Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has said the best governance system is the parliamentary system and that it is the only reform that he can agree upon with former President Mohamed Nasheed.
Nasheed has been working hard to change the Maldives' current presidential government system to a parliamentary system.
Speaking at a press conference held Thursday night, Yameen said that although he agrees with Nasheed that the Parliamentary system is the best choice, he disagrees with Nasheed's policies and does not believe them to be the best policies.
Yameen said that although the parliamentary system is the best system of government, it does not suit a small country like the Maldives. There are many problems with the system, and the government's strategies are essential for a small country like the Maldives, he said. Therefore, he would not support the transition to a parliamentary system, he said.
Yameen went on to state that although Nasheed tries to introduce a parliamentary system, his idea of democracy does not fit an Islamic environment. The democracy practiced in the Maldives should conform to Islamic rules, he said.
"...There are big fundamental issues - President Nasheed's views are very different from ours. So, I don't believe our views align. So if our ideologies do not align, I do not see a circumstance where both sides will work together," he said.
Yameen has said that there should be moral standards and rules in society. He pointed out that a parliamentary system includes factors that are not permissible for Islamic countries. However, he does not disagree with Nasheed's ideology on matters such as freedom of expression, public interest, and freedom of the press, he said.
When asked by a journalist if Yameen and Nasheed would work together, Yameen mentioned a statement once made by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom regarding Nasheed.
“What did President Maumoon say? That you will never see a day where he works with President Nasheed,” he said.
Yameen said such decisions are not made by him alone. He said he did not expect his PPP/PNC coalition to work with Nasheed or President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Therefore, it is unlikely that he would work with Nasheed, he said.
This is the first time that Yameen has so openly said that he supports the parliamentary system. Although he had said so in an earlier interview, he did not give much details at the time.
