President Solih assures fulfilling pledges worth MVR 31 billion

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that the pledges he made during this year's presidential election amount to MVR 31 billion.

While addressing the public at a campaign rally in Haa Dhaal atoll Nolhivaram, the President said that during the 2018 presidential elections, he had pledged MVR 43 to 45 billion in promises. Of these, he said that many promises have already been fulfilled.

"At this point today [this year], my pledges amount to approximately MVR 31 billion. That's what we have calculated," he said.

The numbers are likely to go up in the coming days, president Solih said.

According to president Solih, the state's revenue is on the rise.

When he assumed office, president Solih said that the state's revenue was MVR 22 billion in 2018, and it has since increased to MVR 34 billion. He also pledged to raise the state's revenue to MVR 45 billion by 2026.

"Don't doubt it. We will fulfill the promises we have made in five years. We have that capacity," he said.

Fenaka was established to provide basic services, not to generate revenue

The president addressed the opposition's allegations regarding Fenaka Corporation, the most debt-ridden of the state-owned companies. He sid that Fenaka was not created with the primary goal of generating revenue for the state but rather to offer essential services to rural areas.

"Look at the services Fenaka provides on an island. If there is electricity, water, sewerage systems, and an ice plant, they manage and maintain all of them. We require staff for all these services. Fenaka's role is not limited to providing electricity alone," president Solih said.

"We do not have the intention of making Fenaka more profitable. It is a government company tasked with delivering essential services. Our goal is to provide employment opportunities to as many people as possible while ensuring its sustainability," he said.

President Solih said that he will continue hiring employees for Fenaka.

He also pledged to lay asphalt on the roads in Nolhivaram, convert the school into a single session, upgrade the health center, construct a sports complex, and expand the island's harbor.