There will be no damage to DRP in dismissing those who are determined to weak the party- Thasmeen

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, Leader of the main opposition party, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has said he does not believe that the dismissal of those who are determined to weak the party will cause any damage to the party.

Speaking on MNBC, DRP Leader Thasmeen said that those members who ascribe to the Gayyoom’s faction are hell-bent to weaken the party and its unity, and for discrediting its leadership.

Thasmeen said that the party will take immediate initiatives to prevent those of Gayyom faction from sliding the party into total anarchy and split. He said that the those who rebel against the decisions of the party is now so rife that the leadership cannot take it any longer since it is obstructing the work of the party.

Criticizing Gayyoom’s faction of the party, Thasmeen said that all acts plotted to defame and denigrate the image of the party will do no harm on the party’s work to hold the government accountable.

DRP Leader Thasmeen said that the government leased Male’ International Airport to Indian GMR Infrastructure in a time when the Peoples’ Majlis was working tirelessly to secure state assets. He said that the government signed the lease agreement with the Indian company after the Majlis amended and passed the Finance Act.

Thasmeen said that it was the government who leased Male’ International Airport to GMR Infrastructure. He said that DRP and the Majlis did not play any role in the leasing so there is no motive for GMR to hold secret meetings with him. He asserted that these allegations are just false rumours spread to cause political turbulence.

The DRP Leader highlighted that his party played a major role with other opposition parties to condemn the government’s action to lease the airport to foreign parties. He said that the opposition to this is legally handed over to DRP and other coalition parties including Dhivehi Qaumee party (DQP). He added that DQP is currently in progress with the legal works.

Thasmeen said that the internal factionalism within DRP was created as a crafty attempt to obstruct him from winning the 2013 elections at a time when the party is steadily gaining popularity.

Moreover, Thasmeen said that the slanders against him are made to create suspicion and mistrust among his fellow party members and to weaken the opposition that has been gaining in strength and momentum.

DRP Leader said that the party was fairly united on all fronts and that the actions of founding leader Gayoom are one of the causes that widened the rift within the ranks of the party.

Meanwhile, the news of the fuming internal crisis within DRP has been making headlines in the media for quiet sometime. The anti-Thasmeen movement earlier led by the dismissed DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer, which is now taken over by DRP founding leader Gayoom, has been continuously attempting to expose Thasmeen’s leadership lapses and defame him.

However, against the background of all these mounting challenges and the volatile internal clashes, Thasmeen on his part has been assuring his fellow party members and supporters he will remain firm as Party Leader despite the opposition to oust him. Thasmeen is seen to have the support of other strong politicians such as Speaker Abdulla Shahid.

Though it was Former President, DRP founding Leader Gayoom himself who endorsed Thasmeen to be his successor in party leadership, he later declared that the support for Thasmeen has been lost.