Parties deprived right to assembly for years, current picture different: mayor
Political parties were dispossessed of the right to host meetings, gatherings and discussions for seven years
(File photo) Male\' City Mayor, Shifa Mohamed
Shifa Mohamed, Mayor for capital Male' City, has said that the opposition coalition being able to hold a rally proves how the country's political landscape has changed in the past few years.
Shifa made these remarks in a tweet directed at the Progressive Coalition's opposition rally, "Visnaa" held in the capital on Saturday night.
The mayor tweeted that there had been a time when political parties in the Maldives were banned from hosting rallies for seven years, and that today, the opposition had been given the freedom to exercise their right of assembly so long as they followed new normal rules and regulations set by Health Protection Agency (HPA) in regards to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
While Shifa noted that political parties in the Maldives were banned from hosting rallies for seven years, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom had crushed the political opposition by obstructing rallies and assemblies during his time as head of the government.
When opposition parties had attempted to rent out venues for a gathering close to the 2018 Presidential Elections, Yameen's government had deigned to delay permits until the very last moment, forcing opposition forces to cancel their event as there was no time to prepare the venue to host attendees.
Opposition forces rallied around claiming the carnival area as a place of assembly within Male' City, which was eventually granted by Yaameen's government after extreme pressure from the public on the matter. Meanwhile, the Progressive Party of Maldives had been using the space periodically for gatherings and events without any delays or pushbacks on behalf of Yameen's administration.
One of the election pledges by the current coalition government had been to return the right to assembly for the people of Maldives, and now, opposition parties have the freedom to host political rallies and assemblies.
While the mayor noted that the "Visnaa" rally held in the carnival area on Saturday is an example of the many political freedoms that have been returned to Maldivians following the transition into a new government, it was dedicated to fishermen, farmers, taxi drivers, youth and resort workers, and punctuated by polarizing remarks from opposition leaders.
