Pres: I ended PPM administration’s cruelty

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih states that the former Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s administration was known for its cruelty, and that the Maldivian people, when they vote in the upcoming election, must consider how his administration brought an end to that.

He made the remark during a campaign rally in Dhaalu Rinbidhoo on Monday.

Addressing the rally, President Solih said that imprisonment of dissidents had been commonplace back during the PPM administration.

He said that cruelty had been the previous administration’s defining attribute.

President Solih said that in addition to the crackdown on political dissent, the press and the courts were denied freedom.

He said that this had all changed since he came to office in 2018.

The president said he faces re-election for a second term in office with the goal of guaranteeing a happy and safe Maldives.

“We have established peace and stability the last five years,” he said.

He said that despite the small size of Rinbidhoo’s population, his administration did not sideline the island, but instead ran important projects such as the establishment of water and sanitation systems, and the development of a harbor.

The president said that if elected for a second term, he will; develop a modern mosque in Rinbidhoo, build classrooms and provide additional resources needed for the island’s school, protect the island from coastal erosion, and develop the island’s health center.

He also said he would try to issue land from the island.