Nasheed is trying to get security forces

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has said that former President Mohamed Nasheed is trying to get the assent of the security forces as we move closer to voting day, after having called them traitors following the change of government on 7 February 2012.

PPM Spokesperson and Galolhu-South MP Ahmed Mahloof said at a press conference at PPM Office that Nasheed, after he voluntarily resigned on 7 February 2012, persecuted the police and members of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and accused them of having conducted a coup to overthrow the government.

“President Nasheed wants to get the assent of the police and MNDF as voting day draws near. But after his resignation he said that a coup had been conducted by the security forces. And then without verifying any facts he accused everyone, including the people who were on leave that day, of being traitors. He made life difficult even for their families. Now he says that it was only two or three police officers that conducted the coup. But I would say that none of the family members of those people would give even one vote for Nasheed. They will all vote for the PPM candidate,” Mahloof said.

Following this claim by PPM, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Spokesperson and Maafannu-North MP Imthiyaz Fahmy has said that they never said that all police and MNDF officers participated in the coup. He said that MDP would continue to call those who participated in the coup traitors, and that the people of the Maldives are aware of this fact.

“We never said that all police and MNDF officers are traitors. There are patriotic police and MNDF personnel, and there are traitor police and MNDF personnel. We haven’t, and won’t change that,” he said.