JP's president continues to slam party leader

Jumhooree Party (JP)’s president, Tourism Minister Ali Waheed continues to criticize party leader Qasim Ibrahim.

Despite the party being at odds with the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Waheed has been joining the latter’s campaign rallies for Saturday’s parliamentary elections.

As such, Minister Waheed was in Hinnavaru island to attend MDP candidate Jeehaan Mahmood’s campaign rally.

Speaking there, Waheed declared that it was President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih that picked him to be a minister, “not Qasim.”

While President Solih was elected through a coalition of four parties, which includes JP, it has been reported that cabinet ministers and other government positions were given out “based on party quotas.”

Waheed was in self-exile in the United Kingdom when Qasim traveled to Germany, under a “special permit,” after being sentenced to 38 months in prison on bribery charges; he traveled to Germany after being granted medical leave to Singapore.

Recalling their days in exile, Waheed stated that he did not want to return to Maldives even after Solih won presidency, but that he changed his mind due to respect for Qasim.

He added that the JP leader had vowed that his name will be the first nomination from the party, to the cabinet, if he returned.

However, the tourism minister said that Qasim had “lied” to him about sending his name.

Noting that he found this out later, Waheed said that he had confronted Qasim on the matter, but that he had refused to give a “direct answer.”

He added that his name was sent after this interaction.

Also at Thursday’s rally, Waheed heavily criticized JP’s decision to support opposition ‘Progressive Congress’ coalition’s candidate for Hoarafushi constituency and its current parliament representative, Mohamed Ismail.

Noting that he is someone that has admitted to "distributing sacks of money to lawmakers," Waheed said that “this is the same on spitting on one’s self.”

Furthermore, he also criticized some candidates of Jumhooree Party, saying that some of them are complicit in the previous administration’s corruption.

He urged the public to vote for JP candidates “that have been with the party prior to September’s election,” and to vote for MDP candidates in other constituencies.

While JP’s official stand is with the Progressive Coalition in the parliamentary elections, a number of its senior officials continue to take part in MDP’s campaign activities. This includes transport minister and Qasim’s wife, Aishath Nahula.

Minister Nahula has been joining MDP’s candidate for Hoarafushi constituency, Ahmed Saleem’s campaign rallies.