MP for Shaviyani atoll Milandhoo constituency, Ali Riza, has alleged that President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s recent trip to eight islands of Shaviyani Atoll was a trip not to meet the people but merely carried the “agenda” of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s party Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) for the next presidential elections.
“Waheed, knowingly or unknowingly, is carrying out PPM’s mandate for the next presidential elections,” alleged Riza.
Riza stated that around 200 to 300 hundred police had been deployed in the islands during Waheed’s tour.
“For instance, Feevah in Shaviyani Atoll has a population of around 960 people and were 200 police officers deployed there. Some of them came with Waheed while others had been already sent prior to the visit,” Riza said.
Riza said that police had blocked the protesters while the president was on the islands, claiming they had “caged the protesters” during Waheed’s visit.
Riza also claimed that police had entered one of the houses in Feevah without a court warrant where the protesters had been protesting, and tried to “tape” a protester.
He also said that one of the protesters was hand cuffed when the protests began to heat up, however Dr Waheed’s Press Secretary Massood Imad denied the allegation.
MP Riza questioned why the president during his visit to the atoll did not visit the island of Milandhoo, which is the island with the highest population in the atoll and a stronghold support base of former president Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
“Waheed roamed throughout the atoll but why didn’t he visit Milandhoo, the largest populated island?” questioned Riza.
“It is clear that because he did not visited Milandhoo that this was a political trip to see how much support he has. I think this trip is to get better pictures of him. The pictures that went out to the media during his visit to Addu were not very pleasant so this might be an attempt to show off his popularity,” suggested Riza.
Riza also alleged that Waheed was not actually running the government, and was acting “like a puppet” of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom.
“Waheed is just the face of this government. Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is running the government the way he wishes,” Riza alleged.
Riza also denied Waheed’s claims that former president Nasheed had done little to fulfil his presidential pledges in the atoll.
“Nasheed during his tenure provided the island of Funadhoo with a 250 KW generator to resolve the electricity failures that the island was facing. The renovation of Funadhoo harbour was started during his term. The sewerage system had been completed.”
“Harbour developments in Noomaraa, Narudhoo and Komandoo have been initiated and some of them were handed over to Works Corporation while the others have been contracted,” Riza said
However, Press Secretary Imad brushed off the allegations saying that President Waheed’s visit was solely to observe the development projects going on in the islands.
Imad admitted there were protesters but said the government welcomed their protests.
“There were protesters, and we do welcome peaceful protests. There was no issue about it,” he said.
“I think they were the same people going to all the islands to protests. I saw the similar faces in different islands,” he claimed.
Imad also gave the justification for not visiting the island of Milandhoo, stating that the government had time constraints. “We were on a very busy and tight schedule. We couldn’t visit Milandhoo because of that and not for a political reason.”
However, Imad reiterated that president Waheed would visit Milandhoo “very soo”n.
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