Eagle Hills Chairman Mohamed Alabbar stated that running a project is not something new to him. In relation to concerns regarding the dredging of Rasmale' near Male' for a major project, he showcased their projects worth USD 450 billion over the course of 29 years. He then requested everyone to search on the internet and see the track record he has during his time as chairman of two companies.

While answering questions from journalists after arriving in Maldives, he said once more that it is clear how he has gotten to the point he is now from the beginning. According to Alabbar, there are efforts across 20 countries which respect every nation's laws and regulations.

"So I would like everyone to place their trust in me. I have done this before," said Alabbar, gesturing to the Rasmale' project.

"I have come to Maldives to say that anyone can talk to me if they want to, as I have nothing to hide."

While speaking about the experiences he had regarding projects in other countries, Alabbar said his hope for the Maldives project is to begin practical efforts within 12 months as much as the company's capabilities will allow them.

The biggest allegation from opposition parties and those who question the project is the fear of expatriates buying houses and settling down in Maldives due to the 99-year residency program.

However, Alabbar said that the concept is for people living in other countries getting to purchase a second home. He requests everyone to not think of it as a place where a life is built.

"The Maldives project is creating a second home," said Alabbar.

"We have created jobs, we have done things people are proud of regarding their cities, even in Europe, Egypt, Pakistan, Bahrain, Morocco. This is the age of social media. Everything can be seen, there is no need to hide anything."

The examples Alabbar spoke of about the projects are the Emaar projects, which are being run as a public company, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a major share in. 

The gated communities and luxury resorts at Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, Pakistan and some European countries are not managed by Eagle Hills alone. It is being managed by Emaar Properties, a public company that has been listed on the UAE stock market.

However, Emaar Properties and Eagle Hills are connected by Mohamed Alabbar, who is the chairman of both companies and manages them in two different ways. Emaar Properties was founded by him in 1997 and was turned into a public company, opening it for public shareholders. In addition to Asia, the company manages properties in Africa and some European countries.

Eagle Hills is a private company registered in 2014, with Alabbar having full control over it. While the two companies have worked on some projects, the Rasmale' "Maldives Waterfront and Marina" project was announced as an effort that both companies will be a part of.

Alabbar showed properties being managed by Emaar as an example that will benefit Maldives' local businesses in terms of the Rasmale' project that has been signed via a commercial terms agreement.

During the interview, Alabbar repeatedly stated that just like the other countries, the purpose of managing a project in Maldives is to involve society in his business. While highlighting with pride the substantial revenue he generated in the 29 years he has been in business, Alabbar said "we genuinely do not need any additional investments".

"I do not really need any additional projects in my life. I have managed projects worth USD 450 billion since the beginning of Emaar Properties," Alabbar said.

As per Alabbar, Eagle Hills will work to include Maldivian society in the Rasmale' project, which is what they have done for other projects Emaar Properties has moved forward with in some other countries. In his attempt to describe this, he showed "Emaar Misr"'s Marassi, a company registered in Egypt by Emaar Properties and opened to public shareholders.

He said it was built "with love".

Alabbar said everything about Marassi, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea north of Egypt, from the design stage and everything afterward was done by Egyptians. He said there are around 15,000 Egyptians employed there.

"It was designed by the Egyptians. My employees in Egypt are 100 percent Egyptians. It was built by local contractors. We buy supplies from local contractors. All our engineers and staff are local. I am very proud of that. I also think that is what we want to do in Maldives," stated Alabbar.

While highlighting that he learned many things from the Marassi project, Alabbar said the project in Maldives will be managed much better.

"I would like to give an example from Dubai. I remember when we started in Dubai, we only had enough contractors to build two houses. They made 100 houses. Then they made 200 houses. Then they started building four-storey buildings. Now they are making 60-storey buildings," said Alabbar.

Alabbar went on to say that he has a personal reason for including locals in the project that is being managed on their home soil, which is to include everyone in the prosperity he has gained after the life he lived in poverty as a child.

"I was poor when I was a child. I wanted to earn money and look after my family."

During a meeting held with some Maldivian entrepreneurs after his interview, he responded to the criticism he would receive that if his purpose was to include other people in his prosperity then there is no reason Eagle Hills should directly benefit.

During the meeting, he said he acquires funding for his company in order to manage projects that can benefit the community.

According to Alabbar, once the Rasmale' project is complete and the waterfront and marina is established, business opportunities will be given in the same way it was given at Egypt's Marassi and how Emaar moved forward with the matter in other countries.

"We constructed the buildings for some local shops being run at Marassi. Let us take a look at your shops for example, or a quality restaurant that is there, but there is no funding to build a new shop. In that instance, we will build the shop for you. And when you start generating revenue, then you can start paying it back to us," Alabbar stated.

He continued by saying that most of the places run by small businesses in Marassi, Egypt were developed in that manner. However, he said instead of doing things that way, Emaar has the opportunity to fill Marassi with international brands.

"We can bring an international brand. But I wanted that quality restaurant to operate, to see them create job opportunities, to see them generate revenue," Alabbar said.

As an example of small businesses being empowered by Emaar's model, Alabbar gestured to his own country. He described small construction companies in UAE's commercial hub Dubai experiencing growth due to such opportunities.

The Maldivian government has decided to allocate a 500 hectare plot in Rasmale' to Eagle Hills for the project, with some Maldivian political leaders and locals expressing concern regarding the agreement. One of the main concerns was not knowing what the initial agreement signed by the government included.

Alabbar's statements showed that the easiest path for Eagle Hills and the government is to move forward while sharing information.

"We need to remember that today's world is very transparent. In 20 countries, especially when working in Europe, there is a lot of public scrutiny around what we do. The internet is also open, social media is open, nothing can be hidden," said Alabbar.