President Mohamed Muizzu launched a sharp criticism of the opposition last night, describing the decision by three former presidents to work together as an alliance of “total failures.”
Speaking at a rally held to celebrate the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)’s victory in last month’s Local Council Elections, President Muizzu said the Maldives currently lacks a responsible opposition capable of working in the country’s best interests.
Referring to former presidents Mohamed Nasheed, Abdulla Yameen and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the President criticized their decision to collaborate politically, saying the public could clearly judge their records by looking at the country’s history.
“When parties who grabbed each other by the throat and stabbed each other in the back unite to talk about the nation, they are all failures,” Muizzu said during the rally at the party’s main campaign hub.
The remarks come as the three former presidents prepare to hold their first joint political meeting tomorrow night.
President Muizzu argued that while development projects were carried out during previous administrations, those same periods were also marked by political arrests, corruption allegations, and what he described as suppression of political opponents.
Without directly naming Yameen in some parts of the speech, Muizzu referred to periods in the country’s political history when “everyone political was put in jail,” while also criticizing the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration over the ventilator scandal linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President said the public has not forgotten the controversy surrounding missing ventilators during the administration of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and called on relevant authorities to ensure accountability. He also urged authorities to continue pursuing justice in relation to the MMPRC corruption scandal.
Muizzu said his administration would provide full opportunity for investigations into such cases and emphasized that his government remains focused on steering the country toward stability.
The President also touched on foreign policy, claiming that the Maldives had inherited a heavily one-sided diplomatic approach when his administration took office. He said the country is now regaining international respect through a more balanced policy centered on “Maldives First.”
“There was a time when permission from one specific country was needed to meet others,” he said, while reiterating that his administration’s priority is protecting the interests of Maldivians.
Muizzu further claimed that the positive results of the government’s current foreign policy direction would become visible in the near future.
