Parliament Speaker and President of the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Nasheed, has said it is concerning that governments destroy work done by previous governments.
Nasheed, who will go head to head with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in MDP's presidential primary slated for Saturday, made the statement while meeting with Male' youth in Male' Lonuiyaaraiy Park.
During the meeting, Nasheed was asked if he believed that the closure of the New Port restaurant was acceptable.
In his response, Nasheed said the development of New Port was carried out by the previous government. Just because a project was carried out by a former government did not mean it had to be destroyed or remain unused, said Nasheed.
"I just came back from Addu City. A very beautiful convention center has been converted into a hospital. A hospital has completely different requirements," Nasheed said.
Such moves stem from old-fashioned thinking and should be avoided, said Nasheed. He described such thinking as an obstacle to development and said it would be detrimental to the country.
President Nasheed said he often sees such scenes when he visits places. He noted that housing projects he began in Kulhudhuffushi and some other islands during his 2008 rule were stopped by his successor, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, and left the building sites to deteriorate. It was the current government that continued and completed the project two or three years into the term, he said.
"I think it is necessary to give continuity to work being done. Whether it is New Port or any other place, there are many details," Nasheed said.
