Opposition says pres should be jailed for 'treason' over Chagos
Adam Shareef described the territory demarcation as a clear indication of the country's lack of transparency in the exercise of sovereignty.
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By
Aminath Shifleen
Despite the government's claim that the Maldives has been successful in dividing the disputed waters between the Maldives and Chagos, the opposition has said that a large part of the territorial waters has been lost and therefore President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih should be removed from power and jailed.
The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on Friday sided with the Maldives in the dispute with Mauritius surrounding the delimitation of the maritime boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the Maldives and the Chagos archipelago, awarding a bigger portion to the Maldives.
Despite the government's claim that it was a major victory, the opposition coalition held a rally called 'Cha-Goas' Friday evening. Everyone who spoke at the event, which was attended by a large number of people, accused the government selling the country's territorial waters.
"It's been a very difficult night. A ruler of Maldives has betrayed us like never before in the history of the Maldives," said Adam Shareef, MP for Maduvvari constituency.
"He should be sacked. If he won't resign, he has to leave. He'll have to go to jail."
When Shareef said this, the supporters at the event erupted, and began calling for President Solih's resignation.
PNC president Abdul Raheem Abdulla also spoke in the same vein. He said the people should take to the streets to overthrow the government because of the "betrayal" done by President Solih. For the sake of the country, the army and the police should come out on the streets, he said.
Speaking at the meeting, Shareef said Chagos belongs to Maldivians and that if the area had to go under a country’s sovereignty, then it should belong to Maldives. However, he said that a large part of the sea used by the Maldivians has been given up with Friday's judgement as the government has not made any efforts to claim Chagos.
Shareef described the territory demarcation as a clear indication of the country's lack of transparency in the exercise of sovereignty.
