TM criticizes government silence over 'Faafu atoll sale'
TM expressed concern that the government is involved in a project that is consequential to many Maldivians without disclosing any information about it.
President Abdulla Yameen in the January trip to Magoodhoo
Transparency Maldives has initiated a campaign on social networks calling on the government to disclose what its plans for Faafu atoll are, amid speculation that the entire atoll maybe sold off to Saudi Arabia.
Transparency’s local branch’s tweet, dated Saturday, calls into question the integrity behind selling off an entire atoll and called on the government to disclose information that could potentially have an impact on the livelihoods of its residents.
Out of the 20 islands in the administrative division, just five are inhabited and one has been developed as an island resort. The rest are uninhabited.
In a trip to Magoodhoo island of the atoll in January, President Abdulla Yameen had told residents that the government had an ‘immense’ project in store for the atoll, a plan already underway as many of preparations had reportedly been made, and revealed that the Saudi kingdom had expressed particular interest for these islands.
However, the government has yet to officially release any details, or even to confirm such plans to the press.
2015 saw a controversial amendment to the constitution, where MPs had voted in favour of allowing foreign entities to lease land in the country.
