President will secure over 65 percent votes from Fuvahmulah: Mayor

Mayor of Fuvahmulah City Ismail Rafeeq said yesterday that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will secure 65 percent of the vote in the MDP presidential primary to be held on January 28, Saturday.

Speaking to Mihaaru News after the President's campaign tour to the city, the Mayor said this administration has brought development that has not been achieved in the last 30 years.

"We are seeing the development and progress that is coming to Fuvahmulah. We trust the President. So giving this President that opportunity is very important for the development of the city. I strongly urge all voters in this primary to give President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih that opportunity,” the mayor of the MDP-majority city council said.

He said that if the President is not given a second term, the development of Fuvahmulah will not proceed. There is also a possibility that the policies set by this administration for Fuvahmulah might see a drastic change.

“We saw some of the housing units that the previous MDP government decided to build in this city being moved to Hulhumalé once the government changed. Depending on the mindset of who comes to power, There is a fear that things will change because of the mindset of the person who comes to power,” Ismail said.

He said besides laying asphalt on roads, building housing units and many other works, the city has created about 50 jobs with the establishment of call centers of various companies. These include Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Maldivian Airlines and National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT). All the call centers are staffed by citizens of Fuvahmulah, Ismail said.

"In the future businesses will hire people for jobs as they expand. So economically, it is income that comes into the island. A lot of [projects] have been started and completed in this city. There are many ongoing works," the mayor said.

He said the biggest problem now is the lack of space in the city harbour. Therefore, the Mayor assured that the harbour would be expanded through those who had previously conducted the technical survey.