President Abdulla Yameen has blamed his nephew and Dhiggaru MP Faris Maumoon “and party members like him” for the setbacks faced by ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

At the inauguration ceremony of a new harbor in M. Dhiggaru on Tuesday, President Yameen said that Faris being elected as the representative of the Dhiggaru constituency was the main cause of the difficulties faced by the ruling party.

The President said that he has never brought out the military to make mass arrest as former President Mohamed Nasheed had done but that he was “regrettably forced” to keep people in jail due to the actions of party members such as MP Faris.

Insisting that he was forced to jail some senior officials, President Yameen said that lawmakers will only receive protection and benefits if they act according to Constitutional and legal boundaries but that outside of that, they are the same as any citizen in front of the law.

He also said that it was difficult to talk about these things but that the government is still having to face difficulties due to Faris’ actions.

He warned that lawmakers will be punished just like anyone else if they commit a crime.