MP for Kanditheemu constituency Ameen Faisal has stated that it was members of the current government who took to the streets during the Covid-19 pandemic, vowing to continue protesting even if it led to the spread of the disease.

During Wednesday’s parliamentary debate on the bill to repeal the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Act, the lawmaker argued that people will exercise their freedoms of expression and assembly regardless of whether such freedoms are formally granted.

Recalling the Covid-19 period, he said figures now in government were among those who protested despite the public health risks, adding that current People’s Majlis Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla was also part of those demonstrations.

Ameen also noted that before entering politics, he worked as a teacher, and that the political ideology now in power conducted activities in ways that made it difficult for him to fulfil his responsibilities in that role.

Emphasizing the importance of the right to protest, he pointed out that during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, councilors and citizens aligned with the current ruling ideology staged protests when Solih visited Shaviyani atoll. By contrast, he said that when President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu recently visited the same atoll, there were no protests, something he described as reflective of their mindset.