Shahid slams government’s Addu development claims as empty boasts

MDP President Abdulla Shahid has stated that the government's grand rhetoric regarding the development of Addu City does not align with its practical actions, noting that the administration's conduct reflects a different reality.

Speaking at an MDP rally on Thursday night, Shahid stated that the government's actions regarding the development of Addu City are in direct contradiction to its rhetoric.

In this regard, Shahid’s sharpest criticism was directed at the current administration’s handling of the Hankede Bridge project in Addu, which was initiated during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s government. Shahid described the changes made by the present administration to the integrated tourism project as nonsensical and reckless. Furthermore, Shahid asserted that the government’s intervention in the MDP-led project has resulted in nothing but a mess. He noted that although the project agreements had already been finalized, the current administration altered them in a manner that deprives the public of its intended benefits.

Furthermore, Shahid alleged that the government had engaged in deception regarding the reopening of Shangri-La. He claimed that while three tourists were brought in from a hotel in Malé to stage a reopening ceremony, the resort remains deserted today, occupied by nothing but spirits. Shahid emphasized that these are facts clearly visible to the public.

Furthermore, Shahid noted that the government had announced bunkering services would commence in Hithadhoo within three months, projected to generate an annual revenue of 400 million Rufiyaa. However, he remarked that no one seems to know the whereabouts of that 400 million Rufiyaa. Shahid further criticized the government, highlighting several other instances where their actions have failed to align with their official statements.