Friday
26th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Nasheed. Photo: Majlis
Parliament Speaker former President Mohamed Nasheed has hit back at Sri Lankan Member of Parliament Dr Harsha de Silva, who had claimed that Nasheed had failed in his efforts to coordinate aid for Sri Lanka.
Nasheed had taken upon himself to assist in assisting Sri Lanka to coordinate international relief efforts. The decision came after discussions between the Prime Minister and the Speaker in Colombo. Speaker Nasheed, the Prime Minister’s Office reported, had generously offered to assist Sri Lanka in securing relief from foreign nations.
De Silva, on Monday, Silva took to media to highlight was being done to address the precarious financial situation in the country. De Silva said that the Government is unable to obtain necessary financial assistance, as they had burned all bridges with nations pledging aid.
De Silva further revealed that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman had questioned whether Sri Lanka had a concrete plan to address the current situation.
He said that Speaker Nasheed had contacted Crown Prince Mohamed as well. The Crown Prince had asked Nasheed not to bring up the matter until the country has a concrete plan to resolve the crisis.
A similar response also came from the ruler of United Arab Emirates (UAE) His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Makhthoum. Sheikh Makhthoum had ruled out assistance unless Sri Lanka provides a list of assets that can be sold off.
Nasheed responded to De Silva’s comments stating that the duo were close friends and would meet frequently. However, he said that De Silva’s revelations were untrue.
He went on to add that several countries were still committed to assisting Sri Lanka overcome their present economic distress. He also said that he was sure that the pledged aid would be given to Sri Lanka.
During his presidency, Nasheed, after multiple travels abroad would boast of securing millions. However, those millions are yet to be seen. His Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is ruling the country right now and faces similar problems in sourcing funding.