Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s philosophy is to meet with the citizens, get their approval, and then win the presidential election, says the party’s chairperson Hassan Latheef.

Speaking on RaajjeTV’s ‘Fala Surukhee’ programme on Wednesday, Hassan Latheef said that MDP is willing to engage with citizens and try to solve their problems.

He said it was also important to know the state of citizens living in the atolls and that there are few islands that MDP has not gone to.

“The trips are important because then we can go to citizens, talk to them and ask questions.”

He said that their real thoughts and struggles can only be known after spending time with them.

He also said that a party manifesto cannot be drafted without knowing the concerns of citizens and that what the party leader, former President Mohamed Nasheed, says by the ‘other Maldives’ is the future result of MDP’s manifesto where citizens will not have to beg to get solutions for their numerous problems.

The manifesto is being drafted through many discussions and it will keep changing all the way up to its printing, said Latheef.

Responding to the claim that incumbent President Abdullla Yameen’s manifesto is being kept a secret, Latheef said that it was not the way manifestos are supposed to be drafted and that in this way the concerns of citizens cannot be known.

He added that President Yameen will not get any support by forcing people to attend his rallies.