President's Office says work on government's economic reform agenda has been stalled since 2024; however, Minister maintains that efforts are ongoing
Finance Minister Moosa Zameer has stated that the government’s economic reform agenda is progressing without interruption and is already yielding positive results. Speaking at a press conference, the Minister highlighted that significant measures, including debt servicing and the merging of state-owned enterprises, are bringing structural improvements to the Maldives' financial system. However, concerns have emerged following a previous statement by the President's Office to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM), which suggested that work on the agenda had stalled after 2024.
Minister of Finance Moosa Zameer. | Presidents office
Despite previous admissions from the President's Office that the government's economic reform agenda had stalled since 2024, the Minister of Finance has now asserted that these efforts are ongoing.
The Finance Minister made these remarks while speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday.
During the press conference, a journalist raised questions regarding the lack of transparency surrounding the government's economic reform agenda, seeking clarification on the current progress of these initiatives.
In response to that question, Finance Minister Moosa Zameer stated that significant reforms have already been implemented within the financial system, and the results are already evident. The Minister noted that while debt warning bells were ringing by 2023, the government has managed to service its debt while providing quality services to the public through a strategic economic agenda and robust structural changes.
Despite the Minister's assertions that the economic reform agenda is yielding results, the President's Office admitted during a hearing at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) that work on the government's economic reform agenda has been stalled since 2024. This admission was made during a hearing held last April.
Therefore, when RaajjeTV sought further clarification, the Finance Minister stated that decisions such as the merging of state-owned enterprises are initiatives carried out under the government's reform agenda. The Minister further emphasized that the Maldives has avoided bankruptcy solely due to the proactive measures implemented by the administration.
Information shared by the President's Office with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) includes a report from September 2, 2024, regarding the President's decisions to achieve the objectives of the reform agenda. This was followed by a report on October 23 detailing further decisions made by the President under the economic reform agenda. However, ICOM has raised questions regarding the lack of evidence of any subsequent progress or actions taken following those initial decisions.
