The agreements signed, as well as the discussions held, between the Maldives and India on Monday revealed the lies propagated by the People’s National Congress (PNC) leadership in their quest for power, and as such, the leaders of the current administration should be held accountable for the damage caused to the country because of their deceit, opposition leader and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail said in a post to social media.
President Mohamed Muizzu, who is currently on an official visit to India, is expected to return to the Maldives on Thursday.
Current actions by the Muizzu administration prove that statements made by the Progressive Party of the Maldives and People’s National Congress (PPM/PNC) Coalition during the elections were lies aimed at creating fear in people’s hearts, Ismail contended.
According to Ismail, these lies have caused huge economic and political losses to the country, bringing on financial difficulties and a loss of confidence in the nation’s financial markets.
“Dr. Muizzu lacked the foresight to see this reality, and their careless tactics have done huge damage to our nation’s international reputation, with consequences ordinary citizens have had to face. The leaders of this administration must be held accountable for the damage caused due to the blatant lies made in their bid for power,” Ismail said.
In a joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, President Muizzu seemed to commit to revisiting key considerations he had previously opposed.
“Proceeding with the hydrography agreement and projects such as the UTF, Addu infrastructure works, and the possible establishment of a consulate in Addu—which was portrayed by the leaders of the current [Muizzu] government as a colonization plan— shows how irresponsible it was to depict ties with India as a threat to the Maldives,” Ismail said.
Meanwhile, former Home Minister Umar Naseer, who served during the Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom administration, said that Muizzu’s U-turn on the India issue was something no Maldivian leader had ever done and that it constituted a betrayal of the country.
