Sports Minister: MP Azim and a few others working to destroy govt.

Minister of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof has levied accusations against MP Ali Azim who is the leader of the MDP Parliamentary group of attempting to destroy the current administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Minister Mahloof and MP Azim are both well-known members of MDP. The two had been involved in a very public spat over the Football Association elections not long ago.

Minister Mahloof, speaking in a program of Raajje TV did not hold back in criticizing MP Ali Azim when he remarked that MP Azim and a handful of other MPs were trying to destroy the government. The Minister said that MP Azim was not speaking due to incorrect actions, but for political purposes. 

Mahloof went as far as to accuse the MP of targeting to initiate a vote of no confidence and remove him from the Ministerial post. The Minister said that MP Azim should be very well aware that he was not a pushover that can be manipulated. 

"I am not here (in office) as a Minister to drive the car I am provided with. I don't have security with me. I am a very normal regular person, who goes out with citizens, for coffee or for sports. So, it is very huge mistake to think that I would succumb to threats from Azim's remarks, for fear of losing my post." said the Minister.

Mahloof said that he would do as the President instructed because it was the President who had appointed him to the post.

The Minister then bluntly stated that MP Azim very much wished to remove the President of the Football Association Bassam Adil Jaleel from the post and that even he had worked with MP Azim for the purpose. However, Mahloof said that he, as the Sports Minister, could not always be embroiled in quarrels with associations.

He also noted that the government had pledged to keep politics and sports separate when it came to power before saying, "I will not work to destroy sports just because Ali Azim asked." 

Minister Mahloof then said that MP Azim and a few other parliamentarians were working to destroy the current government, but it did not seem as if the attempts would succeed, because many MPs and Ministers were very united in working together.

Mahloof did not hold back when he said that MP Ali Azim is one of the parliamentarians working to destroy the government. 

"I am sure that Ali Azim does not have the support of the PG group.  I am informed by Parliamentarians that Azim is at the post by force, even after his term expired. I don't think it is beneficial that Azim is there, working to destroy a strong government and the whole party. I very much request him to stop these attempts" said the Minister who had also served as a parliamentarian previously.