Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that there are many who will retreat to the comfort of their ‘cold rooms’ when they gain positions of influence, but those who admire him will remain out in the streets for the sake of the country. Speaking to supporters gathered near his residence, he stated that people who hold him in high regard were demanding his release and fighting for his rights while he was in prison.
“However, those in big seats [of power] got those comforts because of the efforts of president Yameen and the people [out on the streets]. So it is human nature to forget those things when you get to positions [of influence],” Yameen said, hinting at a perceived lack of effort on the part of those who have come to positions of influence through his support.
However, the admiration of the people will not wane even if he is in jail, Yameen said going on to explain that he wanted to prove his innocence to the people in a fair trial and would not plead with the current administration or anyone else to release him. The worst that can be done is to be taken to jail, but that is an outcome he has made peace with, the former leader said.
Yameen, seeking to galvanise support, asked supporters whether they were there for the national interest or to fulfill their own interests. He stated that if they were working for national interests, they should be on the road with the people for the sake of the leader who did the most for the country.
“You have to dare to be on the street. You don’t have to say big words when you get positions. You have to show what’s inside you before that,” Yameen said.
Yameen’s words come against the backdrop of the president-elect Mohamed Muizzu’s calls, to supporters, to end street protests and to work towards securing the release of the former president in a more systematic manner. Supporters, however, continued to gather near Yameen’s residence.
“I ask you not to do that. I ask you to give me the opportunity to do this work properly. Otherwise, if you entrust me with this work and go a certain way, the country will not have the peace I am talking about,” Muizzu had said.
Yameen said that the current administration and India had hoped to win the presidential election in a single round by keeping him in jail. However, those in the current administration will have to face reality when their motives and intentions are found out not to be pure, he said.
Yameen said his rivals expected him to be disheartened when the Supreme Court annulled his candidacy to stand for president. However, while the court decision did not demoralise him, he was more concerned with the consequences of the court’s decision, he said. There is now room for a candidate to be disqualified by a lower court ruling as the election approaches, he said, pointing to the right of appeal at a higher court thus suggesting that a lower court ruling should not disqualify candidates.
“I will finish the appeal process [against the current jail sentence] and come out as an innocent,” Yameen said.
Yameen said that, even though he is in jail today, his greatest satisfaction lies in the fact that the current administration has come to an end. Upon investigation, it will be revealed that this administration has engaged in corruption, he said.
“There is no one who will escape. Our government should dare to look into the issues. If you look into the issues, you will find them,” he said.
Yameen said he was further committed to his movement against India’s interference in the Maldives. The country will not gain a foothold on even a grain of Maldivian sand and he is determined to get them to leave, he said.