South-Hithadhoo constituency MP Ali Nizar has said that there are a number of individuals in the current administration that ‘do not want development in the outlying islands’, including President Abdulla Yameen.

He made the statement while speaking on RaajjeTV’s Fala Surukhee programme on Saturday night, adding that this administration does not have a policy for the development of the islands. He noted that it has failed to create a plan to develop the outlying islands, to allow the islands’ youth to generate an income without leaving their homes.

Noting that Maldivian Democratic Party’s administration had launched the guest house businesses in the islands, Nizar said that ‘what this has done’ can be seen in islands such as Maafushi, Rasdhoo and Himmafushi.

He said that the various projects being conducted after taking big loans, ‘do not benefit the people much’.

“They do not believe in the development of the outlying islands. There are such people, and [President] Yameen is one of them. He does not want development in outlying nations,” said MP Nizar.

The lawmaker did note that projects that require big loans are important as well, but added that ‘this is not the right time to do so’. He claimed that the purpose of conducting such projects is not for development, ‘but because of the amount that is going into their pockets’.

Further noting that huge amounts are being spent on projects such as Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Nizar said that the project could have undertaken ‘at a much lower cost’. He added that the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is a similar case.

“In every such project, we hear reports of corruption. The purpose of conducting such huge projects so close to the elections, is to use the money for it,” he added.