PPM plotting to protest when Indian PM address the Majlis- Naseem

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Naseem has revealed that he was informed that the new opposition party, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), spear-headed by the former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is plotting to stage a violent demonstration outside the Peoples’ Majlis building on the day the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be addressing the Majlis.

In a public rally of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party yesterday evening, Minister Naseem said that is of grave concern. He said that Maldives would lose its standing and reputation in the international community if this demonstration is staged.

“This is a very uncouth act. We urge the PPM not to perpetrate these lowly acts. We have to deal with our differences among us. We should not demean and attack the honour of our foreign guests,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaker of the Peoples’ Majlis, Abdullah Shahid recently sent a formal invitation letter to the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to address the Majlis during his official visit to Maldives.

The proposal to invite Dr. Manmohan Singh was approved unanimously in the Majlis. Members of the Majlis said that the Indian Prime Minister’s address in the Majlis would be means to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

Indian Prime Minister would be the first foreign dignitary to address the Peoples’ Majlis and it is believed that this would increase the connectivity between India and Maldives.