Govt makes living tougher to defend itself, Fayyaz says

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairman Fayyaz Ismail on Thursday alleged that the government is appointing individuals to political positions as a means of safeguarding its interests rather than addressing the concerns of the public.

Speaking at a rally, Fayyaz accused the government of burdening the public financially to sustain political appointments.

"The state is reaching into the pockets of the common people and emptying their pockets in order to appoint people in political positions," he said.

Fayyaz also criticsed the government’s recent decision to increase duties on tobacco, claiming that such measures should be implemented only after informing the public and allowing them to understand the rationale.

He accused the president of making decisions on national policy based on impulsive considerations rather than through proper constitutional processes.

"The president is tweeting based on what he saw at the time, a household conversation, to determine the policies of the country. This is not a power given to the president but to the state by the constitution," he said.

Fayyaz called for greater public consultation on decisions impacting citizens' lives, emphasising that national policies should not be announced without broader engagement and should not be decided unilaterally.

"The president today believes that there should be no political party. Therefore, he cannot announce it in a tweet and submit it to a locked parliament. The constitution does not allow that," he added.

He asserted that the MDP is committed to defending the constitution, which he said was achieved through significant effort and sacrifice.

"We will do whatever we have to do to uphold the constitution. We won the constitution with no small effort. Over the years, many Maldivians have made many sacrifices and lost many lives to reach the Constitution that exists today," he stated.

Fayyaz claimed that individuals currently in power had opposed the introduction of the existing Constitution. He criticised the government’s handling of the economy, saying it has negatively impacted the livelihoods of the public, including sectors such as fishing and construction.

"The economy is collapsing, and the livelihood of the common people is being affected," he said. "Hotels, cafés, and street shops are being closed. Even if money is printed, this should not be allowed to happen. In a state, people bring a person to the president to save the people from such things."

Fayyaz reiterated that the MDP would continue its efforts to protect the constitution and advocate for public consultation on matters affecting the nation.