Ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s secretary general Dr Abdulla Khaleel has alleged that former president Mohamed Nasheed is seeking for funds from India to oust incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and assume power.
In response to the former president’s warning to terminate all Chinese projects in the Maldives, Khaleel took to twitter and stated that terminating all projects with China would devastate the country's economy.
“The opposition’s wish to terminate all Chinese projects if it comes to power will be an unfavourable decision that will lead to bring the entire economy to a halt. Nasheed criticizing the Chinese projects is an attempt to gain favour and funds from India in the effort to oust president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and assume power” said PPM secretary general.
He also noted that investing in Maldives’ projects is open to China, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other countries, adding that the former president is gaining India’s disapprobation towards all Maldivians.
Nasheed was jailed on terror charges after he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison over the arbitrary detention of a sitting judge while he was president.
He now lives in self imposed exile in the UK after he was allowed to leave to Britain on medical leave in an internationally brokered deal in January last year.
Maldives has been ravaged by fresh political strife after Nasheed managed to rally all opposition leaders including arch nemesis, former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to pen a historic treaty to work against the government.
Nasheed had recently spoke to the Indian Express newspaper from neighbouring Sri Lanka, stating president Yameen’s extensive relations with China was a threat to the whole region.
Since president Yameen won the 2013 presidential elections, the country has overlooked India with China funding major infrastructure development in the Maldives.
Nasheed alleged that Yameen had allotted 16 islands to the Chinese that straddle key navigation sea-lanes, and was in talks with Saudi Arabia to give it an atoll.
“Maldives occupies an 800-km geographical expanse from north to south and covers all navigable parts of the Indian Ocean. China has been given several strategically located islands by Yameen to carry out construction projects,” he said.
Nasheed insisted he would terminate these projects if the joint opposition came to power after the next year’s elections.
He admitted that Maldives was in danger of becoming another Sri Lanka, referring to the huge loans that Colombo is having to pay back to China after former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse invited Beijing to build several projects, including an airport and parts of Colombo port and a city.
PPM secretary general Dr Abdulla Khaleel | AVAS FILE PHOTO --
