Discipline trumps democracy, says Yameen
Maldivians have failed to achieve the same level of development as Singapore due to a lack of good behaviour and discipline, President Abdulla Yameen said this morning.
13 Dec 2015, 9:00 AM
Maldivians have failed to achieve the same level of development as Singapore due to a lack of good behaviour and discipline, President Abdulla Yameen said this morning.
Speaking at an official function held on the island of Utheemu to mark this year’s National Day (December 12), Yameen noted that the Maldives had gained independence before Singapore, and had faced similar challenges during the past 50 years. Both countries are small nations, with advantageous “geophysical locations,” he said.
But “In my mind, the difference is very clear…Singaporeans have a very strong discipline,” he said. “Singapore did not face disciplinary problems in the past 50 years. There was not one person who dared to challenge the sovereignty of the Singaporean state.”
Singapore also has political parties, human rights groups, and an independent judiciary as well as other democratic institutions that the Maldives had established with the adoption of the 2008 constitution, he added.
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