President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Qayyoom has said that the state of emergency declared on the 4th of this month, was done so in order to protect the rights of the citizens.
He made the statement in his address to the nation given on occasion of the 47th Republic Day.
President Yameen said that the decision to announce the state of emergency was not one taken lightly and described it as the most difficult decision so far. However, the decision was undertaken to secure the safety and rights of the citizens. He added that the decision to recant the state of emergency was taken after considering in the best interests of the nation.
President Yameen said that even when the state of emergency was in place no rights had been encroached on. He added that in spite of it, there were still many who had approached foreign parties for intervention. He noted that their concerns were over assembly in some areas, not the overall concerns for the public.
He added that it was more concerning that foreign media which had covered the story had not questioned on why such a situation had occurred, but glossed over it.
President Yameen said that a Republic was formed from the public and is a right of the public.
State of emergency was declared to protect the rights of the public: President
