Fuel prices were hiked to fund electricity bill discounts for Ramadan: Bigey
Bigey has alleged that STO increased petrol and diesel prices despite no market necessity, solely to fund the electricity bill discounts promised for Ramadan. He claimed the President’s decision to reduce electricity bills was a miscalculation, and the government is now attempting to offset the resulting losses by extracting more money from the public. Furthermore, he expressed concern over plans to slash food subsidies, asserting that the current administration lacks any sincere intention to provide genuine financial relief to the citizens.
Former Alifushi MP Mohamed Rasheed Hussain (Bigey) speaks at an MDP rally held at the party's headquarters. | MDP | MDP
Former Alifushi MP Mohamed Rasheed Hussain (Bigey) has alleged that the State Trading Organization (STO) increased the prices of petrol and diesel to recover the funds lost through electricity bill discounts provided to households during the month of Ramadan.
Speaking at an MDP rally on Friday night, Bigey stated that the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices in the Maldives, attributed to Middle East tensions, was unnecessary and not driven by actual market demands. He further noted that Economic Minister Saeed had confirmed a new fuel shipment is currently en route to the Maldives and that shipping routes remain unobstructed. Given these assurances, Bigey argued that the price increase is unacceptable.
Referring to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge to cap electricity bills for all domestic households at 400 MVR this Ramadan, Bigey stated that information has been received suggesting the recent hike in diesel and petrol prices—despite a lower-cost shipment—was implemented to generate the funds required to subsidize these electricity discounts.
I understand that the claim regarding a 400-rufiyaa reduction in electricity bills for every household was actually a personal oversight. The intention was likely to refer to a 400-unit threshold. This current effort appears to be a move to recover those costs from the public by adjusting fuel prices to cover the gap. Consequently, we see no genuine intent to provide sincere relief to the citizens. Furthermore, we are now hearing reports concerning the long-standing subsidies on staple foods, specifically the plan to eliminate the subsidy on sugar. Sugar is a fundamental staple used by the general public in their daily lives across the Maldives. Nevertheless, I heard the Health Minister discuss cutting the expenditure currently allocated to support the public by removing this subsidy.Mohamed Rasheed Hussain (Bigey), the former Member of Parliament for the Alifushi constituency.
He stated that the current administration has shown no intention of providing relief to the public, noting that their actions thus far demonstrate a complete lack of effort in this regard. He highlighted that while citizens have no means of increasing their income, their expenses continue to skyrocket. Furthermore, he asserted that under this government, the people are becoming increasingly marginalized and impoverished with each passing day.
