No room for opposition's 'anarchism', says Maldives pres

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Monday referred to the opposition as ‘anarchists’, and assured that there will be no room to disrupt the peace and stability of the nation.

Speaking at the ceremony hosted by the president and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim at ‘Rasfannu’ beach for the elderly community living in capital Male, the president claimed that upholding democratic values is of utmost importance to the current regime. He further said that the opposition leaders must remember these values whilst addressing the public.

“Encouraging citizens to assault police and army officers is unacceptable. It is not ‘democratic’. These are deliberate attempts to violate the peace in the country,” the president said.

“These are ‘anarchist’ ideologies. These are ideas that destroy. Being democratic means achieving what [they] want to achieve within the confines of the law.”

Taking a jab at the opposition, the president said that he would not allow opposition leaders to make false accusations about the country on international platforms.

“Democracy is not a concept that was conceived by a single individual. A truly democratic system guarantees the same rights and freedoms for all the citizens. In this system, no one party is stronger than the other.”

Addressing the elderly community specifically, President Yameen highlighted the important role they play in society and said that they are responsible for creating a younger generation who are respectable and productive. He called on his supporters gathered at Rasfannu to work with the government to create a generation that will contribute to the development of the nation.

“We need to provide proper guidance to the youth – we need to provide adequate guidance to political leaders too. I am not exempted from this. And [you] need to provide guidance to anyone who strays from the right path,” President Yameen said.

In his speech, he reassured the elderly community that the government gives its utmost priority to their needs and noted the “Tharika” programme that the government instigated especially for the elderly to hear their needs.