Former President Abdulla Yameen has called on Islamic Affairs Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed to distance himself from the current administration by resigning over the Samoa Agreement and the Rasmale’ deal.
Speaking at a People’s National Front rally, Yameen said many regard Shaheem as a defender of Islamic principles and that the public would welcome his departure on these grounds. He described the Rasmale’ project as involving a long-term grant of reclaimed land and linked it to the earlier ratification of the Samoa Agreement.
“It was the Muizzu administration that ratified and accepted the Samoa Agreement,” Yameen said. He added that he would not accept claims that concerns had been raised privately with the President, and urged Shaheem to set a public example.
Shaheem has served as Minister of Islamic Affairs under the current government. No response from the minister or the administration has been reported. The comments form part of wider political criticism of the Eagle Hills Maldives Waterfront and Marina project, which has drawn calls for a public referendum from several opposition figures.
Yameen has previously demanded that any decision on the land be put to a national vote, arguing that the President lacks authority to dispose of reclaimed public land in this manner.
