Yameen cannot hide his tyranny by calling Maldives a small nation: ex-foreign minister

Former Foreign Minister and current member of Parliament, Abdulla Shahid has said that President Abdulla Yameen cannot conceal his tyranny by calling the Maldives a small State.

The North-Henveiru constituency MP made the statement on RaajjeTV's Fala Surukhee programme on Friday night, where he noted that the Maldives' image has been ruined because of President Yameen's actions.

"No matter how much President Yameen tries to conceal his tyranny by calling Maldives a small nation, he cannot. The country's image has been ruined far beyond that," said Shahid.

The former foreign minister said this is response to a statement released by the Government of Maldives after losing United Nations Security Council seat on Friday, saying that it "is disappointed that small States are not getting the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the international peace and security".

Shahid also took to twitter to share his thoughts on Maldives' huge loss at the UNSC.

"In 2008, as then Foreign Minister, it was my honor and privilege to submit Maldives’ candidature for the 2019 -2020 UNSC. Losing our bid in the election today [Friday] by securing only 46 votes is a sad reflection of how low Maldives standing has been dragged down by the current regime," reads his tweet.

Indonesia defeated the Maldives for the Asia-Pacific seat at UNSC with 144 votes on Friday, while Maldives was able to secure only 46 votes.

Shahid also noted that the Foreign Minister Dr. Mohamed Asim was not present during the vote, and added that it 'is a must' for a country's foreign minister to be present and that this is an international procedure. He also highlighted that President Abdulla Yameen has failed to attend any UN General Assembly meetings since assuming power.