Solih urges MDP to stand against emerging 'dictatorship'

In an address at the 'Fudhijje, Fundijje' rally held by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) at Artificial Beach Tuesday evening, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih called on the MDP and the citizens of the Maldives to resist what he described as the country’s alarming drift towards a dictatorship.

Solih, expressing concern, noted that the principles of the republican government—established to uphold democracy and the rule of law—are under grave threat. 

“Today, the republican government is turning into a terrible dictatorship,” he said. “The people will no longer accept hereditary rule or submit to an oppressive dictator.”

Solih painted a picture of the current government's trajectory, accusing it of rapidly consolidating power and undermining independent institutions. He stressed that the administration’s ultimate aim appears to be monopolising power to secure the upcoming presidential election by any means necessary.

“Today, we are seeing the country plunging into that fear, a dictatorship again,” Solih declared. “It doesn’t matter what is in the constitution. It doesn’t matter what the laws say. They are doing what they see fit.”

Solih laid out the following points of concern:

He emphasised that the republican government was created to ensure governance rooted in the rule of law, and he urged the MDP not to remain passive as these foundational principles are eroded.

The former president also levelled criticism at the government’s proposed budget for the coming year, condemning it as the first in Maldives' history to be presented without sufficient details. He questioned how fiscal responsibility could be maintained when only a summary of total revenue was submitted.

“They promised transparency, but the opposite is true,” Solih said. “This is a secretive government. A dishonest government. An oppressive government. A hypocritical government.”

Solih highlighted that the budget disproportionately favors influential business interests while failing to address national debt or fund significant development projects. He pointed out that the 2023 budget of MVR 49.8 billion had been depleted within eight months, with little to show for it.

“Parliament was asked for an additional MVR 5 billion,” Solih explained. “And yet, there are no clear records detailing how MVR 30 billion from this year's budget was spent. I ask: What did they do with that 49 billion rufiyaa?”

Solih also cited recent controversies that illustrate the government's hypocrisy. He pointed to the public outrage over a Maldivian contestant’s participation in the Miss Universe pageant, juxtaposed with the approval of a bodybuilding competition in the Maldives just a week later. He criticised the government’s contradictory stance, stating that the young participants bore the brunt of public condemnation while the Bodybuilding Association was forced to apologise.

“This government is a secretive and profoundly hypocritical administration that came to power through lies and deception,” Solih asserted.

The former president's speech resonated as a call to action for the MDP and all Maldivians who value democracy and transparency.

“If we don't stand up against this today, powers will be taken away, and by 2028, it will be too late,” Solih concluded.