DRP To Strengthen Ties In The Atolls

The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) says a large part of its budget for 2007 will be spent on strengthening branches of the party in the Atolls.

According to Ibrahim Shaafiu, DRP Registrar, this year’s party budget will be used to help raise awareness in the Atolls of the referendum to decide on a presidential or parliamentary form of government in the country.

Shaafiu went on to say that although the party’s budget had not been finalised, it was near completion.

The DRP’s announcement to pay for government-awareness programmes comes at the same time as the party announces it will begin preparations for the upcoming referendum to determine the future form of government in the Maldives.

Speaking at a DRP rally in Male’ on Sunday, leader of the party and the government, President Gayoom, said his party must ensure victory over the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) during the referendum, which could take place as early as March this year.

The DRP is firmly committed to a presidential style of government and hopes to persuade voters to choose the system.

The MDP is advocating a parliamentary style of government.

According to Information Minister, Mohamed Nasheed, who also spoke at the DRP rally, the party’s parliamentarians unanimously support a presidential system.

Nasheed said the parliamentary group has come up with numerous reasons to support their claim that a presidential system is the best model – the main one being that only a presidential system will ensure fair representation and a meaningful democracy, according to the DRP.

Nasheed also said that in a parliamentary system elections are costly and can sometimes set back a country’s economy by three or four years.

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