President Mohamed Muizzu is "raping" the country, former President Abdulla Yameen has said.
In politics, "rape" or similar words are used when the gap between the rhetoric and the visible reality widens, destroying the constitutional order and causing irreparable damage to the country's wealth and public norms.
Speaking at a gathering of the People's National Front (PNF), Yameen said the affairs of this government have reached the point where major criminal investigations are needed. He added that people were being "enslaved" through jobs.
Yameen said forcing people to give up fishing and agriculture by offering jobs to 50 or 80 people in small islands is a tactic of slavery.
“There is a big shackle that cannot be removed,” he said.
"This is planned and organized. Or, they don't know what they are doing. But we can say that this is a very deliberate attempt to destroy the fabric of society."
Although the Constitution provides for the monitoring and accountability of branches of the state, no institution is carrying out this duty, Yameen said.
He added that the president is a servant of the people, but after coming to power with the trust of the people, raping was happening everywhere.
While the government faced this harsh criticism, there are allegations of influencing the judiciary and intimidating judges, including Supreme Court justices.
MPs have been chained to the ruling party by ensuring that they will be disqualified if expelled from the party and the chairpersons of independent institutions are picked by the president.
Muizzu pledged a transparent government, but refuses to disclose even the simplest information, while big contracts are distributed without bidding.
The government does not have any details of how it spent the state budget of the past two years as it continues to use state companies to fulfil presidential pledges.
