Maldivian lawmakers aligned with the ruling party need to take note of New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s stand against US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, says opposition aligned MP Rozaina Adam.
The Addu-Meedho constituency representative said, in a post on Twitter, that Maldivian elected officials must realize that they do not have to ‘say yes to every whim’ of the president.
PPM MPs should learn from these experiences. An elected people’s representative doesn’t have to say yes to every whim of the president. Bravo to the Republican MPs saying no to this policy & to all MPs fighting for the rights of these children. https://t.co/WmBXqwIiOi
Several such comparisons have been made previously as well, with opponents of incumbent president Abdulla Yameen having called on pro-government lawmakers to practice a level of integrity and independence expected of public office elsewhere in the world.
Several members of the Joint Opposition had publicly lauded the perceived ‘integrity’ a Hawaii judge showed in blocking Trump’s travel ban on individuals from a number of countries, most of them having a Muslim majority.
On Thursday, Governor Cuomo described Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy as an ‘ongoing human tragedy’ and blatantly inhumane treatment.  
In the face of the federal government’s inhumane treatment of immigrant families, New York will not deploy National Guard to the border. We will not be complicit in this ongoing human tragedy. pic.twitter.com/a2tTzjNisR
The policy has begun separating expatriate families, most notably children from their parents at the US southern border. Many other officials, including Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker – a republican himself, and Trump opponents have spoken out against the policy.
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