President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has highlighted the constitution is not a perfect fit for Maldives in its entirety. President Abdulla Yameen made the statement at the Presidential Debate 2018, organised by the Maldives National University (MNU). In the notable absence of the opposition presidential candidate, President Yameen defended his career and policies while revealing his vision for a prospective second term in office.
When asked about the ruling party’s criticism of the new constitution despite the fact President Yameen was a member of the parliament that drafted it, he explained that at the time, amending the existing constitution was a necessity and that, it was that necessity that lead to the formulation of the new constitution. The president further noted former President Mohamed Naheed has also agreed with the fact the new constitution needed amending.
When asked to comment on the negative social impact of partisan politics, President Yameen said the solution for the polarisation caused by partisan politics would be political maturity. Speaking about political immaturity, the president stated arbitrary detention was a habit of the previous administration.
“I have never carried out arbitrary arrests; nor have I deployed military tanks to arrest people,” President Yameen said.
The president added there were no political detainees behind bars, although they are political leaders. The president added they were detained due to offences committed, which were then backed up by court verdicts. However, he stated while the president has no influence over decisions made by the Prosecutor General, it is a responsibility of the accused to prove their innocence if not guilty, during trial.
Speaking about the parliament members who lost their seats due to floor crossing, the president said that too was declared by the Supreme Court. “I do not regret, nor do I apologise for the floor crossing members losing their seats at parliament,” said the president.
When asked about the assumptions that politicians empower gangs, President Yameen refused to label groups as gangs, noting that it has a negative connotation. However, the president acknowledged the existence of violent crimes and said his hope was to steer all Maldivians towards the right path and to live in peace and harmony. Noting in the past five years, youth have been provided employment and opportunity to occupy time efficiently, the president noted solutions for social problems need time.
“It is easy to bring economic change; change in numbers but it is difficult to change the human psyche; so we need time to understand and solve the issue of violence”, the president said. He said if given five more years in office, violent crimes would be decreased drastically.
When asked about the foreign policy of Maldives and the vulnerability in the face of regional powers such as China and India, President Yameen said the decision to exit the Commonwealth alone proves the administration would not allow foreign influence on internal matters. He added no foreign power has been able to exert undue influence over Maldives within the past five years.