People should not destroy the nation as a consequence of being handed out legally prescribed punishments: President

President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has said penalties prescribed under the law must be given for any violation of the Constitution, and that when legally prescribed punishments are handed out to a person, he or she should not be allowed to destroy the nation as a consequence.

During a speech in Gaaf Alif Dhaandhoo the President said that some have tried to take matters into their own hands by calling for violence and destruction, when things did not happen as they planned or wished. Such behaviour, he said, could not be allowed as it resulted in violation of everyone else’s right. The President stressed that all law enforcement authorities must fulfil their obligation to uphold the law.

“When the country fails to see that justice is served, when the rule of law is not upheld, we will lose our grip slowly and we will turn into a feral society. The powerful will rule over the weak, the loud will be loudest and our whole system will turn into one where certain people will have power over us all. We shall not allow that,” said the President.

He also said that the institutions which hold the government in place should do their part with due diligence.

The President also said that the young people sometimes think that yelling and shouting at people is something to be proud of, yet when the most educated amongst us fall victim to murder for political reasons, the younger generations should start thinking about these things deeply.

“When the country faces a sad day, it is not only the elder people who will suffer. It is not the young either, nor the women. The youth will suffer as well. Who will suffer when tourism is obstructed? It will be the youngsters working in the resorts who will lose their jobs. When the Maldives is unable to export fish, who will suffer? The young people will suffer,” said the President.