Parliament Speaker and the main-ruling MDP's presidential primary candidate, Mohamed Nasheed, has urged all MDP members to discourage the culture of praising leaders by voting for him in the party's upcoming election. Nasheed made the appeal while speaking at a campaign rally in Dhaalu Meedhoo on Saturday.
Nasheed will go head to head against President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in MDP's presidential primary slated for January 28. Both candidates have launched their campaigns, which are now in full swing.
Speaking at the Meedhoo rally, Nasheed likened the current government to the government of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, who ruled the country for 30 years. He said that similar to Maumoon's government, where things were easily achieved through praising the government, the current government followed undemocratic principles. It is high time that the people stopped bootlicking government officials to land jobs and employment, he said.
'"Maumoon"-ey characteristics are being re-introduced among us once again. Some people are starting to believe that the islands can be developed by camping outside ministers' houses, buying them fish, shopping for them and even their roofs," said Nasheed, criticizing the way President Solih is running the government.
Nasheed said he is contesting the presidential primary because he was worried about losing the changes and principles brought about by the MDP. He also expressed concern that the MDP's ideology was becoming muddled up with other ideologies.
Nasheed said the MDP has always advocated determining the peoples' needs and fulfilling them. Therefore, one does not need to approach a government official to get something done, and such practices are against MDP's democratic principles, he said.
President Nasheed also asked the people to refrain from voting based on a job opportunity offered by a government company. He also criticized the current government for being "slow".
