Nasheed: Aggression over wisdom may lead to civil war in Maldives

Speaker of Parliament, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed says Maldives faced widespread unrest and a possible civil war were unless it practiced wisdom over aggression.

Nasheed made the comment in his speech as chief guest of Ahmadiyya School’s 2018 prize day ceremony on Saturday.

Nasheed said that Maldives, at present, saw calls for aggression in face of differences in opinion in matters. He said that such calls for acts of aggression against parties believed to be guilty of wrongdoings were being made openly.

“You constantly see seemingly peaceful countries on TV which the next instance is shown with half its buildings collapsed and full of bullet holes. Stone heaps everywhere and people forces out of their homes in their towns and cities walking in lines. Children crying in their parent’s embrace. I say never, even for one instance, believe such a thing isn’t possible in Male’. If we don’t guide our actions with wisdom and forethought, I believe, your generation may find itself in the shores of such doom,” said Nasheed.

He said that right and wrong itself sometimes depended on opinion, and that the society must learn to co-exist despite the differences. He said that failure to co-exist in spite of differences would lead to unrest.

“That a certain person must be dealt with in a certain manner because the person is in the wrong – all the while, the person himself feels he is in the right. And many others may feel the person is in the right. Difference of opinion will exist. The perception of right and wrong varies among different people,” said Nasheed.

He said that Maldives was currently at crossroads, and to rise up from current circumstances required everyone’s support.

He said that one wrong decision could have dire consequences for the future of Maldives, and appealed for the entire community to make it their civic duty to find the path to national peace and stability.

“The point where we find it so difficult to take someone’s opinion that its intolerable is the point where difference of opinion leads to unrest. This isn’t a point we want to reach,” said Nasheed.