Opposition: Maldives has lost its right to self-determination

Opposition PPM-PNC coalition said on Monday that though Maldives remains an independent country in name, the Maldivian people have lost their right to self-determination.

In a statement on occasion of the 56th anniversary of Maldives’ independence, the opposition coalition said that Maldives, today, faces significant threats to its independence that have Maldivian people who love their country weeping in sadness. 

“The country has fallen to the level where the people of a foreign country living in Maldives are given greater honor and prestige than our own people, and where the Maldivian people have been forced to abandon their age-old principles,” said the opposition coalition in its statement. 

The opposition also accused the current government of attempting to allow the practice of other religions in Maldives. 

“These are things many of our beloved Maldivian people lament and protest. The Maldivian people want the Maldives our honorable forefathers fought so hard to create to be safeguarded for our future generations,” said the opposition coalition. 

The opposition called on the government to cease all actions that threaten Maldives’ independence. 

The opposition coalition reiterated the commitment of its leader, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to do whatever is necessary to safeguard Maldives’ independence, and said the opposition will work against all actions that may threaten the country’s independence in accordance with the wishes of the Maldivian people.