Aslam says unsure Nasheed supporters represent MDP
Nasheed's faction in the parliament consists of nearly 17 lawmakers out of a total of 65 MDP members.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
MDP's parliamentary group leader and Hithadhoo North MP Mohamed Aslam on Wednesday lashed out at the party members supporting the faction of MDP president Mohamed Nasheed, saying that he is not sure if several of the 65 MDP lawmakers are party members any longer.
A rally was held Wednesday evening in K. Gulhi to kick-start the campaign of MDP candidate Ibrahim Shaz for the by-election to Guraidhoo parliamentary constituency. The rally took place at 9.15pm in Gulhi harbour area.
Aslam said that while the party's absolute majority in parliament is official with 65 lawmakers, some of them do not even believe in the party's values.
"These include those who are not sure that they are the party members now and who doubts the party's values more than the PPM," Aslam said.
Aslam criticised Nasheed for trying to create a separate alliance within the party by not following president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who won the presidential primary in January.
Aslam said:
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Earlier, in the 17th and 18th Parliaments, MDP could not get a majority in the house as the primary losing candidate was not able to back the winning candidate after the presidential primary
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Political hardliners should set an example on such issues
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He appealed to the people to stick to the party's principles and values and go with the winning candidate
The rift between the two factions within the party has increased even more since the presidential primary, out of the 65 MPs in parliament:
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In President Solih's faction: About 48 members
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Nasheed's faction: Nearly 17 lawmakers
Nasheed's faction members and pro-government lawmakers exchange barbs in parliament on a daily basis. Nasheed's faction has been pushing a number of resolutions criticising the government.
Lawmakers from Nasheed's faction have also started working separately from the party's official parliamentary group. The faction also formally started working with the Jumhooree Party (JP) on Wednesday night.
