Former President Mohamed Nasheed has accused President Mohamed Muizzu’s administration of intruding into the private lives of citizens without any restraint or boundaries.
Public discontent has been mounting since the current administration took office, with many alleging that the government is making systematic efforts to control the personal lives of citizens. Concerns have particularly escalated over the government's tendency to impose bans on various activities without conducting prior research or impact assessments.
Nasheed, who is also contesting for the chairmanship of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), criticized several government policies in a post on X yesterday. He asserted that the Muizzu administration is not focused on fostering prosperity for the people.
"This is a government that creates headlines by banning controversial things. They have hiked cigarette prices to unaffordable levels, turned vapes into a black-market-only commodity, are discussing a ban on shisha, and are even advocating for reduced smartphone usage," Nasheed said.
While the government has doubled the duty on cigarettes, discussions are reportedly underway to lower it again. Despite a formal ban on vaping, vapes and related accessories continue to be sold openly on the black market. Meanwhile, the government has officially stated it has no immediate plans to ban shisha.
On Monday, the government announced its intention to ban social media for children under the age of 16.
"They are intruding into private lives without limits. Then, to appear as though they are providing relief, they reverse the very bans they previously imposed," Nasheed added.
