Muizzu wants you to believe his personal travel costs taxpayers zero cents

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stood before the microphones at a press conference on Monday and boldly declared that he does not burn through a single penny of state funds when he goes on personal trips.

To make this narrative sound believable, the president explained that while staff members from the President's Office do trail along on his private getaways, they are there to lug around a printer and a scanner.

He further claimed that he personally cuts the checks for their salaries out of his own pocket for the exact duration of those trips.

Curious case of the Singapore getaway

However, the grand proclamation that absolutely zero public funds are leaking into his personal holidays falls apart under the slightest logical scrutiny.

Take a look at his most recent private holiday to Singapore and the immediate contradictions begin to pile up.

When he cruised to the airport for that Singapore trip, who exactly picked up the tab for the fuel inside the official vehicle that transported him? Was the gasoline powering every single vehicle in his security motorcade during that trek purchased with his private bank account? Were the actual salaries and the heavy logistical expenses of the security personnel guarding his security detail funded by his own wealth? Did he personally hand over cash to utilize the VIP lounge at the airport?

High-flying perks and VIP treatment

The president also let it slip that the First Lady stayed behind at the Singapore airport during their overseas visit. This raises the question of whether the president personally financed the First Lady's extended stay inside the Singapore airport VIP lounge.

Further, the president openly acknowledged that the High Commissioner, the Deputy High Commissioner, and a cohort of other High Commission staff members were right there on the ground in Singapore to welcome him.

One has to wonder in what official capacity these diplomats were operating during what was billed as a strictly private holiday.

Were the salaries of those embassy officials and the various expenses they racked up during that welcoming event paid for out of the president's personal finances?

Office gear and island retreats

Then there is the hilarious image of the President's Office staff members shadowing him on personal vacations while burdened with a printer and a scanner.

Were these technological devices bought and paid for by the president as personal property, or is that equipment simply state property belonging directly to the President's Office?

The loopholes in this cashless-travel fantasy extend well past international flights into his weekend stays at Aarah. When he sails off to Aarah accompanied by a fleet of multiple speedboats packed to the brim with various officials, are the fuel costs and the ongoing maintenance for those vessels financed by his personal bank account?

While he is kicking back for leisure at Aarah, does he personally settle the electricity and water bills for the property? Is the food he eats during these retreats cooked using grocery supplies bought entirely with his own cash?

Mathematics of presidential PR

These glaring omissions cast a massive shadow over the logical consistency of the president's public statements.

For the claim to actually hold water, that not a single cent of the hard-earned money belonging to the citizens is being funneled into personal trips or luxury holidays, the president would have to personally shoulder every single one of these interconnected expenses himself.