WIN Member of Parliament Vishnu Panday has called for regular talks between President Irfaan Ali and Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, saying the absence of direct engagement has been a missed opportunity more than a year after the general election.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Panday proposed what he called a national ‘modus vivendi’, or a practical way for the government and opposition to work together on matters of public interest while continuing to disagree politically.

“The past year was without any attempt at formal discussion with the Opposition Leader,” he said. He argued that the government, which holds the mandate and resources to act, should take the first step towards direct talks with Mohamed.

Panday proposed an all-party committee on the cost of living, oil revenue, crime, migration and electricity supply. He also called for quarterly briefings at which the opposition would receive the same government data as the administration, and a joint task force on flooding, drought, youth unemployment, housing and land distribution.

A separate forum, including government and opposition representatives, the private sector and community leaders, should meet twice a month, he said. Its minutes should be published so that citizens could see where the parties agreed and disagreed.

Panday said the proposal was neither a coalition nor a surrender of political principles. Without a means of discussing national concerns, he argued, the two sides would continue to talk about each other rather than with each other, while public trust and long-term planning suffered.

His criticism of the lack of engagement comes after WIN MPs declined an invitation announced by Ali earlier this month for meetings with members of two parliamentary committees. WIN said at the time that the invitation bypassed Mohamed in his capacity as Opposition Leader and had been issued without an agenda. 

Mohamed was elected Opposition Leader in January, following WIN’s emergence as the main opposition party in the September 2025 general election. WIN and APNU held talks in August on matters including GECOM representation, the Region Ten council impasse and nominations to the Local Government Commission, but reported no final decisions on those issues

Panday also used his statement to criticise the government’s response to the MV *Barima* tragedy. He said families were still waiting for the vessel to be recovered and accused the administration of failing to treat the matter with sufficient urgency. The vessel sank on July 18. Three financial bids for its salvage were opened on September 8, but the wreck remained submerged when families and an activist renewed their calls for answers this month. 

The MP further raised questions about the size and financing of Ali’s farm near Long Creek. Mohamed has alleged that the property covers approximately 150 acres. Ali has rejected that estimate, saying the farm covers about 60 to 70 acres and was financed through loans. He has said he has nothing to hide and would show the property publicly, but had not given a date for doing so when asked at an August press conference. 

Panday made wider allegations about delays on public projects, the finances of government officials and decisions involving land and agriculture. The statement did not provide documents establishing those claims. He also cited concern about migration, but gave no source for the figures he advanced.

Despite his criticisms, Panday said the opposition should engage constructively if invited to direct talks on national issues. He maintained that a formal forum would allow debate to continue in the National Assembly while giving both sides a way to pursue practical agreements.