Yameen says party leadership forged path to power on his jailing

Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that the PPM/PNC leadership tried to come to power by keeping him in jail and the Supreme Court had not rejected his presidential candidacy when current President Mohammed Muizzu filed his candidacy.

At a meeting held at Yameen’s newly founded party PNF office on Sunday, the former president said that the rumours about him trying to harm the PPM/PNC members was a blatant lie.

The current PNC chairman and then leader of the coalition, Abdul Raheem had said that Yameen tried to dissolve PPM/PNC when he found out that he could not contest.

“I want to ask if Abdul Raheem and the PPM/PNC leadership have forgotten, and I want to explain this to the general members of the PPM/PNC,” Yameen said.

"About my problem, before the Supreme Court decided that I cannot contest, the PPM/PNC leadership had already selected their PNC candidate. So what are they talking about dissolution?" Yameen asked the question.

Yameen said he is a politician and thinks about the future.

“I thought we won’t have enough time when the Supreme Court decides my case; to field a candidate from any one party,” Yameen said.

Yameen said they did not nominate a presidential candidate from PPM because it would be easier for the Supreme Court to decide his case if they did.

"It is without debate that I didn't qualify as a presidential candidate [then]. I just told these people in a note that this could happen. The Supreme Court could decide without any time left to do anything. It could not allow a single day. So we have to be prepared”.

He also asked a PPM leader to switch to PNC and bring a candidate from the party.

He said he had instructed that members of both parties would vote for the candidate.

"We decided this so well. So what were they talking about? Abandoned on the streets? What are we talking about boycotting?"

Saying that even if he is no longer a member of the ruling coalition, he knows the temperament of the PPM/PNC leadership and what they have done.

“I will be able to talk about all these things when I take off the bandage on my mouth,” he said, repeating that he was never trying to dissolve PPM/PNC.

He also questioned who had said they would not allow an election to be held where Yameen could not contest, while they were accusing him of calling to boycott the election.

"How many leaders have called out that they will not allow an election in this country where President Yameen cannot participate? Saying they will boycott it? We will take to the streets to stop it”.

Yameen said he had not asked anyone to boycott the election and that he had only made the suggestion.

“..it was also because so many PPM/PNC people were shouting that they will boycott the election if President Yameen cannot contest it,” he said.

He said he still believes the Supreme Court's decision was a political one.

"As they said, if the PPM/PNC leadership had the courage to boycott as they were saying to the public, or if they had been active enough to boycott, we would have taken this to a review,” he explained.

However, the leadership does not have the courage, he said.

Yameen said he believes there will be people who want to move forward politically and that is natural.

"There will be people who want to move forward or gain power. I don't have a problem with that. But the problem for me is that they are planning to do it by keeping me in jail”.

There are no people in the PPM/PNC leadership who want him to be free, he added.