Speaker: Police need to remove ‘India Out’ banner outside ex-President Yameen’s home

Parliament Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed said on Wednesday that the police need to immediately remove the large ‘India Out’ banner stretched across the face of opposition leader, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s home.

PPM deputy leader, Naifaru MP Ahmed Shiyam had submitted an emergency motion to the Parliament on Wednesday morning, urging Maldivian authorities to condemn violence against Muslims in India.

However, the motion was deemed to not fit the requirements for an emergency motion, and was not included in the agenda.

Nasheed, who was presiding over the sitting, said that the motion, in addition to not being an ‘emergency’, also had several other issues.

Nasheed said that efforts to reconcile the different ethnicities and religions in South Asia had been ongoing for hundreds of years, and he therefore found no need to debate on the subject at the Parliament.

“It has been 500 years. I don’t find we should suddenly allow room for debate in this Parliament regarding domestic affairs of our neighboring countries,” he said.

Nasheed also said that the Parliament’s regulations and democratic values did not allow for debate on the issue.

He then commented that fixing banners on large buildings in Male’ expressing sentiments against neighboring countries was against the Penal Code.

“It’s against public interest. I believe the police should immediately remove such items,” said Nasheed, referring to the banner outside Yameen’s home.

The ‘India Out’ campaign is led by the opposition coalition, composed of PPM and PNC, to protest against Indian military presence in Maldives. Large banners reading ‘India Out’ have been put up outside the PPM headquarters and Yameen’s home, H. Dhoovehi.