Truth being distorted for personal gain: President

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Thursday that it is very unfortunate that false rumours are being spread for the personal or political purpose of one individual.

Speaking at a ceremony held to mark the day Maldives converted to Islam, one of the highlights of the president's remarks was the heated topic of the Mauritius-Maldives dispute regarding the territory demarcation, and the governments shift in stance on the matter.

The president did not specify the individual he was referring to.

Among the most popular critics of the government’s decision in standing with Mauritius over the sea demarcation dispute are the opposition PPM, MDP president and speaker Mohamed Nasheed, and former attorney generals Dr Mohamed Munawwar, Dr Hassan Saeed, Diyana Saeed and Azima Shukoor.

The president said that despite knowing the truth, rumours are being spread about it to serve a political purpose.

"It is unfortunate that attempts are being made to create division and fear among the people by spreading such rumours," he said.

"Neither in this case nor in any other matter related to the foreign ministry has the government taken any decision that would undermine the sovereignty and independence of the country. This government will never allow such loss."

He said the constitution clearly defines what the territorial waters of the country are. He said the country's maritime law lays down the procedure to be followed if the territorial waters of the country and the waters of another country are in conflict. 

The president said that living in a very open world, the society buzzes with voices calling for the protection of national freedom and sovereignty. However, many territorial disputes between countries have not been resolved, he said, adding that such disputes between major powers have also taken place.

"We are already upholding the policy of defending the highest interests of the country, which the state has maintained since the very beginning in this regard," he said. 

The president also spoke about the importance of upholding Islamic values. According to him, one of the things that Islam insists on the most is that one should not be two-faced.