Gayoom’s return to power would see him seeking to settle the scores of the past- Thasmeen

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has said that the former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s return to power would see him seeking to settle the scores of the past rather than address the serious issues of the present and the future.

Thasmeen made this remark in his blog post entitled ‘The State of the Nation.’ In the blog post he also criticized former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Thasmeen said that much of the blame lies at the feet of former President Mohamed Nasheed regarding the state of the nation. Thasmeen said that Nasheed has created the moral decay where children have no respect for their parents and people have no respect for the rule of law.

“He has undermined the institutions of the state such as the Police, the Island Offices and Chiefs. And what would his return to power mean for the country? Not only an acceleration of this decay but also a country plunged into chaos as he sought revenge for his premature resignation. It’s vital we prevent that,” he said.

Thasmeen said that “however we should also recognise that former President Maumoon Gayoom created the climate that allowed President Nasheed to flourish, delaying democratic processes that could have been resolved more rapidly and seeking to cling to power at all costs.”

“However deciding who is responsible for the current state of the nation is not enough on its own. We need to focus on tackling those problems that were made worse by those leaders of the past,” he said.

“We could choose a President who lost the confidence of those we entrust to protect us. A man who does not to respect the traditions of the Maldives. Or we could choose a President who represents the past and is too far removed from the daily lives of most Maldivians,” Thasmeen said calling the people not to give their votes to former Presidents Gayoom and Nasheed.