First Lady taking the podium proves President Yameen's 'laziness': MP Ameeth

Member of parliament (MP) and representative of Maduvvari constituency Abdulla Ameeth said that President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom's wife Fathimath Ibrahim taking the podium proves the President's laziness.

While speaking on Fala Surukhee program at RaajjeMV on Saturday, MP Ameeth mentioned that regardless of the fact that Madam Fathun is President Yameen's wife, she does not have any governmental responsibilities. Therefore, he added that since she does not have any political duties assigned under the law, she does not have any responsibilities towards the people of Maldives.

In reference to the Progressive Party of Maldives' (PPM) meeting held in Gn. Fuvahmulah, Ameeth said that apart from President's laziness, the First Couple's relationship dynamics become obvious when things have gone to the extent where Madam Fathun uses the podium to thank her own husband.

'When she (First Lady) thanked her own husband by saying 'thank you President Yameen' from a podium, their relationship dynamics are easily imagineable. It proves the laziness of the president as well. It is extremely frowned upon in our community as well as humanitarian standards, when one sends off their wife to make courtesy visits in the hot sun and give speeches in front of podiums under the rain, while the husband sits at home watching it on TV with his feet up on the table. The people did not assign Fathimath Ibrahim Didi to make courtesy calls to check up on citizens. People of the Maldives elected a man named Yameen to take on that responsibility. According to the law, a President Yameen is responsible to visit people all over Maldives to check up on them, hear their concerns and see what the government can do to help, and therefore these visits must be made by him instead', said Ameeth on Saturday.

Additionally, with regards to Anti Corruption Commission's (ACC) President Hassan Luthfee's testimony given against Chief of Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed which got leaked on social media, MP Ameeth mentioned that some people have gotten appointed to independent institutions for getting 100 members to register for the ruling party PPM, and added that those people will know who they are when he mentions it in that manner.

Furthermore, MP Ameeth urged that ACC's president must not be someone who lives with the President's blessings and added that currently its obvious that the heads of independent institutions lack integrity. He also said that the public does not trust these individuals who seem to think that they will be impaired without President Yameen's approval.