MDP, Democrats join forces against govt in parliament
Fayyaz criticised the government's foreign policy and what was said to come to power.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
Main opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) and its offshoot The Democrats, which worked against the MDP government to bring incumbent President Mohamed Muizzu to power, on Wednesday announced an alliance to work together in parliament to hold the government accountable.
MDP chairperson Fayyaz Ismail made the announcement, at a joint press conference at the Central Hotel.
Fayyaz criticised the government's foreign policy and what was said to come to power. He said the government had been in office for two months and relations with neighbouring countries were fragile.
"The concern is not only about the deterioration of relations between two countries. Today, the whole global situation is in a precarious situation. There is a war in the Middle East. The war is expanding," he said.
He said the Indian Ocean is a relatively safe and secure area while there are wars in other parts of the world.
"However, it is unconscionable that today we see Maldivian policies affecting the stability and security of this Indian Ocean and bringing the attention of non-regional, global powers to the region and shaping our policies in a way that affects security and stability in the region. It is very worrying to see them carrying out these things,” Fayyaz said.
There are also concerns that the government's actions could affect media freedom, he said. He criticised the recent blocking of two websites that spread critical news about the government.
"I believe, they changed it because the government does not have a majority in parliament. We are getting a very bad signal. If they get majority in parliament in the future, it will pose serious challenges to freedom of the media and freedom of expression," he said.
The former economic minister said there are many concerns and the MDP and Democrats have decided to work together to hold the government accountable.
“… As a responsible opposition, we are going to work together through parliament to hold this government accountable and to contain it and at the same time bring about the necessary legislative changes through parliament to improve the future of this country, the democratic future,” he said.
