The President’s Office, on Thursday, revealed that the government has achieved 56 out of 67 pledges that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had vowed to fulfil within the first 30 days of his presidency.
While this represents a success rate of 84 percent, the government marked its first 30 working days this Monday.
Spokesperson for the President’s Office Ibrahim Hoodh, Policy Secretary Aminath Shauna and Under Secretary Ahmed Hamdhaan spoke at a press conference revealing that considerable progress has been made on the remaining eleven pledges.
According to the President's Office, about 70-80 percent of the pending pledges have already been fulfilled.
Hood highlighted the efforts made to return to constitutional rule and restore the democratic rights such as freedom of speech.
The Spokesperson noted that President Solih had ratified the annulment of the contentious Freedom of Speech and Defamation Act during his first day in office. The act in question stifled freedom of expression and barred independent operation of the media.
Additionally, Hoodh also highlighted the formation of the Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances which is currently investigating 24 cold cases.
The government has also fulfilled several pledges regarding youth development. This includes funding Bachelor’s degrees at all local college and institutes. The administration has also cut the interest rate on student loans to 3 percent and increased the repayment period by 25 percent.
Additionally, students who achieve exceptional results in the National High Achievers list are now eligible for scholarships in universities located within OECD countries.
Hoodh also stated that considerable work has been done to establish Maldives as a respected member of the international community. This includes formally requesting Maldives’ membership in the Commonwealth.
Another key achievement of the government was devolving power so that city councils received more authority, and reviewing existing legal frameworks to empower local councils.
The administration also established protected areas in Baarah and Neykurendhoo of Haa Dhaal Atoll as well as protecting the entire island of Keylakunu, Haa Alif.
Achievements in the health sector include the expansion of Aasandha health insurance coverage for therapeutic treatments and enabling individuals to request services even if their National ID card has expired.
The completed pledges span 19 different sectors and cover wide-ranging issues such as higher education, anti-corruption, healthcare, transport, democracy and human rights.
The remaining pledges include designating areas in Male' for loading and unloading cargo, setting up CCTV cameras and speed cameras on the Sinamale Bridge, and strengthening regulations regarding land transportation.
The government has also committed to the establishment of a platform for convenient reporting of corruption cases, commencement of a zero tolerance to corruption campaign, amendment of the Decentralization Act and the establishment of a Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Bank to support local businesses.
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