Pres. Muizzu claims big wins while Maldivians suffer without clean water

Having a tongue should never grant anyone license to talk carelessly, as true leadership demands a genuine sense of sincerity and humility.

Citizens of the Maldives do not participate in constitutional presidential elections just to put on a theatrical display.

The electorate casts their ballots with the deep-seated expectation that their chosen leader will actively serve the public, single out societal struggles, implement real solutions, and show actual empathy for the daily burdens of ordinary people.

Unfortunately, the current political reality under the current administration stands in stark contrast to those democratic hopes.

Mystery of the invisible mega projects

President, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu recently took to the stage to proudly proclaim that his administration successfully carried out and delivered more than 570 distinct projects across various island communities.

He delivered this announcement with immense pride and dramatic emphasis, claiming all of this was accomplished within just his initial two years in office.

However, looking past the grand speeches, one basic question remains.

Where are these completed works located, which specific islands or cities actually received them, and why was there zero public fanfare?

For a government that routinely brags every single time it lays a tiny strip of asphalt on a road, the total absence of formal inaugurations or victory celebrations for 570 supposedly finished projects is baffling.

Unfinished pipes and unfiltered realities

To understand the truth, one only needs to look at the most basic essential human rights, such as water and sewerage services.

Before the Muizzu administration took over, the prior MDP government had already launched utility construction across numerous islands.

On several of these islands, the infrastructure was already 70 to 80 percent built, while on others, workers merely needed to handle the final service connections.

Taking the stage after two full years in office to boast about accomplishments while failing to complete even simple household hookups should bring deep embarrassment.

Failing to finish essential water and sanitation projects that were handed over nearly complete shows that no amount of self-congratulatory posturing can cover up a total lack of tangible results.

Salty taps and stalled infrastructure

Because of these ongoing failures, residents across multiple islands are forced to endure atrocious living conditions every day.

Entire communities have no access to clean drinking water because their local groundwater remains heavily polluted or excessively salty, leaving parents, infants, school-aged children, and the general public to bathe in contaminated water.

Sewerage infrastructure that the previous government had largely built remains completely frozen and abandoned following the change in power, leaving island residents stuck in a miserable, harsh reality.

Living in luxury while ignoring the public

It is deeply insulting to the citizenry for a leader to remain so detached from daily public suffering while enjoying a lifestyle entirely funded by the taxpayers.

The incumbent sleeps in a state-provided residence, rests on a state-provided bed, eats state-provided meals, travels in state-provided vehicles, and stays surrounded by a state-funded personal staff.

Even while visiting taxpayer-funded islands three nights every week to play futsal and engage in physical recreation, the leadership remains inexplicably oblivious to the real needs of the population.

It is time to end the endless chatter about 570 projects, stop the self-absorbed bragging, drop the constant attacks on political opponents, and put a halt to meaningless rhetoric.

The administration must actually deliver basic human rights to the citizens, because only true service to the public will bring genuine honor to the incumbent’s name and office.

Ultimately, the absence of bones in a tongue should never serve as an excuse to make reckless promises.