Ex-leaders should support govt, Shaheem says
"I would say it's too early to judge Muizzu's government or say it's wrong. I can see good things," Shaheem said.
By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
Islamic minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has said that he does not want to get into the conflict between President Mohamed Muizzu and former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, but believes that former leaders must cooperate in running the government.
With the change of government, Yameen claimed that he was excluded from the PPM-PNC and Muizzu stopped communicating with him. Yameen left the PPM on Thursday and is now working on to form a new party called People's National Front (PNF).
Meanwhile, the PPM-PNC leadership in senior positions in the government has said that they are behind President Muizzu to defend the government. Shaheem was among the ministers who made the announcement.
Shaheem, in an exclusive interview with Atoll Times on Monday, when asked whether it was a difficult decision to have to choose between President Muizzu and Yameen and why he decided to stand behind Muizzu, he declined to elaborate.
"I don't want to get involved in the conflict between the two [President Muizzu and Yameen]. And I don't want to talk about it with the media," Shaheem said.
Saying he did not want to comment directly on the matter, he added:
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He has worked with Yameen for many years and respects him a lot
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I have never insulted Yameen and his family; I will not do such a thing in the future
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His respect and admiration for Yameen will last forever
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Yameen trusted him very much; For that reason, Yameen is someone he respects very much
Asked if he believed that Yameen starting to work against them would be a challenge to the government, he said, "Such things will always happen in the political arena, but I am quite confident that President Muizzu will continue to work to get the country back on track."
He said he believed President Muizzu's efforts would succeed and it was too early to say that he had failed.
Noting that President Muizzu has been working very hard since taking over the government, Shaheem said he believes that former leaders should also cooperate with him in running the government.
"So, I believe that the people of Maldives, the political leaders of Maldives and all parties should support this very much. And it has been a week since President Muizzu took over the affairs of the country. I would say it's too early to judge his government or say it's bad. I can see good things," Shaheem said.
