President Waheed has to take responsibility for the damages caused by terminating the GMR agreement: PPM

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has stated that President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has to take the larger share of the blame for damages incurred by the Maldivian people following the termination of the agreement with Indian infrastructure giant, GMR.

Fielding questions at a press conference held in PPM’s main office today, the party Vice President Abdul Raheem Abdulla said that President Waheed being the Vice President when the GMR agreement was signed and having remained idle knowing the extent of the loss that the Maldivian people would incur, President Waheed has to take the larger share of responsibility for the damages caused by terminating the agreement.

“The people in the current coalition are willing to say whatever it might take to achieve their political goals. In reality, the largest share of the responsibility for the damages caused to the Maldivian people by the termination of this agreement has to be owned by the current President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik,” Abdul Raheem said.

In answer to reports currently circulating that leader of PPM and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom now views the termination of the agreement differently, Abdul Raheem Abdulla said that the former president has always stood by the conviction that the agreement had to be terminated.

He said that former president Maumoon, prior to the cancellation of the agreement, had personally met with President Waheed and told him to hold talks with the Indian government and that the former president had also written to President Waheed asserting to hold the discussions, with regard to terminating the agreement.

The letter allegedly sent from former president Maumoon to President Waheed, dated 20th of September last year, states that “…would like to request that your government convey to the Indian government, the details of the findings of the Maldivian government regarding the GMR issue and also the details of the damages being incurred by the Maldivian people because of the contract.”

Speaking at the press conference today, PPM council member Faish Maumoon said that they believe that the current difficulties for Maldivians to obtain visas to India, and the recent difficulties in buying river sand for construction from India, are all results of the government’s termination of the agreement without proper discussion. The problem would not have arrived if the government had heeded the PPM’s advice, Farish Maumoon said.

Abdul Raheem Abdulla told the press today that former president Maumoon, during his recent visit to India, held talks with a number of high level officials of the Indian government and that they had expressed their support for the former president. He said that the issues of visa and construction materials were discussed and that the former president has received a “green signal” that the visa problem will soon be solved.