News Desk
Inguraidhoo MP and PNC Parliamentary Group Leader Ibrahim Falaah delivered a characteristically sharp critique of former President Abdulla Yameen during a rally held to celebrate the PNC’s victory in Muraidhoo. The rally followed the party’s win of three council seats and two out of three WDC seats in the island, overturning the MDP’s previous hold on the constituency.
Falaah, who is known for using pointed language against Yameen in his podium speeches, questioned Yameen’s political intentions and his recent public statements. Speaking to supporters, Falaah questioned Yameen’s political intentions and his recent public statements. He said Yameen would not have been able to speak freely if the MDP were in power.
“If the MDP were in power, would Yameen be in his sitting room with a mic telling a beautiful story?” Falaah asked. He went on to ask whether Yameen was trying to return to Maafushi — the jail that the public often refers to as the place where politicians “go to rest” — because he did not want to remain at home. “I really think you do not want to stay with your wife. Do you think you do not want to stay with your wife?” he said.
Falaah said that if the MDP had won the government, Yameen would still be rotting in Maafushi Jail. He said Yameen’s release was possible only because of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. “It is because of the benevolence of President Muizzu,” he said.
Falaah also criticised Yameen’s recent comments on the government’s repayment of the 2021 sukuk. He said the government had paid USD 524.68 million using state resources without taking on new foreign debt.
He said Yameen had alleged the repayment was funded through the President’s salary, pension funds, BML reserves and contributions from MPs and judges — an allegation Falaah said grossly distorted the facts. “When Yameen says that, what kind of economist is he?” he said
“The repayment was made through the state’s own reserves, without incurring substantial foreign debt. Is this not a remarkable story?” he said.
Falaah said the PNC’s supermajority in parliament allowed the government to bring constitutional and legal changes for the benefit of the people. Referring to the Hithadhoo South seat — where MP Sinaan lost his seat and a by‑election has now been announced — he alleged that if the MDP were in power, an MDP MP would not have lost their seat, claiming the party would have intervened through the courts.
“Judges would be expelled and the judiciary would not be free. Look at what they did for five years. Judges in the courts were treated with fear. Many judges were summoned to the JSC every day,” he said.
Falaah said the current government respected judicial independence and would continue to uphold the rule of law.
