Deputy speaker of parliament Moosa Manik has said that he refuses to work with former presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Speaking to online news outlet Avas, the deputy speaker said that he also refuses to be in a political party alongside the two presidents.

However, Moosa Manik said that he is no longer resentful of Gayoom, as the elderly statesman has also experienced torture in prison and has since accepted its injustice.

He said that he has nothing personal against Nasheed but refuses to work with him on account of his political beliefs.

Moosa Manik, who worked closely with Nasheed in Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) before leaving, said that Nasheed’s selfish “I am the man” ideology led many to leave the party.

He also accused Nasheed of treating president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s as “his boy” by holding huge events for himself around the country instead of helping to establish the new administration.

Moosa Manik, acknowledging that Nasheed and Solih are close friends but refused to say whether he would work in Solih’s administration.

While he claimed that the coalition government will be a hindrance to the new administration, he also praised Solih for being a smart and respected political leader.