Ex-pres Solih urges party loyalty from MDP candidates

Former President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih has called for the passage of the anti-defection law by the end of the current session, urging candidates elected to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections not to switch sides.

Solih was speaking at the official launch of the MDP's 'Misraabu Hama-Magah' parliamentary campaign at Artificial Beach on Monday evening.

Speaking at the rally, which began with candidates taking an oath to remain loyal to MDP, Solih said he hoped the candidates would continue to keep their oath for the next five years. The candidates are professionals and experienced people from all fields and have what the party members want from them, he said.

"Fundamental rights should be guaranteed. Freedom of expression should not be taken for granted. It can't be stopped. The law should not be passed in parliament, you are sitting. There has to be freedom of the press. You have to ensure job assurance. [And] you have to assure us that the party will not be left out," Solih said.

"These are the wishes of the general members of the MDP today. We have had experiences, so we are saying this”.

"I am sure they will be with us for the next five years," he said. He said MDP has also proposed an anti-defection law to ensure that people lose their seats if they change their party.

"I ask the current parliament to pass that [bill] before the end of the session. Pass it and give that assurance to the members. Otherwise, this country will turn again in a completely different direction. It will lose direction again," he said.

He also highlighted the measures taken by his government during the pandemic. Experts estimated that many people would die, but the government's first goal was to save the lives of the people, he said. He added:

"However, we brought enough food without any citizen of Maldives going hungry that day. We brought fuel. We provided health services. We also paid off the debts taken by previous governments”.

Solih also responded to the claims made by government officials that he had left after his five-year term having put the country in heavy debt. At that time, he had to take loans because he had to manage the situation then, Solih said. People also benefited from it at that time, he added.

"We had to provide assistance to keep businesses from going bankrupt. Otherwise, the tourism sector would not be profitable. We helped small businesses to survive. That is what we did by taking loans. They are, income generating investments," he said.

"Otherwise, this country would not be like this today”.

"In fact, what is happening today is them not knowing how to manage," he said.

"They don't know how to manage," he said repeatedly for the second time.

The leaders of this government are saying, “Previous government, previous government, previous government,” he said. He also responded to the government's talk of nationalism.

"Look, this is a growing country. People have been living in this country for more than 2,000 years. It's been 900 years since it converted to Islam. This is a free country with patriotism. However, those in power today feel that this is a new country. Nationalism is being brought in a new way. Look, some people have run this country for so long. It was all going well. I'd say they are just being stubborn," Solih said.