Vice President of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Guraidhoo MP, Ghassan Maumoon has stated that those who rule with an iron fist and are unjust towards the country’s citizens will have to face the consequences of their actions. Ghassan made the statement while speaking in front of the police head quarters after 18 people were arrested at an event held by the opposing coalition earlier on Monday evening.
Leader of the opposing Peoples’ National Congress (PNC) Abdul Raheem Abdulla and Deputy President of PPM, Ibrahim Sujau, and former leader of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Mohamed ‘Colonel’ Sujau were among those arrested during Monday’s gathering. They have since been released.
Speaking in front of the main police headquarters, Ghassan said the opposing coalition held a peaceful protest to call for early elections in the name of the country’s citizens and to pressure the relevant government entities. While this is a responsibility that must be carried out by the opposition, it is a great injustice to arrest those who came out to protest by shouldering the responsibility, said Ghassan. The consequences of the government's actions will someday catch up to them, said Ghassan.
PNC’s PG Group Leader and former Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar said the government can no longer delay the local council elections. While the current administration is being maintained with the help of police by an authoritarian regime, Shareef said the police forces remain unhappy to stop the opposition, claimed Adam Shareef Umar.
Deputy President of PPM and Naifaru MP Ahmed Shiyam said the local council elections are being put off because the current government has no assurance that it could win the election. Shiyam said the delays in holding the election has caused many difficulties to a large number of people, and that the rights of the candidates competing in the election have been lost. Many remain without a source of income as their employment is on hold until after the election, said Shiyam. The opposition would not allow for the election to be delayed further, and would not stop protesting the delays on the streets, he added.
“The citizens of this nation believe the current administration can only be made responsible through street protests. Therefore, we have now actively started protest activities. Even if our entire leadership is arrested, the protests cannot be stopped,” said Shiyam.
