Pres recalls ex-govt's council 'mistreatment'; urges to elect Azima
If an opposition candidate is elected, the party might order the candidate to not cooperate with the government, the president said.
President Mohamed Muizzu on Friday urged the people of Male to vote for the government candidate for the city council to avoid repeating the “troubles” caused by the former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government while he was Male mayor before he assumed the presidency in November.
The president made the request at a campaign rally to launch the manifesto of his People's National Congress (PNC) mayoral candidate Aisha Azima Shakoor.
After launching Azima's 'Emmenge Male' manifesto, the president asked a question as he began his speech at the rally. That is, with the vote in next Saturday's mayoral election, "How will the people benefit from the decision?"
The president answered the question by talking about his "bitter experience" during the past few years as mayor.
The president said:
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He was elected mayor in 2021 and completed everything the council could do on its own under the master plan
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The things that were not done were not done because the then government did not cooperate; they can be done with the help of the government
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The council decided to build flats in Male and Villimale to solve the housing problem
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The second biggest problem, roads development was also taken over by the government
"The same thing happened to the fish market. We decided to do everything. But the project could not be carried out. The land use plan was not passed," he said.
Although President Muizzu poured out these complaints Friday evening, he faced criticism when he was the Housing Minister in the government of former President Abdulla Yameen that he had not coorporated with the then MDP-controlled Male city council.
Noting that there was now room to complete everything that had not been done due to the government's harassment of the council over the past two years, the president said the ordeal had now come to an end with his election. He then questioned what would happen if a candidate was elected mayor.
“We are now allowing the council to do everything it wanted to but could not do at the time because of government's lack of cooperation,” he said.
"So, while the government is doing this through the council, to facilitate things through the government, what will happen if someone from a party that doesn't have the intention of working with the government is elected as mayor?"
The president said it “would not be wise” for the people of the capital city to choose a candidate who would “trouble the government” or “will bring a mindset that will not do what the government thinks” when the government wants to “champion” the decentralisation system.
The president added:
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The candidate who comes on the party line works on the orders of the party's leadership
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If an opposition candidate is elected, the party might order the candidate to not cooperate with the government
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That is now very clear in the parliament which is controlled by the opposition
