Reeko: MDP has developed cancer due to Nasheed’s greed

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s former chairperson Moosa Manik (Reeko) states the main ruling party has developed cancer due to the greed of its leader, former president Mohamed Nasheed.

In an interview on Sun Exclusive, Reeko said Nasheed had lost popularity and was no longer MDP’s “choice”.

Reeko accused Nasheed of creating division within MDP, with members divided to two factions. He accused Nasheed of insincerity and staging an internal coup.

Reeko said Nasheed had led efforts to expel all politicians who assumed leadership positions within MDP. He said that Nasheed’s policies were foreign to principles of democracy.

“There’s no democracy. Nasheed has been MDP’s leader for 15 years now. Is that democracy? He denies opportunities to everyone else,” he said.

Reeko said it would be best if Nasheed, along with other politicians involved in creating strife within MDP, left the party’s leadership.

He said that Nasheed had lost popularity both within MDP, and among members of the general public.

Reeko said he does not believe there’s any chance of Nasheed getting elected to office of the president ever again.

Reeko had said in an earlier interview that Nasheed did not allow for any dissenting voices within MDP. He said that MDP was under Nasheed’s complete control, forcing scores of members to leave the party.

“MDP has been enslaved by Nasheed ever since he came to power and got his hold on MDP. There has always been a group who praise him, and spend the party’s funds. This is why we are forced to leave MDP,” he said.

Reeko said the current division within MDP stems from party regulations which allows President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to run for a second term, denying Nasheed the opportunity to run for office himself.

MDP’s disciplinary committee had decided to expel Reeko from the party in 2016, for violating a three-line whip issued against a no-confidence motion against then-Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain and then-Justice Ahmed Muthasim Adnan.