President calls on political parties to be more accepting

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has called on political parties to be more accepting of other groups’ views.

The President made this statement at the opening ceremony of the art exhibition organised by Adhaalath Party entitled, “Fall of regime –an Artist’s view”.

He said that the changes in the Maldives earlier this year have been interpreted differently by different groups, and that the art exhibition portrays most people’s interpretation of the events of the day the government changed.

“This is a display of the events of that day. There are groups who do not agree with this interpretation. So, to find the truth, we have to resort to a system or mechanism which is trusted by everyone,” he said.

The President said that for this reason, he created a Commission made up of respectable and honorable persons, to probe the events related to the transfer of power.

“The Commission’s work is near completion. The truth behind what happened will become official once the Commission makes its decision,” he said.

President of Adhaalath Party Imran Abdullah said at the ceremony that the history of the Maldives was changed significantly due to the events of 7 February, and that the purpose of the art exhibition is to relay information on those events in a creative manner.

Sixty paintings were displayed at the exhibition opened today, arranged such that they tell the story of what happened on 6 and 7 February.

The paintings were contributed by Adhaalath Party member Ahmed Shirhan.