A flag hoisting ceremony was held this morning to celebrate the 21st anniversary of MDP, the first and oldest political party in the Maldives.
To mark MDP turning 21 years old, a cake cutting ceremony along with the flag hoisting was held at the party's main haruge (activity center) located on Chandhanee Magu. Some officials from the party's leadership participated in the ceremony as well. General members also attended.
Speaking after the ceremony, MDP Deputy Chairperson Ibrahim Waheed stated that they are not concluding the celebration of the party's anniversary simply by cutting a cake, and that the anniversary activities will be carried out spread across the entire year.
According to Waheed, activities to celebrate MDP's anniversary will also be carried out in various islands today.
"On this occasion, I extend a very warm congratulations to all members of the party. Many parties that were formed alongside us have now even dissolved, but we have managed to bring this party this far as the oldest party in the Maldives for 21 years due to the hard work and courage of the party's general members," he said.
To celebrate MDP's anniversary, the party's youth wing, "Zuvaanunge Hivvaru," has also scheduled a "bondibaiy" (traditional sweet rice) feast at the haruge tonight.
As MDP marked 21 years, former President Mohamed Nasheed was elected as the party's new Chairperson this month.
As Nasheed pledged when contesting for the Chairperson post, a special office named "Bodu Badhalu" (The Big Change) has also now been established within MDP. The Director General of the office is the party's former Chairperson, Hassan Latheef.
"The biggest responsibility of the Bodu Badhalu office will be conducting discussions [regarding changes preferred to be brought to the Maldives], conducting workshops, conducting seminars, and also conducting relevant meetings," Nasheed had said.
He contested for the MDP Chairperson post with a manifesto agreed upon by both individuals, supporting MDP fielding Fayyaz as its presidential candidate. One of the things included in that manifesto is changing the governance system of the Maldives to a mixed system encompassing many characteristics of a parliamentary system.
