Muizzu’s objective is to replicate the 30-year rule: Falah

Former Member of Parliament for West Maafannu constituency, Mohamed Falah, has stated that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s policies are aimed at reinstating the 30-year long-term rule previously seen in the Maldives and undermining the voting power of the citizens.

Speaking on RaajjeTV’s "Noonekey" program, Falah stated that many of the services citizens enjoy today are the direct benefits of having the power of the vote in their hands. He noted that initiatives such as elderly pensions, a healthcare system that eliminates the need to beg for medical assistance, and the opportunity for children to pursue free degrees were made possible through the people's efforts to secure those rights. Furthermore, Falah highlighted that the transparency of state revenue within the national budget is also a result of the rights granted to citizens through the power of the vote.

Falah stated that President Muizzu is currently working to restrict the choices available to the people. Criticizing the pledges made during the last presidential campaign, Falah remarked that the administration is attempting to revive a superficial approach to development, where visiting islands to dig a small trench and pour a bucket of cement was presented as progress.

"They visit every island, dig a square hole, lower a foundation stone, mix a bucket of cement, pour it in, and claim, 'This is the development of this island.' This is the era the current government is attempting to bring back. The current leader is aiming to remain in power for more than thirty years. Therefore, today’s youth must understand that the progress and benefits enjoyed by the Maldivian people were only achieved because we worked tirelessly to secure the right to vote. What the incumbent President is now attempting to do by consolidating the Parliamentary and Presidential elections is to ensure that citizens are only contacted once every five years. Otherwise, he is forced to walk from house to house every afternoon, sweating under the scorching sun. He simply wants to put an end to that accountability."

Mohamed Falah, the former Member of Parliament for the West Maafannu constituency.

Furthermore, Falah characterized the government's efforts to synchronize presidential and parliamentary elections as a move to minimize direct engagement with the public. He asserted that by combining these elections, political leaders would only seek out the people once every five years, suggesting that the President now views the act of walking door-to-door in the heat to meet citizens as beneath him.

Falah further stated that structuring affairs in a way that removes the obligation for public officials to remain accountable and accessible to the people is an attempt to return the Maldives to a 30-year long autocracy. He emphasized that today's youth must be aware of these developments and remember that the progress and benefits enjoyed by the citizens are the hard-won results of the struggle to secure the right to vote.