Gayoom’s Shopping Tour & “Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana” Award

(February 14, Colombo- Male, Sri Lanka Guardian) President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was yesterday conferred the “Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana” award by President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana Award is conferred on Heads of States and Heads of Government with which Sri Lanka has friendly relations in appreciation of their friendship towards and solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. President Gayoom is the first recipient of this coveted award.

At a colorful ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday afternoon, the highest national honour of Sri Lanka for foreign Heads of State or Government was conferred on President Gayoom by President Rajapaksa.

The honour is in recognition of the Maldivian President’s outstanding contributions to the friendship between the two countries, enhancement of regional cooperation, and the global campaign on climate change.

In his acceptance speech, President Gayoom said that the award was a “fitting tribute to the age-old close friendship and solidarity between the two countries”. Highlighting that it was a great honour for the Maldives that the very first recipient of this prestigious award was a Maldivian, the President said that this fact alone spoke volumes of the ever-growing friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He also emphasised that the honour would remain as a lasting symbol of amity and good neighbourliness that the two peoples had enjoyed over the centuries.

The President noted that the Maldives and Sri Lanka are old friends and allies. “Our friendship is no doubt a multidimensional one”, he said.

Meanwhile ,according to sources in the airport, Golhaabo, the Maldives President returned back yesterday evening from a 5-day shopping trip to India and Sri Lanka with more 50 pieces of luggage. The longest serving President in the region was well groomed by India and Sri Lanka. "They must have either given him lots of presents or he must have gone shopping quite a bit," the eyewitness said. "I saw the 54 pieces being loaded to 3 pickups and was delivered to Theemuge's back gate.

Political analysts feel that the President is just making the most of the few months left in his reign. They feel that the President is paying his friends his last visits as according to the constitutional amendments with 2-term limits will be in force in the next few months, the President cannot stand for office as he has already served 6 terms.

Apparently, Golhaabo is going to bring an end to terrorism in India as well as expel Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers (LTTE) from the region. Little do the senior government officials in India and Sri Lanka know, this cunning leader is demented and never keeps his promises.