بســم اللّـه الرّحمـن الرّحيــم
اَلحَمْـدُ لِلّـهِ رَبّ العَـالَمِـين، وَالصّـلاة وَالسّلام علـى سيدنا محـمَّدٍ، خاتم الأنبياء والمرسلين، وَعلـى آلـه وَصَحْبِـهِ أجمـعـين.
Beloved people of the Maldives;
The people have, with their vote, decided the future of the Maldives. Their wish is very clear. I speak to you today to explain how I plan to move forward in the days ahead.
I have always spoken about the difficulties that I have faced during the past five years. I believe no Maldivian president has ever witnessed such a tumultuous presidency. However, I have consistently worked for the benefit of my people. Had I succumbed to the obstacles I faced, it would have definitely cost our people the harmony and peace of the nation. Until today, I have upheld the laws of the land; I have worked to safeguard the Maldivian people without compromising the rule of law. Be it an attack directed at me, or one that might affect the whole nation, I strove always to overcome these obstacles constitutionally. Allah almighty has always blessed me with success in such times.
Beloved citizens of Maldives;
My efforts have always been towards national growth. I have always tried to revive and restore our cultural values. My very first step was to implement legislation that was needed. I have always been vocal on my stand to curb the embrace of any religion other than Islam by Maldivian citizens. I have always said “no” to the colonial influences constantly working to manipulate our affairs and made sure that the people are least affected as a result of these decisions. I have also put forward every effort to restore the social fabric that was torn and lost in the past. I am content in my work.
The most challenging of tasks was to tackle the unrestrained defamation and slandering that was commonplace in our society. Every Maldivian citizen is an honourable person by right. Despite the countless criticisms I faced, the matter is now resolved to an extent accepted by most. I want to ensure that everyone’s honour and reputation is protected. I believe I have, with the grace of Allah almighty, fulfilled this.
Beloved citizens;
Even before contesting for the presidency I have been emphasizing the extent of our national problems; the basic necessities of the people remained unfulfilled. The country was, in all areas, caught up in fear and hopelessness.
I believe that the Maldivian people will accept my sincere services and that I pursued my tasks with the intention to bring fruition to the tasks that remained unfulfilled. I have tried my resolute best to solve the many problems faced by the Maldivian people. This included facilitating basic necessities such as establishing sewerage systems, providing clean drinking water, building harbours, and schools, without discrimination between the capital city and the other islands, in an equitable manner.
My other priority was to bring the most sidelined groups to the fore and ensure their rights; especially those with disabilities and women. I have revised policies and amended laws during this administration. I then looked towards what could be facilitated to the senior citizen, including the most desired arrangement of an income. Similarly, since the elderly are in dire need of quality healthcare, I have given importance towards providing the best healthcare facilities in the region for senior citizen and all age groups. I have, by the grace of Allah, achieved this milestone.
The youth have always been the segment closest to my heart. I have fulfilled all their needs. Previous administrations had greatly sidelined the aspirations of our youth. The youth have numerous needs. They don’t only need sporting grounds. They also need dignity and to be respected in the society, and they must believe that they deserve respect. I always desired to give them this confidence. As a result, once stability had been achieved in the country, there was a decrease in crime; statistics show this.
As the biggest challenge faced by youth is housing, I have initiated several housing projects; some that are being completed, and others are planned for the future. The youth know this.
My beloved people;
I have served you without discriminating between any segments of the population, by prioritizing based on the people’s needs. I have also provided much needed facilities and services in the Islands equitably without differentiating between the sizes of the island’s population.
Thus I had been envisioning how I could be of more service to the Maldivian people. I have sincerely reiterated that despite the challenges I faced I have always worked to maintain national peace, and make the nation economically viable and self-sufficient. We have seen the results. I believe that the thousands of people who voted for me appreciate my sincere service.
As I stand here today, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who accept my services, my supporters, and their sincere work. I believe that they said no to myriads of incitements and put the country first in making their decision.
I am forever grateful to them all, for voting for the sake of the nation and for my sincere services. I would also like to congratulate them.
I would like to note that yesterday the Maldivian people have voiced their decision. I accept the result. Shortly before this, I have met the President-Elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and congratulated him.
I have always served the Maldivian people sincerely. However, yesterday the public has stated their opinion on my services. Therefore, I have conceded yesterday’s vote, and will continue to serve the Maldivian people.
Lastly, I would like to note that I had a very strong, sincere, team working with me. There are members of the parliament who have worked with me. It is my wife who has been the biggest contributor to my political work. Her team, together with her, has been working tirelessly for 3 or 4 years. So I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Madam Fathimath and her team.
Also great, robust, work has been done under the leadership of the two party Vice Presidents at the PPM Office. I would like to express thanks to that team, which also includes Parliament members and council members. Moreover, I would not have been able to carry out my work to this extent without the support from my Cabinet Ministers. I am wholeheartedly proud of my Cabinet team. I would also like to extend sincere appreciation to my energetic team at the President’s Office.
This is team work. We were only able to serve the people through the combined efforts of everyone on this team. Along with this we have our supporters. They believe that our efforts are for the betterment of the people.
There might be those who are disheartened by the outcome of the voting results today. I am reminded that we have, in the past, experienced a similar day. We saw what happened with Former President Maumoon back in 2008. Many of us grieved. I have continuously been reminding the people of this. Today many who appreciate my services have said “yes” to me. I would like to once again, over and over again, thank you.
While expressing thanks, I call on the nation to think about what they need going forward. I ask this in regard to the statistics which show that, unlike in previous administrations, the peoples’ aspirations have been fulfilled in abundance during the past 5 years, without disregarding any segments of the population, or discrimination between islands. According to statistics, there has not been a time in the past when the youth’s dreams have been so realised. There has not been another time when the wishes of senior citizens were so fulfilled.
So by Allah’s grace the Maldives is now more economically and socially progressed, and have advanced in all sectors during the past 5 years. I hope that the President-Elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and his team will continue the speedy work we have done for the sake of the people. I do not want to complicate or hinder any work due to my ways of doing things. The people have voiced their opinion yesterday. I fully respect their decision.
I would like to convey my sincere apologies to the public and step aside from my work. I would like to thank all those citizens who voted for me and all of my supporters for their sincere efforts. By Allah’s will, we will remain steadfast in serving the Maldivian people. However, as I step away from this position, I will continue to serve the people till the 17th of November.
During this period the Maldives will once again transition to a new presidency, and I welcome it. I urge all Maldivians to refrain from any action that might lead to conflict during this transfer.
There will be political differences among politicians. However, I do not believe that our citizens should bear the burden of the actions by political leaders.
Hence, I urge my supporters to work peacefully in this way. By Allah’s grace we will continue to work for the sake of the people. It is up to the Maldivian people to recognize our services.
Thank you all!
والسّلام عليــكم ورحـمــة اللّـه وبـركاتـه.