Lawmaker vows to pressure govt. more, force release of ex-president

Parliamentarian Ahmed Shiyam has vowed to keep on pressuring the government until former President Abdulla Yameen, who is serving a prison sentence of five years for money laundering is released from prison. 

Yameen was sentenced after being found guilty of money laundering regarding payments from the MMPRC corruption scandal in 2018. Opposition parties have always maintained that the trial of the ex-president was a sham and a politically motivated one. 

Ahmed Shiyam, who is the deputy leader of PPM and also the parliamentarian for Naifaru was speaking on an amendment submitted for the Fishing Act of the Maldives today in the parliament when he said that the public had shown their disapproval to the conduct of the government. MP Shiyam attributed the disapproval of the government due to the refusal by the government to disclose the details of the UTF agreement with India, the release and freedom of alleged sexual abusers. 

MP Shiyam also attributed the recent results of the local council election, where the governing MDP suffered surprising setbacks in Male’ City, as a call by the public to free former President Yameen. 

“President Yameen needs to be moved to house arrest. President Yameen needs to be freed. The problems that are faced by the public could be resolved if President Yameen is allowed to join us. The government will be forced to do things for the public, to resolve these issues, with even more pressure than what we are exerting on the government right now,” said MP Shiyam. 

He lamented the fact that some MDP lawmakers have stated that the current administration was not an MDP administration by saying that it was not an option to finish off things by saying that a certain achievement could not be made because of the Parliament Speaker or any other figure of the government.

“The public believes that the policies of MDP have to be implemented in an administration of MDP. However, we can now see what happens when an inactive leader is at the presidency,” said MP Shiyam. 

MP Shiyam further criticized the government by saying that this was the most incapable government in the history of the nation and even criticized the delays faced in the opening of the King Salman mosque in Male’ City.