PPM did not ask to hold talks prior to termination of GMR contract: President Waheed

President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has refuted claims by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom that the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) asked the government to hold talks with the Indian government prior to terminating the contract with GMR.

Speaking to the press at a news conference held in the President’s Office today, the President said that when political parties were consulted regarding the termination of the GMR agreement, PPM had urged the government to terminate the agreement.

“I discussed this with all possible parties. I also obtained the opinions of all parties in writing. None of them had said not to terminate the agreement, or to try to negotiate to find a solution. So the decision was made after seeking their advice as well.”

The President said that the government made special consultations with all parities prior to the cancellation of the agreement and that said that he believes the process was handled appropriately.

Former president Maumoon, Leader of PPM had recently told Indian newspaper The Hindu that he was not happy with the way the government handled the cancellation the of the GMR-led consortium’s contract.

“This was a mistake. Had he consulted all political parties, the public would not have formed the impression that corruption had taken place. Then we told the next President Mr. Waheed that he should hold discussions with the GMR Group and the Indian government to arrive at an acceptable solution, after which the government was free to act on its own. Unfortunately, this was not done and suddenly there was this unhappy ending,” Maumoon is reported to have said.