No longer in coalition, JP kept in govt for show: Ameen
Ameen said they remained in the government as “divorced couples with children”.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
Jumhooree Party (JP) has been excluded from the ruling coalition when MDP decided to contest the 2019 parliamentary election on its own in violation of the coalition agreement, JP deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim said on Saturday.
At the 158th JP council meeting held at Paradise Island Resort on Saturday, Ameen criticised the government. He said the government was forced to keep JP members in government positions "for the shame of the world”.
Ameen said the JP took to the streets eight years ago to uphold the constitution. They then worked to stop then government's injustice and as part of that effort, they changed the PPM government in 2018 and established an MDP-led government with JP's involvement with many hopes.
They had called at the top of their voices, believing to have been working to eradicate injustice and corruption and the people voted for it, he said. The JP stayed with the government hoping to maintain these policies within the government, he said.
"But what happened? We were excluded by the time of the parliamentary elections. We were excluded from the agreement the JP had made with this government. We were excluded. At that point we believe we are not part of this coalition government," he said.
Replying to a question about the presence of some JP members in government positions, Ameen said they remained in the government as “divorced couples with children”.
They have been kept in government positions “for the shame of the world”, considering the JP's efforts to bring this government to power in 2018, he said.
The JP is still in the government coalition, although it has decided to contest the upcoming presidential election on its own. JP leader Gasim Ibrahim's wife Aishath Nahula is still the transport minister, while Dr Hussein Rasheed Hassan still serves as the fisheries minister.
