An amendment has been proposed to the Parliament requiring the publication of detailed point allocation when releasing the list of recipients for government housing projects. Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudhoo), the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) member for Galolhu North constituency, sent a letter today to the Speaker of Parliament, Abdulla Shahid, proposing an additional amendment to the Housing Bill currently submitted by the government.
Kudhoo proposed adding a new article after Article 51 of the Housing Bill, which deals with the publication of the list of applicants for social housing programs. He suggested that the Housing Ministry should be required to publish a list containing information of all applicants for social housing programs as stipulated by law. The list should include:
- Full name
- Permanent address
- Whether the applicant meets the criteria or not, and if not, the reason
- Detailed breakdown of points awarded
Currently, the government-published lists of flat recipients from social housing schemes include full names, permanent addresses, and reasons for disqualification if applicable. However, the detailed breakdown of points awarded is not made public. Only the total points received are published.
When proposing this article for inclusion in the Housing Bill, it’s worth noting that the most recent MDP government faced significant criticism for not disclosing the detailed point allocation for the “Gedhoruverin Scheme” flats in Hulhumale’ Phase 2. Many complaints were lodged, with people claiming they received fewer points than they deserved, and that flats were allocated to individuals who didn’t meet the criteria. Many even protested at the Housing Ministry.
An Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation into the issue of these 4,000 flats also revealed that some individuals were awarded extra points in violation of the established guidelines.
