If this administration lacked the funds to purchase even a 15-day supply of food upon taking office, how was it possible to sustain the extensive expenditures you have incurred?
Despite Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed’s claim that the current administration inherited usable reserves sufficient for only 15 days of food imports, the government's subsequent actions have been inconsistent with these assertions.
Minister Saeed speaking at a government ceremony. | President's Office | president office
We are currently in the midst of the campaign season. Everywhere you turn, the conversation is dominated by politics. Both the ruling party and its leadership are employing their most persuasive rhetoric, using flattery to win over the public. Each side is striving to outdo the other, competing to prove their superiority.
Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed is among those who have frequently expressed high praise for the President. Just the other night, he once again described President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu as an exceptionally skilled economist. Speaking at a ceremony held last night to inaugurate the 'Fannu Uthuru' campaign center, Saeed noted that when this administration took office, the state's financial situation was in a dire condition.
Minister Saeed stated that when President Muizzu took office, the state reserves had plummeted to a level sufficient to cover only 15 days of food imports. He further noted that, by the grace of God, those reserves have now risen to $1.1 billion.
Shouldn't the Minister explain how three drones were purchased for 500 million Rufiyaa in a country that supposedly lacks the funds to buy even 15 days' worth of food? If there truly isn't enough money for 15 days of food supplies, it is impossible to comprehend how such a transaction was made. Therefore, the Minister's claims simply do not add up.
Let us look further back. Maldivians will surely remember the grand, elaborate inauguration ceremony held to mark the beginning of this administration. If the state treasury truly lacked the funds to purchase even a 15-day supply of staple foods, as the Minister claims, there is no justification for spending 23 million Rufiyaa on an inauguration ceremony.
Under the circumstances described by Saeed, it is difficult to accept that spending 4 million to install an elevator in a two-story building is a justifiable expense. A person in a position such as Saeed’s should ensure that even their political rhetoric is grounded in greater truth. It is essential to verify whether these figures align with the actual expenditures they themselves have incurred.
