The Jumhoree Alliance’s vice-presidential candidate Dr Hassan Saeed has declared the coalition intends a first round victory in September.
The new coalition consists of resort tycoon, media owner and presidential candidate Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoree Party (JP), the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) led by Saeed, and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP).
Prior to the formation of the alliance, both the DQP and AP were part of incumbent President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s ‘Forward with Nation’ coalition.
However, both the DQP and AP left the coalition and joined the Jumhoree Alliance after claiming that family members and foreigners within President Waheed’s campaign team had been making all the decisions.
Shortly after the formation of the alliance Saeed was appointed as Gasim’s running mate.
Along with Waheed and Gasim, former President Mohamed Nasheed and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s Presidential Candidate Abdulla Yameen are also contesting in the upcoming elections.
Speaking during a press conference held on Saturday, Saeed blasted rival candidates for disparaging remarks about Gasim’s wealth, claiming that “it seems getting rich is a crime”.
Instead, Saeed claimed that Maldivians should be proud of Gasim’s “journey to his wealth”.
“But the truth is that [Gasim] arrived to Male’ as an orphaned boy. Gasim is someone who began work with nothing in his hands, but through his hard work he is now the richest man in the country. This is something we should be proud of,” Saeed claimed.
Saeed also contested that, should any of the presidential candidates other than Gasim become president, the Maldives would never see a second tycoon such as Gasim.
However, Saeed claimed that should the Jumhoree Alliance win the race, a future government led by the coalition will give the opportunity for poor people to “become a Gasim”.
“[Wealth] is not something we should be ashamed of. In fact we should be proud [of such an opportunity to become a Gasim]. Our focus is to create multiple ‘Gasims’,” Saeed said.
He added that Gasim is facing criticism from other political parties because he had decided to run for president, and claimed that Gasim was as rich as he was now as when former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom appointed him governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and later as Finance Minister.
“Some presidential candidates begged Gasim Ibrahim to join them. Some wanted him as their running mate. Others wanted him a different way. Today, because he decided not to go behind anybody else, and when it is becoming clear that he will win the elections, suddenly being rich has become a crime,” Saeed said.
“In my view, I think we all should be proud of a poor boy who became the richest man without any fraud or robbing a bank. Shouldn’t we be proud of it?”
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DOCTOR hassan saeed! Gasim certainly does not need to be ashamed of his background. Where we come from is unimportant. What is more important is where we go with what we have.
But your spin doctoring is not going to hide the fact that Gasim is a man with very little integrity. He stands for Islam, but the practical reality is that he abuses its values consistently and openly. He speaks of what is good for the nation, yet he bribes people to get their support giving the message that a nation can only go forward by corruption and dishonesty. He does not pay his workers on time, yet he is prepared to pay millions to achieve political power.
As for you DOCTOR saeed. How believable are you when we see that you change your political ideologies more often than your under pants. Please, refrain from sharing your wisdom;we the uneducated masses have moved on beyond your stupid rhetoric.
Hassan Saeed should take a good look in the mirror and take a mental note of the monkey staring at him. Here's a man who is consumed by his own self importance.
Saeed is an irrelevance, a relic of the past. No one cares about him or what he says. Here are the scores of his last "exam":
Intelligence: mediocre.
Integrity: 0.0
Honesty: 0.0
Team player: 0.0
Political weight: 0.0
Bye bye Saeed.
Do you mean the wealth of his secret partners ?
With Gasim acting the Uncle Scrooge McDuck, in the episode of "running for the presidency", is most unlikely to see what is coming from this ace spinner, Dr. Hassan Saeed!
I am sure many who worked with him in the politics, and very especially, Waheed (who probably got the worst dose of them all), must have tasted the special portions this doctor brew!
@Ahmed Bin Addu Bin Suvadheeb on Sun, 11th Aug 2013 9:24 PM
Heheh!
I always knew there were a lot of monkey men around. But never come across monkey men like Waheed and this guy!
They just cant let go the sweet candy they hold even if they could not eat them. Neither can they let go to be free of the consequent burdens!
Gasim's wealth ???
from what is known his coffers are emty.. his companies are virtually bankrupt and cannot raise an ounce of credit.
His workers dont get paid on time.. other than some of th Philipina ladies who get wages in kind from him and his bearded friends..
his suppliers are not paid ...
if he becomes president he will make sure the treasury provides gurantees or even fund his isnking business...
As for his islamic values .. look at his past... fornication out of wedlock.. the women he and his bearded friends from Adhalath party "consume"at his reorts and overseas.
He is not a tycoon but an ill bread tyrant.. coupled with the Adhalath party they will rape the madlives and flog it likethey od to all the children / females that are being raped and abused.
I the undersign do hereby guarantee the following, for all my brothers and sisters of our country Maldives.
1. Make sure the money goes to help our people and not into my Swiss bank account
2. Improve the living standards of all Maldives, not the ones who I owe
3. Appoint people who will help everyone and not themselves
4. Promise not to improve my comfortable lifestyle on the poor needs
5. Have an open door policy and not a closed door unless you have money
If I do not do, as I say I will stand aside and let someone who can.
Signed by and for the people of Maldives
The President of Maldives
I will sign it next term or unless I change the laws and then I don't have to do anything
It would be a shame is the population fails to understand that electing a monopolizing businessmen who has a deep vested interest in his wealth would create huge antitrust issues among the investors and established business alike.
Unwittingly Hassan saeed does not realize what he is saying. Btw Mr. Burma Gasim wants you to work for him, not for you to establish business so that you can compete with him. perhaps Burma Gasim will come to hold acuity in every single business if he is elected.
wealth from pork and alcohole?
Hassan Saeed has only Pakistani grade 10 standard. Not even O'level.
What the hell is he on about, ashamed to be rich? It's not greed that Maldivians are short of Dr. Saeed.
Besides, if there were multiple Gasim's, there would be NO gasim's, its called INFLATION. REAL PURCHASING POWER decreases even though numbers of dolars in the society increases. And when this happens, the ones who suffer MOST are the poor, because, despite economic theory, wealth only trickles down so far before it actually is designed to trickle back UP. The poor have NO MORE, yet everything is more expensive, the picnch of povertyt becomes agony! YOU can't talk about creating wealth without also creating a way to make sure it is done in a JUST manner unless you are a shallow souless person!
ASA, I am not a citizen of Maldives. I am a Muslim American. I have been in touch with Dr. Hassan Saeed, when he was an attorney general of Malidives. I have found him very educated and enlightened Muslim. He is a man of integrety and vision, though he has been tricked by some other shrude and cunning politicians in the past. I wish him the best of outcome. Peace!