President Muizzu added that the number of lanes on the bridge did not decrease during this time and the only change was an increase in the bridge’s width from 20 meters to 21 meters.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has spoken about the claims made by Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, who said that during Former President Abdulla Yameen's tenure, Yameen yelled at President Muizzu, then the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, until he was brought to tears.
In an interview with Sangu TV last week, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla said that Former President Abdulla Yameen became furious during a meeting at the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) office when the SinaMale' Bridge was about to be inaugurated.
Yameen reportedly "yelled" at then-Housing and Infrastructure Minister Mohamed Muizzu, who was overseeing the SinaMalé Bridge project, until Muizzu was brought to tears. Abdul Raheem said that Yameen had been furious and said that a lane was missing from the bridge.
In an exclusive interview with Sangu TV last night, President Muizzu provided his account of the events. He explained that the SinaMale' Bridge project was handed over to the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure in October/November 2014, and prior to that, he was not involved in any aspect of the project.
Under his supervision, the project progressed through the pre-feasibility stage, feasibility stage, concept design, and detailed design. President Muizzu added that the number of lanes on the bridge did not decrease during this time and the only change was an increase in the bridge’s width from 20 meters to 21 meters.
President Muizzu said that as the project neared completion, Yameen requested a dedicated lane for motorcycles. When this proved unfeasible, Yameen suggested converting the bicycle lane [the current pedestrian lane] into a motorcycle lane. He said that despite efforts to accommodate the former president's request by discussing it with Chinese authorities, the bridge was too close to completion for any major alterations.
President Muizzu said that the bridge was only a month or so away from its opening, and the details of the Chinese dignitaries attending the ceremony had also been finalized. However, Yameen held a meeting with senior government and party officials at the PPM office during which he insisted that the bridge could not be opened without a separate lane for motorcycles, expressing concerns about potential accidents.
During the meeting, Yameen had then ordered the opening of the bridge to be canceled if the lane could not be added.
President Muizzu said that Yameen’s words brought him to tears, as he had worked tirelessly on the mega project, which had brought transformative changes to the Maldives. However, later that evening, Muizzu called Yameen, urging him to reconsider and said that canceling the opening would strain relations between China and the Maldives, given that the bridge was completed exceptionally well.
President Muizzu said that Yameen had changed his stance and ordered for the bridge opening to proceed as scheduled during the phone call.
President Muizzu addressing claims of the bridge has fewer lanes than originally planned coincides with the sixth anniversary of the SinaMale' Bridge's opening.
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