Saleem: Ameer is a traitor, he must be arrested

Ibrahim Ameer, the finance minister in the last Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration, is a traitor to the country, and he must be arrested and put on trial, says Ahmed Saleem (Redwave Saleem), the parliamentary representative for Eydhafushi constituency.

Saleem is a senior politician from the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), and one of the Parliament’s longest-serving members, with 15 years under his belt.

Speaking during the parliamentary debate on the state debt bill on Wednesday, Saleem said that he sat in the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee through the last three administration.

He said that every time Ameer attended a meeting with the committee, he would tell him not to take on so much debt.

According to Salem, Ameer told him that he would continue to take as much loans as he wants – which he said constitutes to treason.

“Every time I would plead and tell him, please minister, don’t do this. This is our country. Don’t accumulate so much debt. And every time he would respond that no, I will take as much debt as I want. Therefore, Ameer must be arrested as a traitor to this country and put on trial,” he said.

Saleem said that the next finance minister would do the same, otherwise.

Saleem’s remarks come amid mounting concern over Maldives economic situation, which financial analysis believe is a combination of debt stock accumulation in the last 10 years, as well as continuously high fiscal and current account deficits over the same period.

Saleem, along with many other PNC lawmakers, have blamed the situation on the MDP administration, which held office from 2018-2023.

But at a press conference held by the MDP last weekend, Ameer blamed the situation on the incumbent administration’s “incompetence”. He also accused the government of shifting blame to hide its alleged incompetence.

On Thursday, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced the roll out of measures to cut the state’s recurrent expenditure, including reducing the number of political appointees, and reducing the spending on or cancelling official events.

One upcoming event the president has decided to cancel is the Independence Day reception and parade.