Maldives gov't calls on the opposition to join hands to address economic woes

AFP has reported that the government on Thursday invited the opposition to join hands to address economic woes after days of protests over alleged mismanagement and inflation.

AFP reported that the government sought consensus with the opposition after United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said that it is important for the opposition to come together and not simply criticize what the government is doing but also come up with their own alternative, if they have an alternative, and then to negotiate in good faith to try to get an agreement plan.

Presidential spokesman Mohamed Zuhair has asked the opposition to present alternative plans if it opposes International Monetary Fund proposals implemented by the government, said AFP.

"The government is implementing reforms, on the advice of the central bank, the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral donors, to reduce the colossal budget deficit it inherited and ensure long-term economic stability," Zuhair said in a statement.

"At this difficult economic time, the country should unite for the common good."

According to AFP, Thasleem Ali, leader of the opposition Dhivehi Raithunge Party, welcomed the statement but said the government must take genuine steps to reduce expenditures.

"We will be always willing for a dialogue and discussion, but we expect a genuine attempt to reduce public expenditure. In the past we haven't seen that," he said. Ali added that public service has swelled and become a burden to the country because of political appointees and accused Nasheed's government of spending public money to boost its image.

The opposition has tried to draw connections between the protests and the recent uprisings against long-time Arab dictatorships in the Middle East. However, there are few similarities.

AFP noted that President Nasheed, a former political prisoner, was freely elected in 2008 in the nation's first true democratic election, ending Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's 30-year rule. The paper also said that the protesters' chief concerns appear to be the struggling economy, not repression or lack of freedom.

Meanwhile, speaking to local press after at the American Corner in the National Library, US Assistant Secretary of State Blake said that “this is because I think the most important thing is to gain momentum to reduce budget deficit, so to put the economy on a formal financial fitting while at the same time continuing the process.”