Gayoom accepted “concerning” election results “for the sake of people’s security”

Former President and ‘Honorary Leader’ of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has said that the current government is attempting to erase Islamic education from the Maldives, reports local newspaper Haveeru.

At a rally last night held on Villingili, Haveeru reported Gayoom as saying that citizens “are again in need of a change.”

”I have to say that people are now in need of change. The way things are going now is not the way people want it to be,” said the former President. “Our economy has gone down, respect for the constitution and laws have totally disappeared, violence and assault have become widespread and extreme, thousands of people are unemployed, and the amount of money they earn has decreased,” Haveeru quoted the former president saying.

”The religion of Islam is treated very poorly – you will know the disturbance and troubles caused to the Islamic education centres.”

Gayoom also raised concerns of vote rigging during the Presidential Elections in 2008, and urged people “to have sharp eyes on the Local Council Elections.”

He claimed to have accepted the result of the election “for the sake of people’s security”, Haveeru reported Gayoom as saying.

The former President came out of retirement to campaign for the DRP ahead of the local council elections on February 5.