‘All of the nation’s troubles will be addressed at once’ if defecting members of the opposition return, said Jumhooree Party (JP) leader, Qasim Ibrahim. 

His comments come at a time when lawmakers supporting the no-confidence motion against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh have called for unity among the opposition. 

In his speech at an event held to give out candidacies for 94 members contesting the upcoming local council elections, held at JP’s headquarters in Maafannu of capital city Malé, MP Ibrahim, also the longstanding representative of his native constituency, said that the citizens must have their rights guaranteed in order to ensure a stable and peaceful nation.

“When the 9 members that left JP and the members that left MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party) return, all of the nation’s troubles can be addressed at once” said Ibrahim.

He further said that if these defected members return, it would hold the government accountable and bar corruption; he also jested at the Election’s Commission’s notice to the party ordering that the JP change its flag – which resembles the national flag, if it were to be rotated – and said that then there would be no scrutinizing something ‘so inconsequential’ either.

JP’s support for President Abdulla Yameen in the runoff rounds of the 2013 presidential elections is often credited to be a large factor in his election. Ibrahim, the kingmaker, said at Saturday’s event that the government’s ‘treachery knows no limits’.  

While he reaffirmed his commitment to ousting President Yameen, within legal ambit as he reiterated, Ibrahim said his fear was not for himself, but for the 5,000 employees that work for Villa, his conglomerate enterprise.