection is no loss to government, says Gayoom

The Jumhooree Party’s (JP) departure from the Progressive Coalition causes no loss to the government, says Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Arriving in Malé after attending an environmental forum in New Delhi, Gayoom told media that the current government remains “strong and steadfast”.

“Initially, we had a coalition between three political parties, now there is one between two. The coalition with JP broke apart due to some disagreements that arose a while ago. However, the coalition with MDA [Maldives Development Alliance] remains very strong,” he said.

The JP has today responded by suggesting that the PPM leader was unwilling to see violations committed by the ruling coalition.

The party officially joined the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last week, after having officially left the coalition, though relations with the PPM were effectively severed in May last year.

After describing the opposition’s claims to be defending the Constitution as laughable last week, Gayoom again criticised the agreement.

“If they claim to be protecting the Constitution, then they must also tell us exactly how the incumbent government has acted against the Constitution. They haven’t been able to do so. The truth is, they don’t really have much of essence to say about this,” he told media.

The former 30-year ruler asserted that the administration of his half-brother Abdulla Yameen respects the Constitution, rejecting claims that the replacement of the auditor general last October, and the dismissal of two Supreme Court judges in December, was unconstitutional.

He insisted that those actions cannot be described as undermining the Constitution, as they were taken “lawfully through the establishment of laws”.

“These laws are made in ways that the Constitution allow us to. We can’t make any laws that go against the Constitution, as the contradicting clauses will themselves become void. So these actions were conducted in accordance with what the Constitution stipulates,” he explained.

Doesn’t want to see: JP

JP Spokesperson Ahmed Sameer has subsequently dismissed Gayoom’s comments, stating that the current government’s unconstitutional actions are “apparent for all to see”, suggesting that Gayoom chooses not to acknowledge them.

“Gayoom sees them, knows about them, and is deliberately using the majority that the PPM currently has to undermine the rights of the people,” alleged Sameer.

“We citizens should be deeply concerned if a man who ruled for such a long time cannot even recognise violations of people’s rights while it is happening right in front of him”.

He went on to give various instances in which the party believes the government has acted unconstitutionally.

“One of the first statements by the President’s Spokesperson was a justification of why President Yameen did not mention the judiciary in his presidential address in the parliament. He then said that the judiciary is absolutely strong and without fault. Why then did he bring such a major change to such a solid institution later on?” asked Sameer.

The spokesman went on to say that, when deciding which two judges to remove from the Supreme Court bench, the government had dismissed two of the judges most trusted by the public, while allowing a “disgraced judge” to remain in position.

He also pointed to the proposed constitutional amendment submitted to parliament, seeking to restrict persons over 65 years of age from running for presidency.

“The constitution clearly states that any citizen can run for an elected position. How then can this amendment be in accordance with the law?” he asked.

“It is a deeply concerning matter that Gayoom is turning a blind eye to the atrocities against the Constitution being committed by the rule of his party,” Sameer concluded.

The Progressive Coalition currently controls 49 of the Majlis’ 85 seats, while the opposition alliance – which has pledged to work together both inside and outside the Majlis – has a combined 34 MPs.


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Family of missing Maail criticise police response

The family of 24-year-old Abdulla Maail, reported missing on January 27, has expressed concerns that police have been negligent in their investigation of his disappearance.

Lhaimagu Island Council has echoed these concerns, saying they are “not at all satisfied” with the manner the police have handled parts of the investigation.

Maail – from Dhaalu Atoll Kudahuvadhoo – went missing from the uninhabited island of Firunbaidhoo in Shaviyani Atoll, where he was employed on an agriculture project.

Only one other person, 62-year-old Hassan Ali, was on the island at the time of the disappearance. He reported Maail to be missing on the afternoon of January 27, according to police.

Police officials have denied the suggestions of negligence, saying that the search up to this point had been prompt and thorough.

‘Delays narrow chances of finding Maail’: Council

Lhaimagu Councillor Ahmed Shinan said the police had taken long time to respond after the disappearance was reported, expressing concern that the chances of finding Maail had subsequently narrowed.

“Hassan Ali told us, in the presence of other council members and police, that he reported Maail’s disappearance to police at 4.30pm. Police, however, did not arrive on the island until after 11pm that night,” claimed the councillor.

“It took over 6 hours for police to come, when the distance between Firunbaidhoo and Fonadhoo can be travelled in just under 10 minutes by speedboat. We heard later from the island’s proprietor that police refused to come until he arranged speed boat transfer for them”.

Police today acknowledged  some “transportation challenges” after the case was reported, but said they had begun work on the case immediately after being alerted.

“We only received reports at 6.30pm and I think police reached the scene around 9pm,” a media official told Minivan News.

According to the Shinan, however, locals waited hours for police to arrive at the scene.

Locals search the island of Firunbaidhoo

“This was valuable time wasted when we could have commenced the search for Maail. We’re talking about a human being that’s gone missing, not some petty robbery. We cannot afford to be careless in the investigation,” he said.

Shinan said that the police had left the island unattended after the initial search, giving potentially guilty parties an opportunity to eliminate or tamper with evidence.

He also argued that witnesses had not been investigated thoroughly enough, suggesting that reports of a supply dinghy having visited the island minutes before Maail’s absence was realised could be key.

The councillor also expressed disappointment that it took police over two days to begin searching the sea.

Police have denied the delay, saying that the coast guard-assisted search began the day after the reported disappearance. Officials declined from giving further details as the investigation continues.

Family feels unsupported

Maail’s brother Mohamed Shifau has travelled to the capital Malé from Meemu atoll, after the family had been unable to contact Shaviyani police.

“We have continuously tried calling the head of the Shaviyani Police Station to ask for updates on the investigation, but he hasn’t answered our calls even once in the past week,” he told Minivan News.

“There are certain aspects of the investigation that we believe the police overlooked, some people that they haven’t questioned, and so on. We shared that information with the police in Malé.”

The family have also sent a letter outlining their concerns to the Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed, though they have as yet received no reply.

Dissatisfied with the response from police, Shifau appealed to politicians for assistance, meeting with politicians across the spectrum.

“The Shaviyani Atoll Fonadhoo constituency’s parliamentarian Ali Saleem met with us, but said he could give us no more than five minutes. He stated that the police will investigate the matter and there is nothing else he can do for us,” Shifau explained.

After failing to contact Kudahuvadhoo constituency MP Ahmed Amir, Shifau met with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

“The MDP was very sympathetic, and Chairperson Ali Waheed promptly arranged a meeting with a committee from the party. They provided assistance by guiding our family on future steps that can be taken,” Shifau said.

(PHOTOS: LHAIMAGU ONLINE)

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Political leaders take to twitter to mark February 7th

Political leaders have taken to social media to mark three years since the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in 2012.

While former President and leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Maumoon Abdul Gayoom wished all “patriotic Maldivians” a “Happy 7th February”, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader Nasheed posted the lyrics of a melancholic Dhivehi ballad.

Nasheed’s message contained the lyrics to a song which describes the “many tears shed that day” – originally written about the death of a couple from Galolhu Penzeemaage, killed when their Dhoni capsized near Malé in the 1980s.

He has made no other official comments regarding the day of his departure from office.

Nasheed resigned on February 7, 2012, after mutinying security forces joined anti-government protesters, demonstrating against the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed – for which Nasheed still faces criminal charges.

The protests’ leaders included key opposition figures from PPM, Jumhooree Party (JP), Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party.

Current Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer – who stood in the front lines of opposition protests against Nasheed’s presidency – said yesterday that the date was a “proud day for Maldives, Islam and the constitution”, thanking everyone who stood against the country’s fourth president.

Naseer this weekend announced his exit from JP after the party joined the MDP in an agreement to defending the Constitution – receiving public praise from Gayoom for his decision.

Meanwhile, other protagonists in the events surrounding Nasheed’s resignation struck a more conciliatory tone, with Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla saying “the nation cannot move forwards without forgiving and building friendships”.

Sheikh Imran described the events of February 7 and 8, 2012 as “dangerous and sad”.

After supporting Gasim in the first round of the 2013 presidential elections and President Abdulla Yameen in the run-off, Adhaalath is considered an unofficial coalition partner in the government, with the party assigned the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

Nasheed has recently used the events leading up to and following his departure from office to suggest that the current government has lost legitimacy following the JP’s withdrawal from the governing coalition.

He has cited the Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) report, which concluded that change of government was “legal and constitutional”, and the events of February 6-7 “were, in large measure, reactions to the actions of President Nasheed”.

“[I]t is evident that President Nasheed lost the support of the coalition supporting the MDP which had brought him to power and it is an irrefutable fact that MDP never enjoyed a clear majority in the Parliament,” read the Commonwealth-assisted report.

Even without the support of the JP’s 13 MPs, the ruling PPM currently enjoys a clear majority in the People’s Majlis, controlling 49 seats alongside the its ally, the Maldivian Development Alliance.

Nasheed stated last week that, with the CoNI report arguing that the transfer of power on February 7 was made in accordance with the law: “Yameen, we are also going to change your government in that very path deemed legal”.


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Former Defense Minister brought to Police for statement

Former Defense Minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim was brought  to the Maldives Police Services (MPS) headquarters to give a statement last night (February 7).

A police media official told Minivan News that Nazim was summoned in order to obtain a statement regarding the ongoing investigation into weapons found at Nazim’s home.

Nazim’s lawyer Maumoon Hameed – who has replaced former Attorney General Azima Shukoor as Nazim’s legal representative – confirmed that he and some of his family members have provided the police with statements.

“I would like to reiterate that Nazim has been assisting the police with this investigation since day one,” Hameed told Minivan News today. “In doing so, Nazim and members of his family provided DNA samples and fingerprints to the police.”

The MPS had previously revealed that it found a pistol and a makeshift explosive device at Nazim’s home during a raid under a court warrant in the early hours of January 18.

Speaking to the media on January 29, Commissioner of Police (CP) Hussein Waheed said that, after searching Nazim’s home using “forced entry”, police found a 9mm handgun, an improvised explosive device, 3 bullets, and a magazine.

Nazim’s lawyer immediately released a statement denying that the items found were there with the former minister’s knowledge.

“The items claimed to have been found at Colonel Mohamed Nazim’s residence by Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed do not belong to Colonel Nazim or his family, and if there were any items were present at the house, they were there without Colonel Nazim’s or his family’s knowledge,” read the statement.

Both Nazim and his wife’s passport have been withheld by authorities, with Commissioner Waheed explaining that police did not consider taking Nazim into custody to be the “best course of action to proceed depending on his profile”.

“However, as you can see we have prevented him from leaving abroad,” he added.

Additionally, Commissioner Waheed said that police had written to the Maldivian National Defense Force to verify ownership of the weaponry, being informed that no items were missing from the military’s inventory.

Police have maintained that the service was not aware it was Nazim’s home until after the raid, noting that they had adhered to international best practices and that Nazim was present during the search.

Waheed described the weapons as “very dangerous”, saying that, while the handgun could be lethal, the explosive device when matched with another component could cause “large scale destruction”.

Nazim – who was also acting health minister and head of immigration – was dismissed from his post on January 20, three days after the police raid.

Speaking to the media at the time, Nazim said that events had shown that no Maldivian was assured of safety and security.

“This gives an alarming signal that entering any house, at any time and to do anything is possible. The defence minister is the most senior official standing beside the president,” he told the press immediately following his dismissal.

Police have since suggested that Nazim was questioned regarding the weapons but that he had failed to adequately respond to the questions.


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Gasim defiant as opposition sign agreement to defend Constitution

Opposition leaders have attacked the leadership of President Abdulla Yameen as the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Jumhooree Party (JP) officially signed an agreement to defend the Constitution.

“It is becoming too apparent that President Yameen is headed towards establishing a dictatorial rule,” said former President Mohamed Nasheed at the signing ceremony in Malé’s carnival area on Thursday evening.

JP leader Gasim, meanwhile, railed against persistent attacks on his business interests as more reports emerged of setbacks to the Maamigili MP’s personal investments.

“President Maumoon [Abdul Gayoom] can laugh but tell me which part of the Constitution allows the state to seize people’s property and businesses unfairly and unjustly, without even compensation?”

Former President Gayoom last week suggested that talk of defending the country’s Constitution made him laugh, arguing that the current government has not violated the document.

The opposition has accused Yameen’s administration of breaching the Constitution, in particular through the removal of the auditor general and two Supreme Court judges late last year.

The live feed to Thursday’s ceremony- supplied by Gasim’s VTV – was cut prior to the event, with reports that the cable had been vandalised. The transmission was subsequently provided via the MDP-aligned Raajje TV.

Home Minister Umar Naseer has this afternoon (February 7) announced his decision to leave the JP as result of the party’s “new course”.

Gasim defiant

Former Yameen ally Gasim challenged his opponents to take his assets, suggesting the government had no legitimacy following the withdrawal from the Progressive Coalition.

“You were elected with my support. I can guarantee you that you will not receive 51 percent of Maldivian votes. Forget it.”

Gasim’s eventual support for the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Yameen – a decision his party said had been made democratically by its council at the time – tipped the balance in the much-delayed 2013 presidential poll.

The JP’s national council officially announced the end of its alliance with the PPM last month – in effect defunct since Gasim’s decision to stand for Majlis Speaker in May – handing its leader the authority to strike an alliance with the MDP.

The JP’s opposition to key government legislation last year saw Gasim receive setbacks to his businesses, as well as physical threats against his person – both of which the party blamed on Gasim’s former political allies.

“You can seize everything, take it. Take it. After all, things can only be taken from people who have them,” he told those at Thursday night’s rally.

“Yameen, do not think that a well-built man can come and shoot me with a gun. No, No, No. I am not afraid even one bit.”

Former President Nasheed also addressed those present – including senior representatives from both parties.

Nasheed reiterated suggestions that the repeated failure of governing coalitions demonstrated that a parliamentary system was required for the Maldives.

“The Maldivian people want a parliamentary system of governance, a system without a president who is too powerful, a system in which a coalition of political parties can govern,” said Nasheed.

In a 2007 referendum, approximately 62 percent of the public backed the presidential form of governance ahead of the country’s first multi-party elections.

At the time, both the MDP and President Yameen’s former party, the Progressive Alliance, supported the parliamentary system, while then President Gayoom supported a presidential system.

Nasheed’s own electoral coalition – which included Gasim’s JP – fell apart soon after his 2008 election, with the subsequent anti-government alliance forcing his resignation in February, 2012.

The agreement

Thursday night’s rally saw the distribution of the agreement, which pledges to “defend the spirit of the Constitution and do everything necessary to guarantee the rule of law”.

The agreement pledges to prevent the passing of any propositions in the People’s Majlis against the letter or the spirit of the Constitution, both inside and outside of the Majlis.

Together, the two parties control 34 seats in the 85-seat legislature, although MDP internal party discipline had been a decisive issue in recent votes – most notably in December’s vote to remove Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz and Justice Muthasim Adnan.

The agreement pledges that the parties will cooperate to hold the government accountable for Constitutional breaches, as well as working to defend those subjected to intimidation by the authorities.

Signatories to the agreement pledged to: “investigate and cooperate to bring an end to Government intimidation against the general public, journalists, state owned companies, employees, business leaders, youth, independent institutions, and politicians”.

To these ends, the parties agreed to form an Inter-Party Commission and a joint parliamentary committee within ten days,


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Three-month old Maldivian baby dies in Syria

Media sources have reported that a three-month old Maldivian baby has died in Syria after being taken their with her parents.

According to reports, the baby died as a result of respiratory difficulties around one week ago due to lack of adequate healthcare.

It was also reported that, after the child had fallen ill, the mother attempted to travel back to the Maldives but was prevented from contacting relatives due to the lack of cooperation from her husband and other jihadists.

Her parents are said to have travelled to Syria for jihad around two months ago, crossing into the country from Turkey.

Maldives Police Service media officials stated that the they had not yet received any information about the case.

Earlier this week, Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed called it a cause of concern that Maldivian nationals are leaving the country to fight in wars abroad.

In a police function held on February 2, the Commissioner said it is necessary for all police officers to work together in order stop Maldivians joining wars abroad, instructing the intelligence department to immediately take preventative measures if the service receives any information regarding such a case.

Since the first reports of Maldivians travelling to ISIS-held territories for jihad were received last year, a steady stream of recruits have left the country, including couples and entire families.

The exact number of Maldivians abroad for jihad remains unclear, with Haveeru reporting a group of six having departed last week, as well as a dozen more said to have gone to Syria at the start of January.

Commissioner Waheed has previously estimated that around 50 Maldivians are working with foreign rebel groups, dwarfing figures suggested by Home Minister Umar Naseer in December.

Despite assurances that the activities of radicals are being monitored, the group said to have left in early January included a number of individuals known to police.

They included Azlif Rauf – a suspect in the murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali, and an individual arrested over the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

Last month, four would-be jihadis were apprehended in Malaysia, with media reporting that they were brought back to the Maldives and released after the authorities seized their passports. A similar group were returned from Sri Lanka in November.


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MPs need more time for Ibthihaal investigation

The Majlis government accountability committee requires more time to determine possible state negligence regarding the death of three-year-old Mohamed Ibthihaal last week.

Committee member Rozaina Adam said that the committee first received documents and reports from the state institutions regarding the case when arriving at today’s sitting.

“The reports were not emailed to committee members before the sitting,” said Rozaina. “We had to read them while at the committee so we did not have adequate time to map out a course of action according to the contents of the documents”.

The Maldivian Democratic Party MP noted that the report sent by the police did not include any information relating to Ibthihaal before his death, only detailing the actions by the service afterwards.

“We have no choice but to ask representatives from police to come and clarify the information to the committee,” she said.

Local authorities and the police and gender ministry were both aware of the abuse prior to the child’s death, the island council has revealed, though the government has assured that Ibthihaal was in a safe environment when officials last visited the island.

However, Rozaina noted today that the Ministry of Law and Gender has no documents to substantiate these claims.

“The gender ministry says they handed the child over to a relative, but they have no records of doing so and the relative denies having been handed over guardianship. There are documents and forms that need to be filled if gender assigns guardianship of a child to another person,” said the Addu-Meedhoo MP.

Closed committee

Rozaina also accused pro-government MPs of hampering the investigation, stating they “do not want to reveal any information that might find the government guilty of negligence”.

She also accused committee chair Riyaz Rasheed of conducting today’s sitting in violation of the Majlis’ rules of procedure by refusing to allow members of the press to witness proceedings.

Responding to these claims, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Riyaz said that neither a motion to hold a closed door session nor an open one was proposed by any member, with the meeting adjourned before any such deliberations were made.

“At first I did not let media personnel inside the meeting room as some of the institutions requested their reports and documents be kept confidential, and before any committee member proposed to hold a closed door meeting or an open one, I ended the committee as most members requested further time to analyse the documents,” Riyaz stated.

The Vilifushi MP also said that the committee members would receive until next week to analyse the documents, after which he would schedule a sitting to proceed with the issue further.

Documents regarding Ibthihaal were requested from Rakeedhoo Island Council, the Maldives Police Services, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, the Ministry of Law and Gender, and the Family Protection Unit.

Multiple investigations into potential state negligence have begun after the authorities’ prior knowledge of the abuse became apparent.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old mother of the child, Afiya Mohamed, was arrested in the afternoon hours of January 30, with media reporting that Rakeedhoo Magistrates Court had remanded her for 15 days.

Ibthihaal’s two siblings are currently in the care of family members, local authorities have said.


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Nasheed’s request for halt to Hulhumalé court appointments denied

The High Court has ruled that there are no legal grounds under which a stay order can be granted against the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) regarding the appointment of judges to the Hulhumalé Magistrates Court.

The order was requested by former president and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader Mohamed Nasheed during Tuesday’s (February 3) hearing into his case against the JSC over the legality of the appointment process.

Hassan Latheef, a member of Nasheed’s legal team, told Minivan News that the High Court gave its decision with no further explanation or reasoning.

“It just said that the court finds no legal ground on which such an order can be granted,” said Latheef.

Further, he revealed that representatives of Nasheed have been asked to attend the High Court to sign the statements given in relation to the case challenging the legality of the Hulhumalé Magistrates Court bench,

The case was first raised in 2012, and challenges the legality of the bench assembled to try the opposition leader for the detention of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed during his presidency.

Meanwhile, Tuesday’s hearing saw presiding judges ask Nasheed’s representatives to submit the request for a stay order in writing despite their insistence that the court allow the request to be presented orally.

Nasheed lawyer Hisaan Hussain commented while speaking to the press after the hearing that the court must provide opportunities for the points to be presented orally, facilitating the illustration of connections between laws and facts of the case.

Expressing discontent over the time limits placed by the presiding judge and the refusal to allow the points to be raised in court, Hisaan said: “If the court is not providing enough time to orally present the case in detail, both parties involved can send the relevant documents to court and the court can deliberate on the matter”.

Responding to the request during Tuesday’s trial, JSC lawyer Hussain Ibrahim said he was unable to respond as he was not aware the process of appointing new judges to the Hulhumalé Magistrates Court bench was underway.

Nasheed and the MDP have suggested the case is being rushed through after a near two-year delay in order to conduct his trial before the introduction of the new Penal Code in April, which they argue does not include the offence under which he is being charged.

Hearings will resume next week.


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Opposition questions PG’s independence as Gasim comments investigated

The Jumhooree Party (JP) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have questioned the independence of Prosecutor General (PG) Muhthaz Muhsin.

Speaking at a joint press conference today, JP Deputy Leader and former transport minister Ameen Ibrahim said that Muhsin had become “someone who just rings a bell when a certain party asks him to”.

Muthuthaz told media outlets yesterday that his office was looking into comments made by JP leader Gasim Ibrahim regarding the recently resumed hearings in the MDP leader Mohamed Nasheed’s case against the assembly of the Hulhumalé Magistrate’s Court bench.

The conclusion of the High Court case – stalled since April 2013 – would clear the way for Nasheed to be tried for the 2012 detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

Speaking at press conference at JP’s headquarters in Maafannnu Kunooz last night, Gasim called upon the PG to retract the case against the former president, saying he had already been punished for the judge’s detention by choosing to step down after being given a public ultimatum of releasing the judge or resigning.

The PG swiftly responded by saying that Gasim, as an individual citizen, could not ask for the retraction of a criminal case, accusing him of going against the spirit of the Constitution.

“Gasim is saying that the public offered Nasheed an ultimatum to resign or release Judge Abdullah. However, it is illogical that Gasim is saying that by resigning Nasheed has been punished for arresting the judge,” Muhsin told Haveeru.

“Are we to believe that if the police commissioner resigned tomorrow after illegally arresting a lot of people, that he has been punished?” he asked.

He further criticised Gasim, saying that he would not have a problem if the argument had been made from an academic background: “However, I am not aware that Gasim has the academic background, I see the talk as political.”

Gasim’s legal opposition to the first round results of the 2013 presidential elections – praised by international observers – led to their eventual annulment, before his endorsement of Abdulla Yameen brought the Progressive Party of Maldives’ candidate’s victory.

Muhsin was appointed in July last year, more than six months after the previous post-holder Ahmed Muizzu resigned shortly before parliament was set to debate an MDP-initiated no-confidence motion against him.

Muizzu was criticised by the MDP for failing to take action against mutinying police and military officers, who Nasheed has alleged caused him to resign under duress on February 7, 2012.

Speaking at today’s press conference, MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed condemned the remarks made by Muhsin, pointing out that Gasim was the biggest businessman in the Maldives who has set up one of the few higher educational institutions.

Meanwhile, a press statement released by Nasheed’s lawyers today noted that freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed in Article 27 of the Constitution, as long as it does not go against the tenets of Islam.

“We urge the prosecutor general to not take any action against the Constitution, by taking action against honorable Gasim Ibrahim expressing his opinion under rights guaranteed in Article 27 of the Constitution,” read the statement.

The MDP-JP alliance to defend the Constitution began with MDP pledges to defend the Maamigili MP from attacks on his person and business.

Minivan News was unable to obtain a response from the PG’s Office regarding the matter at the time of publication.


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