Fayyaz Ismail, the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Chairman, has said he would not allow the party's former President, Mohamed Nasheed, to break up the party.
Recently, several senior MDP members who support Nasheed chose to leave the party and establish their own political party called The Democrats. Nasheed himself has joined the new party.
During a ceremony last Thursday where Nasheed officially joined The Democrats, he made strong statements threatening to destroy the MDP. He reiterated his intention to break up the party and cautioned his friends within the MDP that they were aligning themselves with the wrong side. Nasheed accused them of sacrificing their beliefs for personal gain, such as jobs or loans.
"Do not compromise your principles for material wealth. You cannot get back your principles from a bank or loan. While you may obtain a loan or accumulate debt from an SME bank, it cannot restore your integrity. An honest life does not come from a bank or loan," Nasheed said.
In response to Nasheed's remarks, Fayyaz sent a message to a messaging group consisting of MDP members. He stated that if the purpose of establishing a political party called The Democrats was to spread hatred, then they could do so. However, their aspiration to destroy the MDP would ultimately fail, he said.
Fayyaz expressed his disappointment with Nasheed's comments and perceived it as a personal issue between Nasheed and the MDP. He characterized President Nasheed's remarks as highly uncivilized.
"I will not allow such a thing to happen. It is something that will not and cannot happen," Fayyaz firmly stated, reaffirming his commitment to preventing MDP's division.
