Responding to President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's Presidential Address, opposition MDP PG Leader Mohamed Rasheed Hussain claimed that most of what was said was things that had already been initiated by the former MDP administration.
Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has claimed that most of the points made in President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's Presidential Address are actually things that have already been initiated by the previous MDP led government.
In today's Parliament meeting, MDP's Parliamentary Group (PG) Leader Alifushi constituency MP Mohamed Rasheed Hussain (Bigey) presented the opposition's response to the Presidential Address given earlier by President Dr Muizzu.
MP Hussain said that although President Dr Muizzu had claimed that he had brought a halt to the printing of money after assuming office, it had, in fact, been done earlier. According to him, the article concerning overdrawing of the public bank through Maldives Monetary Authority in the Fiscal Responsibility Act had been suspended by the end of December 31, 2023.
He further explained that this decision had been reached in 2021 during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. He asserted that even if this government had wished to act differently, it would not have had the choice to do so without seeking parliamentary approval for any such change.
When it comes to the matter of housing, MP Hussain said that while President Dr Muizzu declared the introduction of issuing loans for construction and repairs of housing, this is something that was not only planned, but already initiated, by the previous government. He also questioned the veracity of the President not being aware that his announcement of decreasing rent on Police and MNDF flats is not novel, as that, too, was pledged by former President Solih previously.
Addressing the President's estimation that 2 billion tourists will be welcomed to the country this year, MP Hussain dismissed this administration's roles in the achievement. He claims that this increase in tourist arrivals is not the result of the three months the Muizzu administration has been in power, but rather the cumulative work of the previous government through out and since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It was the MDP government that signed agreements to establish the National Health Laboratory and provide resources to ascertain quality of medication. Drone delivery of medication was also introduced by the MDP government," he said.
MP Hussain said that even the bill that President Dr Muizzu announced he intends to submit to parliament concerning the compilation of the Judicial Services Commission is one that has already been submitted earlier by the previous government.
Hussain alleged that although the Constitution stipulates that the status of the country must be clearly and truthfully shared in the Presidential Address, President Dr Muizzu had not done so.
He alleged that the President had given false information and confusing rhetoric in regard to events of the recent past and the economic status.
He said that despite the previous government having compiled and published a debt repayment plan for 2025/2026, President Dr Muizzu had failed to even mention in his Presidential Address if this government had a serious plan regarding the debt repayment.
He accused the President of deceiving the public by having earlier claimed that he will run a transparent administration, and said that even the Finance Ministry's website has stopped publishing details that it previously used to update regularly.
Hussain expressed certainty that in addition to blocking websites that criticize the government, this administration would inhibit freedom of expression and press freedom.
The PG Leader further alleged that this administration had brought to a stop a number of projects that were initiated by the previous government, including pay harmonization, water and sewerage systems in various islands, and other projects in the islands.
He went on to say that although the the presidency had been won with talk of removing the Indian military, no mention of said military had been made in the Presidential Address. He claimed that this is proof that there is, in fact, no armed foreign military personnel in the Maldives as they previously claimed.
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