Parliament Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla states democracy does not equivalent to saying or writing whatever is desired by a person, or doing whatever they want.
Concluding the extraordinary sitting out of session held on Monday, Abdul Raheem, commenting regarding the International Day of Democracy being celebrated today, expressed confidence that lawmakers will be steadfast in fulfilling their role of strengthening democracy.
He cited what lawmakers can do to ensure success in Maldives’ democracy journey as putting national interest first when it comes to national issues, even when opinions differ. He added that differences in opinion serve as a crucial factor in ascertaining the success of something.
“However, these differences in opinion must not become something that stray us away from the democracy we have accepted. And in this regard, democracy is not equivalent to saying whatever a person desires or doing whatever a person desires, and writing whatever a person desires,” he said.
Speaker Abdul Raheem appealed to lawmakers to accept laws and regulations in place and work towards successfully attaining the end goal in the journey towards democracy in accordance with the constitution.
In a post on X on the occasion of International Day of Democracy, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring all Maldivian voices are heard and valued at every level of decision making.