President: Only MDA remained a time-tested partner

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has remarked that Progressive Party of Maldives had made its coalition to come to power to serve a greater purpose, but that only Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) has remained loyal to the coalition through thick and thin.

President Yameen was chief guest of the function held in Dharubaaruge last Sunday night to officially hand out tickets to MDA candidates who will be competing in the upcoming local council elections.

During his speech, President Yameen said that everyone needed to accept that the final say lay with one person, even in a coalition.

He said that “there can only be one captain” but that he accepted there will be many other crew members.

“It won’t be easy to maintain a coalition if the purpose of forming a coalition is just for the party’s own gain, to gain a share all of the country’s development and riches,” said President Yameen.

The President said that maintaining a coalition was no easy thing, and that it often spun around.

He said that on the other hand, maintaining a coalition became easy when the party has a set of basic principles and core belief which leaders of both parties shared, and when both parties prioritized the nation instead of serving personal agendas.

“We have been able to create and maintain a coalition with MDA because it was worked alongside us with such loyalty. But if we look at other coalitions which unraveled, it only unraveled when is happened the other way round,” said the President.

President Yameen said that he wanted to continue working with MDA. He said that he was close personally to the leader of MDA, Ahmed Siyam Mohamed and that it had been based on the close personal relationship that the coalition was made.

He said that even when his vice presidents changed and the trust between them and his administration died, the partnership with MDA remained unaffected.

“We have witnesses when even in the most turbulent of times, MDA remained a time tested partner.”