Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has warned of “unsettled days” ahead under the current administration, urging swift action against perceived injustices.
Speaking at the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) “People in Defence of the Constitution” rally on Tuesday, Solih accused the government of eroding constitutional rights and freedoms.
“The clouds we are seeing ahead of us are very dark. Scary days. Unsettled days. Difficult days. And if we don’t work on this now, we may face cruel days again,” he said.
Solih stressed the need to address signs of injustice now to prevent worsening conditions. “If we don’t take action on these things, these things will happen to us,” the former leader cautioned.
Reflecting on the challenges of drafting the current Constitution, Solih highlighted its emphasis on empowering the people.
“We wrote rights in the Constitution. Today, we are gathered to defend them. We won freedom of speech. We ensured freedom of information and access. We wrote the right to pension. We ensured free medical care from the government,” he said.
Solih accused the government of attempting to strip away these hard-won rights. “This shows that this government is trying to take away all these rights from us,” he said.
The rally, organised to address concerns over the government’s alleged disregard for constitutional safeguards, comes amid increasing political tensions in the Maldives. The current administration has yet to respond to Solih’s accusations.