President: MDP didn’t do enough compared to debt they left

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration, led by former President Mohamed Nasheed, hadn’t done enough for the country during his presidency compared to the debt it left when he resigned in 2012, says President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Speaking at the inauguration of sanitation services at Th. Dhiyamigili this Wednesday morning, Yameen said the biggest criticism directed at him was that his administration would leave behind a huge debt which the next administration would have a hard time recovering from.

“They are saying they are concerned about this supposed huge debt. But why don’t they for a moment think about how they left irrevocable expenditures which the next administration would have a hard time overcoming when their administration ended and they left the people,” said Yameen.

He said the MDP administration left behind a debt equal to the income it could have generated during its two-and-a-half years in office.

“Are they the ones who should be worried about debt? If they worry so much about national debt, they wouldn’t have left such a huge debt behind,” said Yameen.

Yameen said he could see nothing the MDP administration accomplished for the wellbeing of the people, compared to the huge debt it left behind.

He noted that those who formed a coalition to oust the MDP administration were now sided with MDP. He questioned why politicians who criticized MDP for handing over the national airport to GMR wasn’t talking about it anymore.

He said the same politicians had once criticized the MDP administration for the lack of things they did for the people, and that the December 23 Coalition formed to outs the MDP administration had performed a jihad to protect the independence and sovereignty of the country.

“Those who are saying this are the same people who demonstrated with us until the administration at the time resigned, but have now found place within the opposition. The picture has changed completely now,” said Yameen, adding that politicians had the tendency to paint different colors every time they speak.

“What bond, what fondness did the MDP administration have when they rose against them?” asked Yameen, criticizing the decision of his former allies to side with MDP.

He said his experience showed a coalition administration would not work for MDP.

And that the announcement by MDP that it would form laws to regulate a coalition administration was proof of lack of respect for word of mouth between members of the opposition coalition.

“The meaning of forming laws to guarantee such communication between two parties is clear. They are demonstrating what they take an agreement for. They have already proven it,” said Yameen.

Yameen said the contents of his manifesto were prepared after extensive consultation with ordinary citizens, but that the opposition needs to explain the connection between needs of individual islands and national development.