President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has strongly "reacted" to the remarks of his rival candidate President Mohamed Nasheed at his first MDP primary campaign rally held on Wednesday night.
Nasheed, against whom President Solih would go head to head in the main-ruling MDP's presidential primary later this month, has been heavily criticizing President Solih in his campaign. Nasheed has said he was confident that President Solih would lose the primary.
In President Solih's first rally held last night, the current MDP leader said he won the 2018 Presidential Election in one round and had served five years in the Parliament before that, with the support of the people.
"I am facing [the election] with experience. I have won six elections by the people's vote. I won the presidential election after serving five terms in Parliament. The formula for winning the people's vote is very clear to me," he said, indirectly responding to Nasheed without mentioning his name.
President Solih said Nasheed received 25 percent of the vote in the first round of the 2008 presidential election and formed a coalition to win the second round but was unable to maintain the coalition for longer than two months. President Solih suggested that Nasheed received 48 percent of the vote in the first round of the 2013 Presidential Election but failed in the second round because he did not know how to get along with people. He said he won both the 2018 presidential primary and the presidential election by a large margin and that it was a fact that cannot be denied.
Indirectly referring to Nasheed's claim that he builds flats for the people while President Solih has thus far failed to build any flats during the current term, President Solih said the statements were untrue and that Nasheed was well aware of the government's housing policy. While the housing issue is one of the biggest challenges faced by the people of Male' city, 5,000 land plots will be allocated for the people of the city within the current term, he said.
"I will not do it like how the people of Kurendhoo island were promised 1,000 plots from the sea", he said, referring to Nasheed's earlier suggestion of issuing land to Kurendhoo residents and indirectly linking the suggestion to Nasheed's claim that the plots President Solih planned to issue "were still part of the sea".
President Solih said the construction of 8,882 flats in the Male' area is underway, with an additional 16,000 flats being constructed in different parts of the country. Noting that no government has been successful in completing flats and moving in residents before the end of the term, President Solih said residents would move into some of the flats being built by this government during the current term.
The president also spoke about Nasheed's claim that he had assured fair prices for local fishers during his term as president back in 2008. The President said he could buy fish from fishermen ahead of the presidential election for MVR 26 per kg, as Nasheed did in 2008. However, when a kilo of fish was bought at MVR 26 then, the President said a loss of $290 was incurred per tonne.
Responding to Nasheed's claim that fishermen would get fair prices for their fish by exporting various fish products instead of exporting raw fish, President Solih said the 50-tonne capacity at the Felivaru fish factory was reduced to 15 tonnes after Nasheed came to power.
The high duty on Maldivian fish and fish products exported to the UK and Europe is the biggest challenge facing the government's efforts to provide fair prices to fishermen. Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid has been working to resolve the issue throughout the current term.
Last month, Nasheed announced that duties would be cut on fish imported from Maldives to the UK within the next two months. Referring to President Nasheed's remarks on the matter at Wednesday's rally, President Solih accused him of trying to take credit for the current government's work. He said the upcoming change was the result of the work done by Minister Shahid.
President Nasheed has been claiming to have built water and sewerage in many islands during his rule. At Wednesday's rally, President Solih refuted the claim and said President Nasheed's government signed only one project to establish water systems and that the system was established on one island only. Sewerage projects of only eight islands were signed during Nasheed's rule, he added.
"Since we came to power in 2018, the work of establishing water and sewerage systems in 141 islands is underway," the president said.
President Solih also indirectly ridiculed President Nasheed, hinting at Nasheed's resignation three years after being elected to a five-year term. Solih said he became president to rule for the full term rather than for part of it. He said he would rule by listening to the people's voices and ensuring they get their rights.
