Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Dr Abdulla Muththalib has today criticized opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for voicing conflicting arguments. 

He referred to how MDP MPs were questioning cabinet ministers in parliament about delays in projects even while the party's Chairperson, former President Mohamed Nasheed, was calling to halt projects in light of the economic situation. 

Responding to a question from MDP MP Mauroof Zakir in today's parliament sitting, the minister called on MDP MPs and its Chairperson to stick to one rhetoric. 

Muththalib said that although President Dr Mohamed Muizzu wishes to carry out the projects, the current economic situation poses challenges. However, the aim is to complete projects as soon as possible, he added. 

He went on to question MDP's approach to the matter, pointing out that the party's MPs' stance contradicts that of its Chairperson. 

"I would like to point out, your party's Chairperson is appealing to halt the projects, that they shouldn't be continued. Yet, you come here to parliament and say, no, carry forward with the projects. Isn't it about time you stuck to one rhetoric?," the minister retorted. 

In his question, MP Mauroof Zakir asked for reasons why projects President Muizzu, during his travels to the islands, had pledged for completion within six months were seeing delays. He asked if the president had quoted a period of six months based on information provided to him by the Housing Ministry. 

Muththalib said that the president had quoted a timeframe as such because he truly had the intention of carrying out the projects in line with that. However, the government is facing challenges owed in part to having to complete several projects that had stalled during the previous MDP administration, he added. 

"Taking into account the high number of halted projects, the status of those projects, challenges in restarting and carrying forward those projects, along with the work this government is doing to fulfill its own pledges and the status of the economy when this administration came to office, there will be challenges faced regardless of how much the President wants to complete the projects," Muththalib said. 

"So, even with all these difficulties, we are working on carrying out all the projects in this government's agenda, without scrapping any of the projects started in the MDP administration as well," he said. 

The minister reiterated that former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration had contracted several projects to companies that do not have the capacity to carry them out to completion. 

One such company, he said, is Fenaka Corporation, adding that many subcontractors hired by Fenaka lack the capacity to carry out the work.