Fabricating a milestone by claiming an ongoing bridge from absolute scratch

The current administration’s spin surrounding the Thilamalé Bridge reveals a blatant contempt for institutional continuity and an eager desire to rewrite the facts.

Undertaken on behalf of the Maldivian public, this massive undertaking was already secured, financed through state mechanisms alongside foreign allies, and visibly advancing on the water long before the current leadership stepped up to the podium.

Despite repeatedly circulating a carousel of completion targets for an initiative kicked off during the preceding term, the head of state now audaciously insists his team had to begin the venture from absolute nothingness.

The official record, inconveniently for him, completely shatters that narrative.

Relay race of statecraft

Basic statecraft dictates that when a new leadership takes power, it shoulders the entire portfolio left behind by the preceding regime. This handover covers the country’s assets, its accumulated liabilities, ongoing infrastructure operations, near-finalized builds, and scheduled developments waiting in the pipeline.

It is the ordinary rhythm of government for one leadership group to engineer the blueprints, a second to secure the funding agreements, a third to sink the initial foundations, and another down the line to accelerate the construction timeline.

By the time the ribbon is sliced at an opening ceremony, the official holding the scissors frequently belongs to an entirely separate political era.

If every incoming cohort of politicians chose to treat inherited undertakings as non-existent until the most obvious structural milestones emerged, this country would be overrun by self-styled founding fathers claiming every brick.

Legacy of passing the baton

When looking at the Thilamalé crossing, political personnel changed, but the republic remained an unbroken entity.

The initiative endured, the international collaborations stood firm, and the labor on the ground never vanished.

The only actual shift was the group of managers assigned to steer the next legs of construction.

There is nothing wrong with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu claiming a victory lap if the structure reaches completion during his tenure. If the corridor linking Malé to Villimalé reaches the finish line under his watch, or if construction momentum across Villimalé, Gulhifalhu, and Thilafushi speeds up, those milestones would legitimately belong in his administration’s win column.

The paper trail cannot be erased

Earning legitimate recognition, however, does not require fabricating a fantasy timeline. History should not be twisted for partisan advantage by pretending this monumental infrastructure was solely dreamed up, initiated, and hammered together by President Muizzu in isolation.

When verified logs demonstrate that vital structural components were actively being fabricated, specialized casting sites were already fully operational, and underwater steel casings were being driven well before President Muizzu ever took his oath of office, marketing the venture as something his government had to begin from scratch is pure deception. It is an intentional, brazen campaign to hoodwink the Maldivian public.