The opposition MDP will never support Israel and will always stand with the Palestinian people, former President and MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed said last night.
"We will always stand with the Palestinian people who are striving for freedom," Nasheed said while addressing a meeting at MDP headquarters.
Reaffirming the party's position, Nasheed said the MDP would continue to support Palestine.
During his speech, Nasheed also commented on the country's economic situation, criticizing the government's handling of foreign currency and debt repayments for the shortage of US dollars.
He said one of the reasons for the dollar shortage was the government's inability to secure sufficient foreign currency despite receiving external assistance.
Criticizing the government's debt repayment strategy, Nasheed said countries that are unable to meet debt obligations typically seek to restructure their loans rather than repay them immediately.
"The normal practice is that when countries or individuals cannot repay a debt, they go to the lender and ask for more time to restructure it. They did not know how to do that," he said.
Nasheed alleged that the government had used "every single dollar" available to repay foreign debt.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has previously defended the government's debt management, saying it has repaid inherited loans without taking on additional borrowing.
Speaking on June 14, President Muizzu said the government had repaid USD 1.2 billion in external debt, including USD 891 million borrowed during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration, USD 195 million from former President Abdulla Yameen's administration, USD 62.5 million from the combined administrations of Mohamed Nasheed and Mohamed Waheed, and USD 38.1 million borrowed during former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's administration.
Nasheed, however, claimed the government had spent more than USD 1 billion on debt repayments so far this year.
"Then what will be left in the country? There are no dollars left," he said.
He also claimed the rising value of the US dollar had driven up the prices of goods and services, adding that the MDP regularly monitors prices in local markets.
"The prices of goods have gone beyond what people can tolerate. It is difficult to believe the inflation figures being presented by the Maldives Monetary Authority and the Finance Ministry. When we ask shops about prices, the answers are very different from what they are saying," Nasheed said.
