The minister of economic development and two MPs have left the Jumhooree Party (JP) to join the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
Cabinet member Mohamed Saeed was joined by Milandhoo MP Hassan Mufeed Abdul Qadir and Nolhivaram MP Hussain Areef.
The three members confirmed the switch at a function held at Muleeaage in the presence of President Abdulla Yameen, PPM leader and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and the party’s deputy leader Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.
“I don’t think anyone would want to be stuck in a political dispute for five years of their lives, no citizen would want that, and i can see that President Yameen’s government developing the Maldives,” Saeed said.
After signing for the party, Saeed said he had joined the PPM to make use of the opportunity to develop the nation in the coming five years through Yameen’s government, assuring that he was not pressured by the government to sign.
He added that he has also not received any pressure from the JP to stay with them.
The election coalition between the PPM and JP crumbled late last month after both parties decided to field candidates for the position of the Majlis speaker.
President Yameen subsequently moved against political appointees representing the JP in the government, while the parties continue to dispute the alleged breach of the initial coalition agreement.
Earlier this month, Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim also transferred from the JP to the PPM. The only remaining JP minister in the cabinet is Home Minister Umar Naseer, currently the subject of disobedience to order charges in the Criminal Court.
MP Mufeed last night said he joined PPM upon requests from many of his constituents.
“The message [constituents] are giving to me right now, through phone calls and other means is; ‘we want your service in your term to be carried out in collaboration with the ruling party’. So, since i was elected by their votes, in response to their requests I also wanted to join the ruling party’,” Mufeed explained his decision to switch parties.
Nolhivaram MP Areef said that he had switched parties because he was confident that joining the ruling party would speed up development and assistance for his constituency.
Speaking at yesterday’s ceremony, however, President Abdulla Yameen affirmed that his government would continue to provide services for everyone regardless of their MP’s affiliation, though he noted that development would slow without a Majlis majority.
“In obtaining loans to acquire funds for the state, regardless of how low the [interest] rates are, we have to go to the Majlis [for approval],” said the president.
“So when we have a clear majority in the People’s Majlis, when we have such conveniences to serve the people,we can pass [the loans] from the Majlis Finance Committee, and also it would be easier to pass motions on the Majlis floor as well.”
With this latest transfer of MPs, the PPM has 40 representatives in the 85 member People’s Majlis. Earlier four of the five independently elected MPs, as well as opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Musthafa, also switched to the president’s party.
With these developments, the current parliament composition consists of 25 MDP seats, 40 PPM seats, 5 seats for the Maldives Development Alliance, one for the Adhaalath Party, and 13 seats held by the JP.
Madaveli MP Muaz Mohamed Rasheed remains the only independent member of the Majlis.
This gives the ruling Progressive Coalition a clear majority of forty five with coalition member MDA’s five seats. Adhaalath Party which was excluded from the coalition’s seat allocation plan for the parliamentary elections also considers itself to be part of the coalition, but PPM has confirmed that no coalition agreement has ever existed between the two parties.
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Adhaalath Party is the scourge of this country. Let these uncivilized barbarians go back to Saudi Arabia. Their Salafi brand of Islam is killing whatever modicum of liberty we have had, starting with the subjugation of women:
Phase 1: Getting all women to wear the hijab;
Phase 2: Getting all women to wear black;
Phase 3: Getting all women to wear the full buruga and getting them confined to their homes.
Phase 1 has nearly been completed and Phases 2 and 3 are under way. The tools: harassment and intimidation of women until they willingly submit to this slavery (aka FREEDOM
).
They will not stop until they have taken us back 1400 years to the cave and made us all barbarians.
It is sad how the MDP has knowingly aided and abetted this agenda.
Pyranhas, moving to the smell of blood.
Q, you are not needed at this moment in time. There is more money and fame on the other side of the fence now.
What you can do now, is get more money, and prepare to spend a few more millions. Let us know when you have another $20million on the bribery account.
We will comeback to collect the money from you, again, in a heartbeat. And then dump you again.
Question for Saeed is if he's confident about Yameen, why he didn't join PPM in the first place? He is in the position of Minister because he was selected from JP for a JP slot and today he turns his back on them because PPM is powerful enough to bully everyone else in the Coalition. If he really wants to develop the nation he would stay in JP to make the the ruling party accountable, instead of giving more power to PPM. Same for the two MPs. It would also be interesting to note from the number of people in these MPs constituency who voted for them, how many called them and told them to join PPM 😉 So if the constituents called them and asked them to join MDP, would they do that too? or better still resign?! Lol
There politicions and there there are wanna-bee s.
Its very clear that no one takes JP serioulsy, including JP members.
Why can't we say it aloud - JP stands for Jokers Party.
Maldivians should be aware that there are real idots among them holding massive wealth and power, yet without character.
Unfortunately such people display themselves as examples to young generation. More than anything Maldives is destoyed by such people by creating polotical set up, business set up and charities - all for personal ego.
Be aware..
Take some time to listen to what this president has to say, as well as see how he lives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hteGnL-8SeU&feature=youtu.be
Sad to see what money is doing to this country. No politician from either party is loyal to anything else but money and his or her own pocket.
Democracy?.....well, you have a loooong way to go Maldives and Maldivians if that is what you want.
But as things are going now - that is in the future, not the present.
Currently, all power goes to one small click of people - and thats AGAINST what the majority of Maldivians voted for.
Sad.... 🙁