Parliament Speaker and President of the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Nasheed, has likened President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government to a "communist" government.
In a special interview given to "Dhivehi Channel" on Tuesday, Nasheed, who is contesting against President Solih in MDP's upcoming Presidential Primary, said the current government's policies are "communist policies" and that it did not follow MDP's policies. Such policies of the government are unacceptable, he said.
Communism is a type of government as well as an economic system where the government or whole community controls everything instead of individuals.
Nasheed said President Solih's vision is "transitional politics," and believes that he can win the upcoming presidential election by selling the MDP and its policies even if no coalition is formed.
"That's what President Solih hopes. His relevance. But I can see the popularity of the MDP increasing. After every election, the philosophy spreads- the people are now ready to move forward with a party that proposes good policies," Nasheed said.
Nasheed has also responded to President Solih's statement that he has always supported the presidential system. He said that if President Solih supports the presidential system, it is a lie.
President Nasheed said that all the statements made by President Solih since entering the political arena show his views. Thus, President Solih's statement that he supports the presidential system is definitely false, Nasheed said.
"Look at his words, what he has said since he entered politics. He is definitely speaking a lie," Nasheed said.
Nasheed added that a transparent government could be achieved by changing the current presidential government system to a parliamentary system. He said he would continue to advocate for a system change.
"A prime minister comes to parliament every week, and members can question him. Debates are held, and people can see what is happening in a transparent manner - a parliamentary system is how we can govern the country in such a way," Nasheed said.
Nasheed also criticized the ruling coalition partner, Adhaalath Party, in the interview. He said an Adhaalath Party member, who is very well versed in the science of Hadith, was a high-ranking member of the President's Office. However, using hadith knowledge for economic and management matters is not appropriate, he said.
Nasheed is believed to have aimed his criticism at the President's Office's Chief of Staff, Ali Zahir. Ali Zahir is a member of the Adhaalath Party.
