Former president Mohamed Nasheed has described the President of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as the most experienced political thinker in the Maldives today.
Speaking at a news conference in Mookai Hotel today, former president Mohamed Nasheed said that he was pleased of former president Maumoon's statement that forming coalitions within political parties is a characteristic of the parliamentary system, as opposed to the presidential system followed by Maldives.
“The principle of forming coalitions is in the parliamentary system. I am very pleased, I would say that the most experienced political thinker in the Maldives today is former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. He has stated very clearly that the Maldives will not achieve progress by forming coalitions,” former president Nasheed said.
Nasheed said that the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) would support the PPM if they are inclined to forcing an interim government.
“If PPM wants to bring in an interim government, we are ready to hold discussions. MDP wants an interim government. We at MDP have always wanted an interim government. But we need support from other parties to do that in parliament. If PPM is so inclined, we are ready to hold discussions with PPM to achieve this,” Nasheed said.
Nasheed said that the only way for Maldives to hold credible presidential elections is for the Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz and Defence Minister Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim to resign from their offices or to for them to be forcibly removed.
The former president said that the recent coalition between Ahmed Thasmee Ali’s Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and President Waheed’s Gaumee Ithihad Party (GIP) is just an agreement made between the two leaders and that it does not reflect the interests of the members of the parties. Nasheed said that Thasmeen Ali and Dr. Waheed were compelled to form the coalition from sheer necessity and that they had no other choice.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed said that there are only two ideologies in the Maldives and that the recent coalition has not produced a third ideology in the country.