The full transcript of Gayoom’s speech on withdrawing support for Yameen
Gayoom withdrew support for his brother, Yameen, accusing him of cracking down on dissent and facilitating corruption, and went on to condemn for the first time, the jailing of opposition leaders in his three-year rule
29 Oct 2016, 9:00 AM
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom delivered an impassioned speech on the civil war roiling the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives; his half-brother and incumbent President Abdulla Yameen has seized control, sending in the police to block Gayoom from accessing its headquarters on Thursday.
The 78-year-old former strongman withdrew support for Yameen, accusing him of cracking down on dissent, and condemned, for the first time, the jailing of opposition leaders under his three-year rule.
“Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Progressive Party of the Maldives. On this happy occasion, I extend warm greetings to the members of the party, members of the council, MPs, members of various committees, the party’s secretarial staff, the two vice presidents of the party, and the party’s advisor, the leaders of the party’s branches and in general all of the members of the party.
The PPM, without a doubt, is a very successful party, the most successful party seen to be active in the past five years. Today, the PPM is the party with the most number of valid members in the Maldives. This is a major success, one we achieved in a very short period of time, with Allah’s grace. The PPM has also won in elections against all other parties in the past five years, including the parliamentary elections in 2014. Without doubt, the past five years have been very successful for the PPM. This is because of the hard work of the PPM’s beloved members, and the support of its secretarial staff and members of its branches. I would like to extend my thanks and greetings to all of these individuals.
Become a member
Get full access to our archive and personalise your experience.
Already a member?
Discussion
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
No comments yet. Be the first to join the conversation!
Join the Conversation
Sign in to share your thoughts under an alias and take part in the discussion. Independent journalism thrives on open, respectful debate — your voice matters.
