A leader, when he loses control of the situation, should not blame the military: President

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has said that it is not fair that a country’s leader, when he loses control of the situation, resigns from his post and blames the police and the military of having committed crimes.

The President said in his farewell address to the nation today, that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s actions on the day that he resigned resulted in several challenges for the security forces.

In his speech the President said that the past 21 months as President were not easy in any way.

“The opportunity to serve this country was a special pleasure. The past 21 months as the President is the most valued experience in my life. While those days were hard and stressful, I served with pleasure. I thank the beloved citizens for giving me that opportunity. As I step down as the Head of State, I sincerely thank all those who worked with me,” said the President.

The President said that having to work under a legal framework that had constrained the powers of the President in ending a thirty-year government, it was only patience and compromises that paved the way for an election where three candidates were competing. He added that while the people might feel the government was weak because of that, had the government failed to work with patience and compromise, the country would not have arrived at the current stage.

The President said one of the priorities during his tenure was to enhance the area of foreign relations, adding that the long-standing non-aligned, independent foreign policy with an Islamic character was changed by the then government.

He also detailed several important achievements during his presidency.

“The government reformed Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) and over the past ten months, the company made a profit of MVR 3.4 billion. 42,000 tons of fish and fish products were exported last year. MVR 2 billion was repaid for loans taken by the previous government. Six new resorts were opened, resulting in 871 additional beds. A total of 2,034 students were given the chance for higher education through the Student Loan Scheme in 2012 and 2013,” he said.

President Waheed said that he does not wish to extend the government’s term through a court order, however, he decided to remain in office after 10 November to uphold the rule of law in the country, and to confirm protection for the military and the police.