Aslam: Questionable whether Nasheed’s faction is MDP

Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) parliamentary group leader, North Hithadhoo MP Mohamed Aslam, noting 65 members of the parliament are representatives of his party, has remarked there is no surety whether some of these members are MDP members who believe in the party’s fundamentals.

A special function was held on Wednesday night at K. Gulhi to kick off the campaign of MDP’s candidate Ibrahim Shaaz for Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election.

Speaking at the function, Aslam stressed that there was no surety whether some MDP members actually qualified as MDP members. He went on to accuse these members of defying the party’s fundamentals more so than the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). Aslam was indirectly referring to the present political undertakings of MDP’s leader, Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and his supporters.

“There are 65 MDP members in the parliament. A fact, yes. However, at present, it is questionable whether some of these members are MDP members as they critique MDP’s fundamentals and policies even more than PPM,” he said.

Aslam is referring to 12 MDP MPs who work alongside Nasheed, in his ‘Fikuregge Dhirun’ campaign.

“Honorable members of the parliament should be individuals who uphold their honor and exercise the power of that honor accordingly. Members of the parliament should not be individuals that pave way for lies, deceit, and upheaval,” he said.

Speaking further, Aslam directly criticized Nasheed citing candidates losing internal elections must back the winner in demonstration of good examples. This was also in reference to Salman Rasheed, who lost MDP’s primary for Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election to Shaaz, following which he decided to back the winning candidate. On this note, he urged Nasheed to back the winning candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.