President of Maldives Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Tuesday identified party floor-crossing among the top acts of treason towards a country and its people.
The Maldives head of state declared that the members found 'guilty' of floor-crossing do not deserve forgiveness.
While addressing the public of Raa atoll Meedhoo, president Yameen said that over the past five years, under his first presidential administration, one of the biggest acts of treason was a dozen lawmakers defecting to opposition.
Heavily lambasting the dozen defecting lawmakers, president Yameen said they have forsaken their duties towards the very people who elected them; as they gained their parliament seats promoting the ideologies of the party they have decided to walk out of.
President Abdulla Yameen explained the government and state's decision to implement the anti-defection law was to prevent lawmakers from 'betraying' their constituents by choosing to switch sides when they originally promoted a different political ideology in order to acquire their seats.
"The Maldivian public knows they [deposed lawmakers] are no longer credible," president Yameen noted.
President Yameen is currently visiting the islands of Raa and Noonu atolls as part of presidential campaign.
