Protests over inflation to start again

Ibrahim Nazim, belonging to the “Z Faction” of Divehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), the main opposition in the Maldives. said today that “the young people’s protests” over steadily increasing prices of essential goods and services would start again tonight. Nazim said that protests would begin at the Artificial Beach at 8:45 tonight.

Nazim said that the decision to restart protests 3 months after the first series of “youth protests” had been made as inflation intensified and prices of basic goods skyrocketed, causing great pains to the people.

“We actually planned to hold the next round of protests after Ramadan. However, we have to make it sooner because rising prices have strangled the people and the room for patience has disappeared. The government is treating the people like vermin, and that is why we are forced to start demonstrations”, said Nazim. He said that invitation to participate in the protests had been communicated to political parties including the Z Faction of DRP, although no parties had yet given a positive reply.

“We have invited political parties. However, we would not wait for their ranks. We ourselves would go out as planned, and the series of protests would continue from tonight”, Nazim said.

The protests would be conducted with “Prices rising up, people suffering” as a theme. Flyers were distributed today by the organizers, which said that “the youth would go on protests tonight” and assured that “the protests would be peaceful and no illegal activities would be committed”.

During the first round of protests organized by a band of anti-government youth, there were confrontations between the protesters and the police, in which many sustained various degrees of injuries. Protests were stopped after several meetings between government officials and the organizers.