Former Deputy Minister of Tourism Maleeh Jamal has described the current calls for boycott of Maldives tourism by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) as an attempt to “slaughter” Maldives tourism industry and “a war against the people of the Maldives.”

The former Deputy Minister’s statements follows an interview to AFP by MDP’s international spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Gafoor urging a new wave of boycotts of Maldives tourism.

Speaking to Sun today, Maleeh said that MDP has tried to jeopardize the economy when ever they feel that they are at a political disadvantage and that such are actions taken directly against the Maldivian people.

“We have always seen MDP [as a party that] opposes the important components of the economy. This adds another ring to the chain. We are seeing the leadership of the party calling yet another boycott of Maldives tourism,” Maleeh Jamal said.

He said such a boycott will effect all areas of the country’s economy and that a senior state official such as Member of Parliament calling for a boycott of the country main sector would cause foreign investors to lose faith.

Maleeh said preparation of a law that would prohibit calls for boycotts that might endanger the country’s boycott, is currently ongoing.

Officials of MDP were unavailable for a comment regarding the matter. However, the party’s spokesperson MP Imthiyaz Fahmy earlier denied a boycott campaign by the party, but admitted to sharing “photos and videos of the government’s brutality” with different parties in European countries. The party will not be directly responsible for a decline in tourist arrivals due to such actions, the spokesperson had said.