Hajj quota was allocated fairly: VP

Vice President Faisal Naseem has said that the Hajj pilgrimage quota was allocated fairly.

The Vice President said this on Sunday after bidding farewell to the first group of Maldivian Hajj pilgrims traveling to Mecca.

Expressing disapproval over the previous government’s work to send pilgrims, Vice President Faisal said that the current government is focused on treated every citizen fairly and not allowing any form of corruption, adding that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is personally looking into the Hajj pilgrimage travels.

A large part of the quota for last year was allocated to senior members of the then ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

The Vice President said that the current government has done excellent work to send Maldivians to Hajj and that they will be paying close attention to the pilgrims throughout their trip.

Highlighting the problem of some agencies asking for more money, he said that the government will be taking action against those found to be acting against the laws and regulations.

He also said that they are also concerned that some Maldivians have to wait a long time before allowed to travel to Hajj and that the government is always working to increase the quota.