No MDP without Nasheed: Gasim
Nasheed was praised in Gasim’s speech on Sunday night, but the current president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who formed the coalition, was not criticised either.
By
Ahmed Naif
Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim has once again heaped praise on Nasheed, saying that the party would not survive without its president Mohamed Nasheed and that Nasheed played a key role in bringing democracy to the Maldives.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the fourth congress of the Jumhooree Party on Sunday night, Gasim said Nasheed was one of the people who made great sacrifices under external pressure to bring about reforms in the Maldives. Stating that their sacrifices and efforts should be recognised, he said, Gasim said that every human being can make a mistake. Referring to Nasheed, he said he too had made mistakes due to lack of experience, but things would have improved now.
"The way to work with determination, ethics, should be there in every regime. That's one of the best qualities I support most in him [Nasheed]," he said.
"I don't think there will be an MDP without the president that we are proud of today. That'swhat I think."
Gasim, who led the then opposition in the transition of Nasheed's regime, said that things like the change of power in the middle of Nasheed's rule are things that requires a lesson to be learned and when anyone confronts such issues, a lesson will be achieved.
Noting that he had also worked in the formation of MDP, he mentioned some of the benefits of breaking away from MDP and forming the Jumhooree Party. He said that if he was in the same party with Nasheed, there would be no healthy democracy in the country and that the hard-earned democracy would disappear.
"If this is not the case, there won't be a healthy situation. All of this will be gone. There is no interest. People say, that in politics there is no trust, only interest... But trust should always be there along with interest. You can't do without trust," he said.
Quoting from the noble Qur’an, he said that people should be forgiven and the best form is to forgive people for their mistakes. Otherwise, there will be chaos in the world, he said.
Praising Nasheed, he said that it was during Nasheed's administration that he was allowed to serve the education industry of the country in the name of Villa College. Stating that it was done very well then, the JP leader, who is part of the coalition in the present government, said, that he did not even get to extend the land tenure of Villa College under this government.
I don't think there will be an MDP without the president that we are proud of today. That's what I think.
Nasheed was praised in Gasim’s speech on Sunday night, but the current president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who formed the coalition, was not openly criticised either. He said that President Solih has not said anything wrong, even once.
He, however, indirectly criticised the government, saying that the people’s needs should not remain prolonged and unfulfilled because of the incapability of the government. He also said that the delay in trials was a lack of justice and compared the pace of the present government to it.
"Have I said that he [President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih] is wrong? About doing something. Did I say that even once? What's going on?," he said.
"I’m shocked, my wife is also the transport minister."
