Tag: maldives

Nasheed warns of PPM, Supreme Court collusion to subvert elections

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has warned of collusion between the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and the Supreme Court to subvert local council elections scheduled for January 18.

“We clearly know political party leaders are bribing judges,” said Nasheed, stating that the Supreme Court’s attempt to “destroy the Maldives” will be written in history.

The PPM and 295 independent candidates have failed to approve the voter registry, casting doubt on the possibility of elections being held on Saturday.

In October 2013, the Maldives Police Service obstructed presidential polls at the eleventh hour after the PPM and its coalition partner Jumhooree Party (JP) refused to sign voter lists.

Speaking to supporters at a rally held in Malé on Monday night, Nasheed said the PPM intended to delay elections until the party was able to change the names on the voter registry.

Candidate signature on the voter registry was mandated by the Supreme Court in a 16-point electoral guideline in its verdict annulling the first round of presidential polls held in September last year. The Supreme Court also ordered the Election Commission (EC) to discard their registry and compile a registry based on the Home Ministry’s Department of National Registration’s (DNR) database.

The EC has described the guidelines as “restrictions” that limit the power of the independent state institution.

“With the Supreme Court’s order on the Election Commission to use the DNR list, we are once again seeing PPM and Jumhooree Party attempting to subvert this election against the wishes of the Maldivian citizenry,” Nasheed said.

The MDP did not have time in October to analyse the DNR list, but have now noticed 12,000 non-existent voters on the voter registry, Nasheed said.

“The Election Commissioner has said 5000 individuals without a recorded photo had voted [in presidential polls]. If there had been photos, it would be clear that one individual possessed two different ID cards,” he alleged.

“I am ready to say whatever I must say today”: Nasheed

The PPM and JP are once again preparing for “the same crime” while the Supreme Court is preparing “to once again steal elections,” he continued.

Nasheed accused the ruling coalition of bribing the Supreme Court judges and bribing MPs to keep disgraced Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed on the bench.

In 2013, a series of tapes which appear to show Hameed having sex with three different foreign women in a Colombo hotel room were leaked on social media. The judicial oversight body Judicial Services Commission (JSC) has failed to take any action regarding Hameed.

“We know political party leaders are bearing the expenses of educating the children of Supreme Court judges. We know they buy land for judges. And we know they send judges on leisure trips to Ceylon [Sri Lanka] and buy them various types of pleasures,” Nasheed said.

He called on the public not to let the Supreme Court manage elections.

“Elections must be organised by the Elections Commission. The Chief Justice and the Supreme Court cannot direct elections. The Chief Justice is in charge of the effort to steal our vote,” he said.

Before his appointment in 2010, Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz had repeatedly expressed concern over bribery of judges, Nasheed said.

“I told Faiz I was appointing him as Chief Justice to stop this [bribery]. Today, Faiz is subverting norms in the Maldives and allowing judges to be bribed. If we do not speak out in fear, there is no greater crime,” he said.

If the public refused to speak out against the Supreme Court’s actions for fear of sentences today, they are likely to receive greater sentences tomorrow, Nasheed continued.

“If we leave our country to these judges, because we are tired or because we do not want to go to jail or because we do not want to bear any other trouble and if we step back, I believe it will be very difficult to obtain the development we desire and to save the Maldives,” he said.

“I am ready to say whatever I must say today,” he continued.

Local criticism of the court’s involvment in the presidential elections was met with a series of contempt of court charges against MDP MPs, its legal representatives, whilst charges have been filed against the MDP-aligned Raajje TV station in relation to a news reports criticising the bench.

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Q&A: MP Mohamed ‘Shippe’ Shifaz – Baarah constituency

In a series of interviews to lead into the the 2014 parliamentary elections – scheduled for March 22nd – Minivan News will be conducting interviews with incumbent MPs.

All 77 sitting members have been contacted, from across the political spectrum, to be asked a standardised set of questions with additional topicals. The interviews will be published as and when they are received.

As part of the series, Minivan News interviewed MP Mohamed ‘Shippe’ Shifaz.

MP Shifaz represents the Baarah constituency in Haa Alif Atoll, and is a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Daniel Bosley: What made you enter the political arena and how?

Mohamed Shifaz: In my constituency there are about four islands – during Gayoom’s regime there was no development in my area, there was no sewerage, no proper education, there was no harbour, there was nothing. That’s what most of the people are demanding for – their needs. But during our previous term, we didn’t provide these things – in our government, the MDP government.

DB: Based on your attendance and work in this ending term, how would you judge your performance as an MP?

MS: Very few sessions missed – my attendance is good. Also I am working in the parliamentary group – I am also one of the top level. So, I can be there. I think my constituents like me. There are not questions about my performance in parliament.

DB: What are the main committees you were acting on? What particular bills did you focus on?

MS: The General Committee and also the Government Responsibility Committee. [I worked on] freedom of media, and right to information and also the establishment of the broadcasting corporation.

DB: What would you say are the biggest achievements within your term; in terms of what you have accomplished for your constituency and the country as a whole?

MS: I think the achievement is we are establishing a new system – our democracy is very young, and also our parliament is very young, MPs also young. I believe the achievement is to change from dictatorship to democracy and also we got a lot to the people. Now they have the right to a demonstration, they have the right to media, the have many rights through the parliament, through the MDP government. So they are out achievements for the people.

DB: What would you say is the biggest mistake or worst step you have taken in your career? Why?

MS: Most of our parliamentary group MPs they have personal events, so in my career also there was something, but I think it’s not an issue. It is through the blackmailing from these coup government peoples.

DB: Are you taking the optional committee allowance of an additional MVR 20,000? Why or why not?

MS: Yeah – I didn’t vote for that.  I’m also taking but I didn’t vote for it. Also my constituents, they don’t have any problems with it – nobody calling. But I didn’t vote for it.

I think, in my constituencies, all these people are demanding for their own development. They are always demanding for proper education, water, sewerage – these things. They don’t care about the committee allowance, because we are spending it all to them. I think it’s separate, in my own view. It’s not a good thing, but we don’t have another choice.

DB: What is your view about parliamentarians and other public servants declaring their financial assets publicly for the electorate to be able to refer to?

MS: I don’t have any business other than this, I’m not doing anything to raise finance. So, I can do everything they need and I show statements and everything. Every year I submit to Majlis so they can collect it from me. I think it’s not a problem also.

DB: Are you re-contesting in the next elections? What do you hope to accomplish should you be elected for a new term?

MS: Yes. I think I can do it. I can do it and my constituents also, they want – because I didn’t fulfil their needs this term. I believe my job is not finished, not done yet. That’s why I need next term.

I am going achieve the water, sewerage, also the harbour, education, health sector. There are major issues, most of the people are jobless – we need to create more jobs. I think my main goal is to achieve that, jobs for them. Also the drug issues, the child abuses – this is also a very serious issue in the constituency, especially the drug issues. Most of our youngsters are the victims of these things.

DB: What improvements do you feel the 18th parliament will need to make to improve as an institution?

MS: From government, we need more support from them. They are favouring their few members – this is not the way I think. We must have these immunities, the privileges. If they want to arrest, they can arrest – anytime. We don’t have any independence to work here. I think this is from government we need support.

DB: What are your thoughts on party switching – do you think it undermines the party system?

MS: I think the party system is the only think we’ve got. Without the party system we couldn’t get anything for the people. The party is very important for the Maldives, these small nations. But I think most people that because of the party system we have some social issues, but after five or ten years everything will be fine.

DB: What do you feel the major issues of concern will be for you constituents over the next five years?

MS: The situation has not changed, several needs they are demanding so I think I am always representing from them. If they don’t want me to do something, I’m sure I will not do that. If they don’t want me to be in parliament, I will not be there.

I think the most important thing is to establish rehabilitation for the youth, I mean for drug victims. Next five years, my target is to establish a rehabilitation centre in my constituency for the drug victims.

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Funds stolen from Naifaru mosque

Naifaru Island Council President Mahmood Abdul Hameed has stated that a fund box in Masjid-ul-Taqwa in the island had been damaged on Tuesday night, and all the fund money in it has been stolen.

Stating that the robbery has now been reported to the police, Hameed said that the amount of money in the box is not known.

“It is a fund box fixed onto a wall in the mosque. What we get from it is used to repair the mosque and for other needs of the mosque. Every 15 days, the council office retrieves the money deposited in it,” Mahmood told local media.

Mahmood further said that all three mosques in the island had fund boxes in it, and that the other two boxes had also been tampered with, but that the thieves had not been successful in the other two attempts which occurred on the same night.

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President appoints Ambassador at Large

President Abdulla Yameen has appointed Abdulla Hameed as Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Abdulla Hameed – who was previously serving as Honorary Consul of the Maldives in Seychelles – was appointed to his position on January 9, after 17 years of working in the Foreign Ministry.

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Two people arrested for engaging in illicit sexual acts

Police have arrested two persons on Tuesday night for engaging in illicit sexual activity.

Stating that they had raided Dream Relax Guesthouse in response to intelligence reports, police announced that they had caught the two persons while they were engaged in sexual activity.

The persons arrested are a 20 year old woman and a 25 year old man. In addition to catching them in the act, police stated that they had also discovered “additional material used for illicit sexual purposes” from the guesthouse.

The arrest happened ar 21:37pm on Tuesday, and police revealed that the woman was in a state of undress when they raided the guesthouse.

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Q&A: MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa – Kulhuduffushi North constituency

In a series of interviews to lead into the the 2014 parliamentary elections – scheduled for March 22nd – Minivan News will be conducting interviews with incumbent MPs.

All 77 sitting members have been contacted, from across the political spectrum, to be asked a standardised set of questions with additional topicals. The interviews will be published as and when they are received.

As part of the series, Minivan News interviewed MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa.

MP Moosa represents the Kulhuduffushi North constituency and is from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), being originally elected as an independent candidate before signing for the MDP in 2010.

Daniel Bosley: What made you enter the political arena and how?

Abdul Ghafoor Moosa: In my area, in the north, during President [Maumoon Abdul] Gayoom’s regime there was no development at all, so we are joining the politics because we wanted some development of the area.

DB: Based on your attendance and work in this ending term, how would you judge your performance as an MP?

AGM: I have been in attendance at all the sessions and also have performed very well in the parliament, so I am happy about that.

DB: What are the main committees you were acting on? What particular bills did you focus on?

AGM: I have been on the Public Accounts Committee, and also the the Members Privileges Committee.

Members Privileges Committee concerns privileges of the members, the Public Accounts Committee involves the whole finance of the country and also to see what are the problems [and] where the government’s funds will be realised.

DB: What would you say are the biggest achievements within your term; in terms of what you have accomplished for your constituency and the country as a whole?

AGM: During the MDP government, we have gotten the maximum number of projects for Kulhuduffushi – like road construction and sewerage. I have looked after my people very well.

DB: What would you say is the biggest mistake or worst step you have taken in your career? Why?

AGM: In politics? So far, nothing. I don’t have anything for which I feel regret – I never did.

DB: Are you taking the optional committee allowance of an additional MVR 20,000? Why or why not?

AGM: Yes. Because my people aren’t bothered about anything I’m doing regarding the financial status – what I get I will spend to them. So they have no complaints about the salary or allowance whatsoever. There’s no complaints from my people – they never asked me not to take it.

DB: And if they did?

AGM: Then I don’t take it. There never have been any complaints regarding that. What we believe is that we are getting what we deserve. You see like government ministers, they are getting paid MVR62,000 salary, their phone bill, their car, their allowance, driver, fuel, transport – all in all it comes to around MVR180-190,000 per month. Same as court judges.

You see, if you want to go to our area, the airfare plus the transport – everything will cost about MVR6000, plus accommodation and everything. A return trip to my area will cost MVR20,000 – because, a boat cost will be MVR2500 one way, so two-way will be about MVR5000. Plus airfare is about MVR2,500.

DB: What is your view about parliamentarians and other public servants declaring their financial assets publicly for the electorate to be able to refer to?

AGM: At the moment it is there, but there is no system in the country to evaluate it. Because they are asking us to declare our assets, but there is no law – they have no right to materialise any of this legally. So what is the use? There should be a law, because the reason to declare the wealth is so they can see if there is any corruption or anything but even other government authorities don’t have any authority to check my account.

It is good to have it, but the effect is not there – there’s no income tax law here, so how can they verify my income and everything? They cannot say anything I have is illegal unless the income tax and all these things are there. The way they are doing it now – we have to declare how much money is in the account, that is my personal money which was in the account, and how much personal expenses I have, and the amount of shares I have in the company. Nothing more than that – so that is not enough to work on an investigation even.

Very rich people are in the parliament – people that don’t want to declare everything.

DB: Are you contesting in the next elections? What do you hope to accomplish should you be elected for a new term?

AGM: Yes. I have a few things to be done. Still the public health sector is lacking. What we believe is that the north is very much different from the south, and also from Malé. So we need a lot of economic activity to be done there, most important is that Hanimaadhoo airport has to invested in – because we see even Haa Dhaalu has no resort, in Haa Alif we have a few but these resorts they have paid their management four times and they’re not paying to the government or even the staff. It is not actually economically viable for these things without the airport. Airport depends on the jobs – everything. You know, we should have more economic activities, because otherwise people are not surviving there – there’s no things happening there.

So that’s my next hope, to have Hanimaadhoo airport invested in and to had Kulhuduffushi hospital developed. You go anywhere – our hospital they only have oxygen and aspirin. How can they call it a hospital? It is like a medical centre – people have to know these things very well. IGMH and  Kulhuduffushi hospitals should be at the same level. We don’t have any facilities – for everything they have to come to Malé. It is worse that when MDP was in power – there’s no proper doctors, there’s no specialists.

DB: What improvements do you feel the 18th parliament will need to make to improve as an institution?

AGM: We are in a changing process. Still things are not in a proper way. This is the first Majlis, we are sitting in the first Majlis, that has been democratically elected. So, even the government is not fully mature to have a fully democratic system. You see, whenever an authority criticises the government, even whether the the government are MDP or PPM [Progressive Party of Maldives] or whatever, the government takes it personally in the sense like they are not acting on a fact basis – and this is the problem.

They are not happy with the auditor general, they are not happy with the Anti-Corruption Commission, they are not happy with the Civil Service Commission, even the Human Rights Commission. Because the government cannot cope with these things. They always think these people are criticising they are supporting some other party – there’s no issue base. Then they don’t want to give budget to them, they are financially tightening, so many things are happening. So this is the problem we are facing today.

Even the present government is not happy with the auditor general. If there’s something wrong he has to write in the audit report. It’s nothing personal, but the government can’t cope with these things. It was happening in the MDP government also – even now we see the same things repeat.

DB: What are your thoughts on party switching – do you think it undermines the party system?

AGM: Party switching – you see we have 35 or 34 members in MDP – there are few people who was always floor-crossing. Those people are doing it, other than these we don’t have these issues with other members.

It is a problem everywhere in the world, not just in the Maldives. That same problem is continuing here and even you are likely to see in India and Pakistan this is happening.

The problem is here, the system is not working – the people they are changing the party due to some issues like the government is influencing the judiciary to attack the actions against all these and all these and these. Those things are there very much.

DB: What do you feel the major issues of concern will be for your constituents over the next five years?

AGM: As I mentioned, the health sector is very poor and there is no economic activity. Over fifty percent in the north are below the poverty level. Most of the families – maybe five or six members – only one or two persons will be earning the income – which is not more than eight or nine thousand. Still they need economic activity. If they don’t get it, it’s very difficult to survive. We have to cross the poverty level – the only option is that we have more economic activity.

The only option we are left with is the guest house policy. In the north we have very big, very beautiful islands where the locals are living, and in those islands we have ample space. A few islands we have about 5-6km beach. You know, guest house policy can work out there very nicely. But even this government is not preparing for that. That is the only option where they can get a job and be on their own island. When they can’t find a job from their island, there are a lot of other social problems – family will be living there and they will be working here [Malé] for one or two year, they went back home, there are a lot of problems.

People want to get jobs in their own place which we can do easily if the government would just support that. But those things are not happening – you know Hanimaadhoo airport? – this airport has been operating for 25 years, but still to develop it into an international airport the government doesn’t need to spend any money on this. Only thing is they have to give it to a party to do it – they can give one or two islands for that, they can give a 50 year contract for that. Last time when they called for tender, 29 parties submitted their plans but when the government changes they have all been thrown to the dustbin now. We want this airport to be a big-time airport. Tourism is the only option for the time being.

We have huge islands where agriculture can be done, plus aquaculture can also be done, but for the time being even Hanimaadhoo could be developed within one year’s time and we could have a good income there.

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Police examining reports of local celebrities’ misconduct in Sri Lankan nightclub

The Maldives Police Service has confirmed it is looking into allegations of sexual misconduct and consumption of alcohol made against local celebrities by news website “mvyouth”.

In a report recently published on the website,  Mvyouth accused seven local celebrities – actors, dancers, a singer, a fashion designer and a film director – of engaging in illegal activity at a Sri Lankan nightclub.

According to the website, four of their reporters traveled to Sri Lanka to confirm rumors about movie stars who frequently go to “party” there. The report says they followed the celebrities into a night club where they witnessed them getting drunk, dancing and being intimate, and kissing each other and other people at the club.

The Maldives penal code allows prosecution of crimes Maldivian citizens commit abroad. Kissing and sexual intimacy out of wedlock are considered as sexual offenses while consumption of alcohol is a hadd crime in shariah law, which guides the legal system in the country’s inhabited islands.

It also stated that some of the Maldivian group got into a fight, something the report described as “common among Maldivians who frequent nightclubs in Lanka”. While it mentioned several other Maldivians who were at the club, the celebrities remained the focus of the report.

Confirming that they are looking into the matter, police noted that they have not launched an investigation into the matter but will do so if it is required. Speaking to Minivan News, a police media official said that no one had lodged a complaint concerning the issue yet. However, since it has come to their attention they will now be looking in to the matter.

According to the report, mvyouth has evidence to back all its allegations. Confirming this, the website’s editor Musharraf Hassan said Mvyouth is fully prepared to defend themselves in court if they are to face defamation charges.

He said that a lot of Maldivians engage in such activity in Sri Lanka and mvyouth’s intention was to bring this to the attention of public.

“We want to inform the public on what Maldivians are up to when they are abroad. It is not specific to celebrities, a lot of Maldivians do such things”. Musharraf said.

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Comment: Some Conservatives failed over Mandela – others are failing now over climate change

I am a Conservative and an environmentalist – a position, it seems, that is increasingly irreconcilable. Australia’s centre-right administration is busy dismantling a carbon tax. Canada’s Conservative Government has withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol. And, in the United States, the Tea Party is purging Republicans who agree with the 97 per cent of climate scientists who say that human activity is causing global warming.

As a politician (and former president) of the Maldives – one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations – this places me in a quandary. A believer in free markets, small government and globalisation, I feel a natural kinship with the school of thought that brought us Thatcherism and Reaganomics. But the Maldives lies just 1.5 meters above the rising seas. To deny the dangers of climate change is to ignore my country’s greatest national security threat.

I suspect I am not alone in this predicament. As climate change bites, more and more world leaders are forced to grapple with its consequences: fiercer droughts, wildfires, storms and floods. A denialist, Conservative movement has no solutions to offer these countries and therefore risks irrelevancy.

It also leaves Conservatives on the wrong side of history. Over the past few weeks, as the world commemorates Nelson Mandela, an uncomfortable spotlight has been shone on Conservatives who branded the ANC as terrorists in the 1980s. How will today’s crop of Conservative climate refuseniks explain themselves to future generations, in a world made hotter, nasty and poor by global warming?

Strong action today to curb emissions should prevent catastrophic climate change. But if we ignore the issue for another decade, we face a world of soaring temperatures, ferocious storms and a climate out of control. Future generations will hold Conservatives responsible for wrecking the planet.

My party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), owes much to the Conservative movement. They have provided us with ideological inspiration and practical know-how. Britain’s Conservative Party taught the MDP how to campaign – invaluable support in a young democracy like the Maldives. We are also grateful to conservative-run governments, such as Canada’s, who pressured the Maldives to hold recent elections when the country looked like it might slip back into dictatorship. The actions of politicians such as David Cameron, William Hague and John Baird, in support of democracy in a far off land, demonstrate the very best in enlightened leadership. When our movement is capable of exemplary governance, why do so many Conservatives let us down on climate change?

It was not always like this. Teddy Roosevelt founded America’s national park system. Richard Nixon introduced the Clean Air Act and established the Environmental Protection Agency. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan signed the Montreal Protocol to limit CFCs. And George H Bush introduced a cap-and-trade system to curb acid rain. But contemporary politicians fail to uphold one of the founding principles of Conservatism: the duty to conserve. There is nothing Conservative about advocating for the destruction of the climate, and thus all we hold dear. This is not a credible Conservative standpoint: it is reckless and extreme.

Our movement’s pro-fossil fuel advocacy also flies in the face of the free market economics we espouse. The oil, gas and coal industries have benefited from a century of subsidies and tax breaks. So why are we continuing to subsidise highly profitable and polluting fossil fuel firms, while choking off support for clean energy?  We are not supposed to be the fossil fuel industry’s trade union.

Capitalism, free trade and globalisation have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and helped countries, such as my own, graduate from developing to middle income status. We owe a lot to neoclassical economics. But as any economist will tell you, markets sometime fail. The modern economy allows companies to dump dangerous greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere at no cost. The responsible, Conservative approach to this problem is to price and/or regulate these emissions.

Fortunately, this position is starting to find acceptance, even in the unlikeliest quarters. ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, BP and Shell are already planning their future growth on the expectation that governments will impose a price on carbon emissions. If oil companies can accept the inevitability of climate action, why can’t Conservative politicians?

Enough of this antediluvian denialism – it is time for climate conscious Conservatives to speak out. We should ask ourselves what Churchill, Thatcher or Reagan would do. Even in the face of vested interests or powerful opponents, they would not shirk their responsibilities. They would lead the fight to conserve our climate.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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PPM initiates discussions with Adhaalath Party to jointly contest elections

The ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has initiated discussions with coalition partner, the religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP),  to jointly contest in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

While dismissing rumours of having left the government coalition, the AP has announced that it will be contesting in both the parliamentary and local council elections separately from the other coalition members.

The party has further announced that all of its parliamentary candidates will possess educational qualifications to a postgraduate level.

Last week, the AP announced that it had made no agreements regarding working together in the local council and parliamentary elections with the government coalition. Party spokesperson Ali Zahir informed local media that, having worked with the coalition to succeed in the second round of 2013’s presidential elections “without setting any conditions”, the party did not have any subsequent obligation in the upcoming elections.

He said that unlike the other parties in the coalition, the AP was not promised a specific percentage of slots to contest in the upcoming elections. While admitting that the separate candidates could give rise to complications in some constituencies, Zahir claimed that there was no misunderstanding between the party and its coalition members.

“While there were no discussions among the parties’ leadership, in most areas contestants came out after discussion with coalition members in that particular constituency. However, there are some areas in which there might be have been some clashes between who is contesting,” Zahir was quoted as saying.

On Saturday, AP leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla stated that, while the party had held discussions with the Jumhooree Party (JP) about contesting local council elections, no “meaningful or detailed discussions” had been held with the main coalition party PPM.

“When there is less than 24 hours left, and PPM still does not decide on the matter or speak with us about it, and we proceed to separately submit the candidacy form of our contestants, I don’t believe it can be termed as our initiative to separately contest,” Imran said then.

He stated that at an island-level, the parties still worked together, with a view to resolving matters amicably through inter-party deliberations. He too admitted that certain disappointment had arisen in a small number of constituencies regarding those contesting.

Imran asserted that the AP had no issues with coalition members and repeated that he remained steadfast in his belief that the AP had backed PPM in the presidential elections as a crucial sacrifice to protect Islam and the nation.

“Perhaps the PPM is so busy with handling other governing matters within the executive. This might explain their delay in initiating discussions with us,” Imran opined.

PPM initiates discussions with AP

On Monday, the PPM announced that it had commenced discussions with the AP to jointly contest in the parliamentary elections.

“We have started discussions on the matter with Islamic Minister Shaheem and AP President Imran. AP has decided to compile a special team to engage in these discussions. Our intention is to allow opportunities for AP to contest within the coalition with, of course, consideration to other member parties,” PPM Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader Moosa Zameer told local media.

Zameer stated that while an agreement could not be reached in regard to the local council elections – owing to its immensity – he remains positive that a mutual agreement can be reached in relation to the parliamentary elections.

Speaking at a rally in Dhaalu atoll on Sunday, President Abdulla Yameen called on AP to raise national above personal interest.

“Adhaalath Party has now decided to leave the coalition and contest individually in the upcoming elections. However, we must not allow space for disintegration and creation of factions within the coalition as a result of this,” Yameen said then.

He stated that Adhaalath’s decision would lead to votes being split between the coalition parties and would facilitate opposition parties in winning seats.

“Things don’t end just by getting elected to run a government. We come to power to serve the people. For that, it is vital to get the cooperation of councils and the parliament,” Yameen said, adding it will be impossible to reach goals without the support of these institutions.

“Despite coming to government with numerous pledges, it is reasons like this that inhibit a government from fulfilling its promises. This is what citizens must think about. You elected me to accomplish certain things for the citizens. For me to able to complete this, you citizens must ensure that you elect the cooperation that I require, that you give me the empowerment that I need,” Yameen stated.

Yameen called on the AP to extend cooperation to the coalition during the upcoming elections similar to their support during the past presidential elections.

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