Maldives National Party's (MNP) President Mohamed Nazim (Colonel Nazim) has claimed the commemoration of Victory Day at a national level, should be state mandated.
Nazim served as a military officer, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel, in Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) for 18 years before his political career.
The former military man and current Dhangethi MP had claimed local communities no longer reflected the unity and friendliness it was once admired for, and that the people were slowly losing nationalist sentiments and their love for their home country.
The politician used the 2004 tsunami crises as an anecdotal proof on the country's once admired unity and nationalism. Following the aftermath of the waves destroying some of the islands completely, while most of the inhabited islands had various degrees of damages, the public came to the assistance of the lesser faring members.
Nazim, who had also been a former Defense Minister, claimed that the loss of nationalism from public was due to government administrations failing to foster the love and spirit of nationalism among the people.
While lambasting the current administration heavily, he said, "This administration did not commemorate [Victory Day]. I don't know why they [government] did not celebrate this day."
Meanwhile, criticism has been directed towards ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for its inaction to commemorate Victory Day whenever the party was in power.
Victory Day is commemorated in the Maldives to mark the island's victory on November 3, 1988. A group of Tamil insurgents from Sri Lanka led by a local mastermind attempted to overthrow former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's presidency through a coup, which ended in bloodshed with 19 Maldivians losing their lives on that day. Maldives eventually emerged victorious with the help of the Indian military.
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