Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has boldly confessed to a massive political misstep, revealing his deep regret over having backed President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
He made these remarks while speaking on RaajjeTV’s ‘Fashaairu’ morning show on Thursday.
The former president voiced his regret over supporting the incumbent president, adding that he never expected the administration would become so dominated by foreign influence and marked by irresponsibility, despite the image Muizzu had presented to the public.
Absolutely. I deeply regret it. He's one of us, from our stock. I said this at a PNF gathering as well. This is someone we presented to the people from our roots. I never expected things to become this foreign influenced, this irresponsible, this reckless. I never expected it."Former President Abdulla Yameen.
Shedding light on the current situation in the island nation, Yameen said that people are now enduring very difficult and trying times.
Emphasizing two concerning issues, Yameen said that the continued presence of Indian military in the Maldives and the lack of effort to reclaim lost maritime territory is worrying.
He stated that they worked tirelessly to bring President Muizzu to power with an aim of addressing these key issues but stressed that neither has made any progress.
In addition to this, Yameen warned that the development of tourism in Chagos would pose a serious threat to Maldives’ tourism, citing the potential risk of Mauritius pursuing such a course.
Many of the young travelers coming to the Maldives are surfers. The waves there are much bigger than the waves at surfing points in the Maldives. So geologically, the environment and habitat there is much more untouched than the Maldives. This means the coral gardens and all the natural resources there are richer. If tourism starts very strongly there, we have made multi-million-dollar investments. We are seeing the difficulties in the tourism sector after making 600, 400, 500 million investments."Former President Abdulla Yameen.
Yameen also raised concerns about the potential impact of Chagos' tourism development on the Maldivian tourism industry. "Taxation has also increased, meanwhile, with tourism coming from all around, including Zanzibar, Madagascar, Indonesia, Bangkok, and so many other places."
He questioned how Maldives will compete with it if tourism starts in Chagos, selling for USD 60, USD 70, USD 80.
He went on to stress that the Chagos issue is not only about losing sea territory and marine resources, but also the threat to the nation's tourism sector.
Yameen stressed that no one is talking about the tourism angle or tourism dimension in this and that it is understandable that if tourism starts there and these things unfold, as the beaches there are just like the Maldives.
He added that geologically, Chagos is on our plateau and that it is not acceptable to let it go or to let it happen without a fight.
Yameen stressed that when the matter was brought before the United Nations, the Maldives failed to take stronger action and didn't make a fuss about it.
The former president noted that Chagos, comprising eight atolls with pristine islands, is strikingly similar to the Maldives, having been formed in much the same way.
He added that Chagos has beautiful lagoons like the Maldives and stressed that after considering all aspects, the Maldives needs to advocate for this issue.
