Fisheries Minister Dr. Mohamed Shainee has said that opposition MDP had refused to take part in the talks as they did not have a solid case, when it came to the issue of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
Dr. Shainee, who is also the senior Government representative at the all-party talks, made the statement speaking to press at the President’s Office today.
Dr. Shainee said that if MDP had believed that there was any wrongdoing of the Government in the case of President Nasheed, then there was no reason not to take part in the clemency talks initiated by the Government.
“Maybe they feel that there was no guilty party in the Nasheed’s case that the issue lies with them. Otherwise MDP would have responded to the invitation for the talks,” he said.
Dr. Shainee said that the Government had called for discussions without any prerequisites, but that MDP had responded only with excuses. He repeatedly urged MDP to come to the discussion table to iron out the issue.
Dr. Shainee further said that if the only option was the freedom of Nasheed, which should come from the parties. He noted that the issue cannot be resolved in the media headlines, adding that any faults noted from the Government’s side can only be resolved by discussions.
He said that both the country and the international arena now testify that the Government had not acted in bad faith. He stated that the opposition had failed to respond to the invitation for talks as they also believe that the Government had acted legally.
“They are attempting to force the Government to address their issues prior to discussions as there are no issues that have to be resolved,” he said.
“MDP’s biggest concern was Nasheed’s issue. When we invited them for one on one talks; failing to respond shows that there are none faithful to Nasheed in his party,” Dr. Shainee said.
Dr. Shainee issued a fresh appeal to MDP members to urge their leaders to join the discussions.
He said that the Government will keep lobbying for MDP to join the discussions, especially with international assistance.
MDP had refused to take part in the clemency talks initiated by the Government, stating that they will not take part in the discussions as long as Nasheed and Adhaalath Party Leader Sheikh Imran was behind bars.