Primary-related discontent won’t affect party: Abdul Raheem
“There has been no change in the membership of the two parties so far because of it. Hopefully the membership is increasing yesterday and today,” he said.
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By
Fathmath Ahmed Shareef
The PPM-PNC ruling coalition said on Thursday that the number of members in the party has not been affected by the controversy over its initial decision to reject some candidacies for upcoming parliamentary election primaries.
Amid the uproar over the initial decision not to accept the candidacies, some members had withdrawn their forms, along with rumors that some members were leaving the party too. The ruling party chief Abdul Raheem was questioned during a press conference on Thursday whether there had been any change in the party's membership numbers.
“So far, from our parties, neither the PPM nor PNC has seen any change in membership. But some people have withdrawn their candidature," Abdul Raheem said.
When asked how many members have withdrawn their names so far, he did not give a clear answer. He said that even after the decision to give a chance to all the interested members in the primaries, the members who chose not to contest withdrew their names on their own and that option was still open to the rest.
“There has been no change in the membership of the two parties so far because of it. Hopefully the membership is increasing yesterday and today,” he said.
The letters rejecting candidacies were sent out after considering the facts, he said. However, president Mohammed Muizzu reversed the decision because of the dissatisfaction caused by it in the party, as the PNC was close to the people and intended to move forward according to the will of the people, Abdul Raheem said.
Abdul Raheem, who is also the Special Advisor to President Mohammed Muizzu, added:
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Progress comes to parties that listen to the concerns of party members
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After a five year hiatus, PPM-PNC is back in power because it has the courage to work closely with the people and listen to the people's concerns and reverse the decisions of the leadership in people’s favour
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Everyone who applied for the primary was allowed to contest because it was the best way to accommodate the wishes of party members
The date of the PPM-PNC primaries was pushed back several times before settling it for next Saturday.
The letter signed by Abdul Raheem rejecting the candidacies of some of the candidates cited the following reasons.
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When the candidatures were reviewed, some were found to have supported the internal wave to oppose the party's policies after winning the presidential election
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They have participated in the efforts of a rouge faction to confuse party members
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They have created divisions within the party
Some members gathered at the PNC office that evening and expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision. The next day, the party decided to make it possible for all those who submitted forms to contest. However, some members whose candidacy was rejected decided to withdraw and sent letters saying they did not want to seek the party ticket anymore.
For the PPM-PNC primary:
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296 people applied
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Of these, 13 have secured parliamentary tickets without a primary
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Those who won parliamentary tickets without a primary include leaders of the coalition partners MNP, MDA and JP.
