Adam Shareef: Stopping 'India Out' with law because out of options

The Parliament representative of Maduvaari constituency and the Vice President of People’s National Congress (PNC) Adam Shareef said that Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) has resorted to formulating a law to stop the ‘India Out’ campaign as they have run out of other options.

Speaking to ‘Sun’, Adam Shareef said that submitting such a bill to the Parliament was a very backward act, adding that such issues should not be combated through law.

“Such issues should not be handled with law. These issues need an open discussion so that the issues involved can be publicly addressed to resolve it.”

 Furthermore, he noted that it was not a solution to ignore the issues raised by those protesting and simply deal with it in Parliament.

“This itself proves how far the government has been enslaved by a foreign power.”

Additionally, Adam Shareef noted that this government shows features of a dictatorship, adding that the decreasing room for freedom of expression was proof of this.

“I believe this snatches freedom of expression. This should not be done under any authority.”

“What they are now doing shows that even MDP does not have freedom of expression. This was happening because the sovereign powers of the nation lie with foreigners.”

MDP has commenced efforts to formulate a law that would allow criminal punishment against individuals that act and speak in a manner that’s disruptive to diplomatic relations.

‘India Out’ campaign which is spearheaded by the opposition leader, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has been expanded across the country, with supporters graffitiing walls of their houses with messages pertaining to the campaign. The government, MDP and other political parties which belong to the government coalition strongly condemn the campaign. In this regard, the government, on multiple instances, have stressed that such a campaign would disrupt the close ties maintained with a neighbouring country.

The opposition’s ‘India Out’ campaign claims that Indian military personnel being stationed in the Maldives is a threat to the country’s national security. They also claim it to be a concern of many Maldivian citizens. Opposition leader, Yameen, is a strong critique of India.