Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has voiced concern over opposition-led protests in Malé, stating that past calls for boycotts and unrest only worsened national debt without bringing meaningful reform. In a post on social media platform X, he said those who once campaigned for change had instead left the country facing “a bottomless pit,” questioning whether any real corrective action had been achieved.

Minister Saeed’s remarks came as a reply to Jumhooree Party (JP) leader and Maamigili MP Qasim Ibrahim urged people to avoid the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) planned protest at Artificial Beach, calling it destructive and warning it could worsen the debt crisis.