Minister Muththalib dismisses importance of committee’s advice
Muththalib further said that although it was stated during the hearing that the report was not in the ministry, a scanned copy of the report has been obtained
Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr. Abdullah Muththalib
Minister of Construction, Housing and Infrastructure Dr. Abdulla Muththalib has stated that the committee formed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to provide advice on the issue of 4,000 flats distributed under the ‘Gedhoruveriyaa’ Scheme initiated by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration was established to provide counsel regarding the list, but that the committee's advice is “not important” for him.
Minister Muththalib made this statement while answering a question posed by a journalist from RaajjeTV during a press conference held at the President's Office on Thursday.
The housing ministry stated on the May 19 that the report of the committee formed to advise President Muizzu on the Gedhoruveriyaa Scheme “does not exist”.
The housing ministry made this statement during a hearing held on May 19 in response to a complaint filed with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM) after failing to obtain the report despite submitting a request under the Right to Information Act.
Fahi Union had requested details of the work done by the advisory committee established by the president to advise on how to proceed with the flat matters under the Gedhoruveriyaa Scheme, the report compiled by the committee, and details of any financial expenditures made to the committee members.
In response to the request for details of the Housing Advisory Committee, the housing ministry stated that due to damage to the ministry's server caused by the collapse of the building where the housing ministry was operating, efforts to recover the information on the server were ongoing, and that the information would be shared as soon as it was recovered.
During the press briefing, a RaajjeTV journalist questioned Minister Muththalib about the status of a report prepared by a committee tasked with advising President Muizzu on the Gedhoruveriyaa housing scheme. The journalist noted that the Housing Ministry had claimed the report does not exist, and that an official, speaking at an Information Commission hearing, stated the document had been lost. The journalist pressed the minister for an explanation regarding how and why the report went missing.
In response to this question, Minister Muththalib said that the committee formed by President Muizzu under the Gedhoruveriyaa Scheme was a committee established to advise on the process of the scheme and to advise the minister.
The minister stressed that the report in question does exist, and that the housing ministry had previously stated it didn't exist due to the ministry's servers being burned in the fire incident.
The minister said that he is the one holding the position of minister, and therefore what's important are the decisions taken by the minister, and that all responsibility must be taken by the minister himself. He stated that the advice given by the committee formed by the president is “not important” to him.
Minister Muththalib further said that although it was stated during the hearing that the report was not in the ministry, a scanned copy of the report has been obtained. The minister said that the report will be released to those who want it after verification. He further asserted that the report contains discussions about what was wrong with the scheme.
