Falah says land will not be reclaimed to state following public backlash

The parliamentary group leader of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), Ibrahim Falah, has changed his stance following public backlash over his remarks about reclaiming land plots allocated to Male' residents during former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration.

Speaking in Parliament today, Falah said his comments from yesterday reflected his personal opinion. He acknowledged that his remarks had caused concern and sadness among Male' residents but insisted that the government would honour the existing land allocations.

“However, I would like to tell the people who have received land in Male' that, as the majority leader, this government will hand over the land to them as it is,” Falah said.

During yesterday's sitting, Falah had described the decision to give away free land in the Male' area as a “huge injustice”, calling for the plots to be reclaimed by the state after compensating for any construction on them.

“This is not something I am saying in the capacity of majority leader. As a Maldivian citizen, I am expressing my own views. My belief is still that the free land should be reclaimed by the state after compensating for any work done,” he said.

Falah argued that 99 per cent of people would agree with his stance, claiming it was unfair that “one person receives a flat on a payment basis while another is given a 1,200-square-feet plot for free.”

He estimated that if the plots were sold through open bidding, each would fetch around MVR 12 million, while flat recipients were paying MVR 4 million over 25 years. Reclaiming the land, he said, could save the state about MVR 10 billion.

Some MPs from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which held a parliamentary majority at the time of allocation, had also raised concerns about the fairness of the free land scheme. The issue was previously submitted to Parliament by former MDP MP Moosa Siraj.