Of former presidents, only Nasheed and Waheed attended MACL ceremony

While MACL extended invitations to all former Presidents for last night's ceremony to inaugurate the new terminal at Velana International Airport, only two former leaders accepted the invitation and attended.

Former Presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Dr Mohamed Waheed were seen at last night's ceremony.

MACL had also invited former Presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Abdulla Yameen and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Nasheed was praised by many for participating in the inauguration despite being a vocal critic of developing the airport through hefty foreign loans.

Nasheed also attended the flag hoisting ceremony on Independence Day. Photos of him at the event were widely shared on social media, with many sharing the view that unity in national matters despite political differences is commendable.

This year, the government invited all former Presidents to all official Independence Day events, including the flag hoisting ceremony, festivities at Republic Square, and the official ceremony held this morning.

Former Presidents Nasheed and Waheed both attended the flag hoisting ceremony and evening festivities at Republic Square.

In his address at the new terminal inauguration, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu recognized the contributions of both former Presidents Abdulla Yameen and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the project.

The new terminal project was commenced during Yameen's administration in 2016, and was continued after Solih assumed office in 2018.

The President expressed confidence that the new terminal would prove to be a boon to the Maldives' economy.