Nasheed: It would be ‘foolhardy’ to reject help from Maumoon

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has said that it would be ‘foolhardy’ the opposition to reject the assistance of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – who he beat in the elections to come to power – when Maumoon was on the same page as the opposition.

Nasheed, who is living in exile, traveled back to the UK on Monday after his trip to Sri Lanka back in August.

He made the remarks in an interview with Indian Express before he left for UK, where he has been granted political asylum.

Nasheed said that current Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom currently stood on shaky ground, and that he believed there was enough factors playing in the opposition’s favor to make a transitional arrangement by forming a unity government before the Presidential Elections 2018.

He said that Maldives United Opposition, along with dissidents from ruling political party in Maldives, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), led by its leader Maumoon would be a part of the possible unity government.

“How exactly this will be triggered, the modalities of how exactly we will migrate to a transitional government, are under discussion, but we will not want to depart from peaceful politics. We don’t have violent political coups in the Maldives,” said Nasheed in the interview with Indian Express, adding, “What we want to see is a democratic arrangement, a democratic government in the Maldives.”

Nasheed said that the opposition had always understood democracy to be the best path for the development and prosperity of the country.

“We’ve always advocated that, and when we see Gayoom on the same page as us, it would be very foolhardy of us to turn around and go,” said Nasheed.

Nasheed came to power after winning the Presidential Election 2008, leading a massive opposition movement which ended Maumoon’s long regime as president.

Though political adversaries, Maumoon and Nasheed have been spotted in social events together, the most noteworthy of which was when they took a selfie together while watching an AFC Challenge Cup fixture at the national football stadium of Maldives in 2014.

A rift between Maumoon and his half-brother Yameen developed noticeably when Maumoon started expressing concern over some of the bills being passed by the government through the People’s Majlis.

Yameen was seen to encourage PPM lawmakers to vote for the bills while Maumoon asked them to vote against them, creating a rift within the party.

Some such bills include the controversial bill of defamation and freedom of speech and the bill which provides the authority for government to lease land, lagoons and islands for tourism without an open bidding process – both of which are now laws.

Maumoon’s daughter Dhunya Maumoon, who had been the Minister of Foreign Affairs from day one of Yameen’s administration resigned after the falling-out, citing a difference of opinion with the government’s standing policy on enforcement of capital punishment.