Yameen surrounded by people with facade of being good: Abdul Raheem

Special Advisor to the President Abdul Raheem Abdulla has shot back at criticisms of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's government by former president Abdulla Yameen, remarking on the words and actions of Yameen's closest aides in the past.

Abdul Raheem, who ran the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) / People's National Congress (PNC) coalition during former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's government, made the comments about Yameen's former vice president Dr. Mohamed Jameel, his relative and former minister Maleeh Jamaal and the former Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed.

Dr. Jameel and Maleeh have in the past spoken against former president Yaameen at various platforms, and played a pivotal role in assisting the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in toppling his government. Dr Jameel has previously worked with different MDP affiliates to attack Yameen's reputation on opposition platforms.

In a panel discussion held by the PNC leadership on Sunday, Abdul Raheem remarked that former president Yameen would be hard pressed to find even a wife or son more loyal to him than PPM/PNC. He added that they had worked hard to free him from prison, and questioned why the reward for their efforts was to be discredited and devalued in front of others.

"Yameen has no wife or child more sincere than PPM/PNC. It affected us. What a great sacrifice we made. What a heartbreaking situation we suffered. After all the work we did, the price of it was disgracing us in front of the entire people?" Abdul Raheem remarked emotionally.

Abdul Raheem said the best way for the country is to vote for the PPM/PNC once more as the people did in the last presidential election.

While campaign efforts for the Parliamentary Elections scheduled for 21 April are booming with excitement all around the country, Abdul Raheem has been on the campaign trail responding to allegations made against the ruling coalition by Yameen and his close associates.

Speaking from a religious angle, Abdul Raheem said that if someone is coming to you with news, the best way to proceed is finding out who has brought it to you. He said that Yameen is surrounded by people who are pretending to be "very good" right now as they accompany him.

Among them, Abdul Raheem mentioned the first police commissioner of Yameen's government.

Referring to the explosion that happened on Finifenmaa launch while Yameen was president, Abdul Raheem said that Hussain Waheed had declined to share information about the blast with Yameen for nine months, instead choosing to disclose it to then vice president Ahmed Adeeb against which Yameen had expressed discontent.

Abdul Raheem went on to note that Hussain Waheed had not participated in the demonstrations and protests held calling for the release of former president Yaameen after his sentencing. Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal, who was Minister of Communications under the Solih administration, was also described by Abdul Raheem as having "stayed inside an airconditioned room" in their time of need.

Maleeh, Jameel and Hussain Waheed are now leaders of the People's National Front (PNF) formed by the son of former president Yameen. Referring to how he had brought close people who had done next to nothing to free him from prison, Abdul Raheem stated that Yameen has still not learned how people behave.

"There is no one in charge there who wants betterment for the country. What have they contributed?" said Abdul Raheem. He added that while they had held online and in-person events calling for the release of former president Yameen, his current associates had not participated in those efforts.

Abdul Raheem clarified that he was making these comments as he did not feel appreciated for his hard work.

"...[because] sincere work by a person is not valued. It is sad that they have still not learned how people work. We don't want former president Yameen to be disgraced in front of people like Jameel, Maleeh and Hussain Waheed were," said Abdul Raheem.

Expressing dissatisfaction with questions posed against the sincerity of the PPM/PNC coalition, Abdul Raheem said that when political leaders were arrested, their wives usually went out to protest for their release. He remarked that former president Yameen's wife Fathimath Ibrahim and his son Zain had declined from participating in the protests organized by them calling for the release of Yameen from prison.

Abdul Raheem questioned what criticism could be aimed at the PPM/PNC leadership after taking into account the details of what had happened.