Former State Minister and niece to incumbent President Abdullah Yameen, Yumna Maumoon, has questioned her uncle’s claims of development and progress.

Speaking in the joint opposition rally in Vilingili island on Thursday night, Yumna questioned on how the Government can claim development when the entire nation as a whole was unsafe. She also questioned how development can be achieved while exploiting natural resources of the land along with culture and heritage.

Referring to the multiple agreements made that did not offer much benefit to the nation, Yumna further questioned on how development can come at the hands of modern colonialism. She also noted that Maldives was becoming increasingly isolated on the global sphere.

Development, she said, cannot come at the expense of loss of identity, culture, heritage and integrity as well as independence.

The real victory, she stressed was being able to unite differing views and bring in development. As such, Yumna said the opposition parties were striving for this goal and to reform the nation, including the judiciary and the Parliament.

In spite of the challenges, Yumna said the opposition was united and will continue ahead.

Yumna also referred to her brother, jailed Dhiggaru Constituency representative, Ahmed Faris Maumoon, who had recently marked 150 days in jail with no sentence. She assured that her brother was well and steadfast in their goal to bring change to the nation.

She had called on the current Government to release MP Faris, Jumhooree Party Leader Qasim Ibrahim, Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdullah and former Defense Minister Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim; all who had been jailed on trumped up charges.