Former President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik says if he had succumbed to the pressures of a minister-level official from a foreign government and resigned from his post, the country’s freedom would have been compromised.
Speaking at the ceremony held by the opposition to commemorate the 77th National Day, ex-President, and Advisor to the opposition Dr. Waheed said that he had the opportunity to lead the country albeit for few days but the country had been subjected to many foreign pressures during that short time.
Dr. Waheed said that a minister-level official from a foreign government had met him and asked him to go on TV and resign from his post in front of the Maldivian people.
The ex-President said such a demeaning act has no place in the world of diplomatic relations and that no country should be subjected to such behavior from any country.
Dr. Waheed said if he had bowed down to the pressures that day, then the country’s freedom and sovereignty would have been lost.
He also accused that these pressures had only grown stronger and had attempted to influence the 2013 Presidential elections. He clarified that former President Abdullah Yameen had taken over at the helm and had navigated the country safely away from such tumultuous pressures.
Dr. Waheed said as ex-President Yameen had been successful in fending off the foreign pressures and that many powers had despised the former President for this.
He added that this only happened because these powers were spiteful after their attempts to exert their control over the island nation failed.
