President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, has said that the Maldives is truly free today because the country has embraced the spirit of political change.
Speaking at the official ceremony marking the Maldives' 61st Independence Day, President Muizzu outlined the efforts being made across various sectors to strengthen the nation's freedom.
He said that genuine national freedom depends on the full realisation of democratic freedoms. According to the President, no previous administration in the country's history had implemented democratic freedoms to the extent achieved by his government.
President Muizzu noted that there are now no obstacles preventing political activity in the Maldives. He said that, whereas opposition political leaders were imprisoned under previous governments, today all political groups are free to operate without restriction.
"No political leader has been arrested during my tenure. No former president has been imprisoned. This was once the norm in our country. Whenever a new government came to power, people expected the outgoing leader to end up in prison. That was not the spirit of political change," the President said.
He added that one of his key pledges was to eliminate this culture of political retaliation, and that the Maldives has now been freed from what he described as a toxic political mindset. He also said that the long-standing culture of persecution had been brought to an end and that democracy was now being implemented in its fullest sense.
The President further stated that his administration had ensured the broadest protection of democratic freedoms, including freedom of expression and press freedom. However, he stressed that these freedoms must be exercised within the limits set by the Constitution, the laws of the Maldives, and the principles of Islam.