President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the constitutional amendments brought in have only empowered citizens. This, he said, would be apparent if political bias is set aside. He made the remarks while speaking with the residents of AA. Mathiveri Island.

In his address, the President reflected on this, stating that the purpose of the Constitution is to declare and define the sovereign power of the state and its territory, define the power of the people, define the rights and responsibilities of the people, and define the system, order and arrangements for the administration of the rule of law. The President went on to clarify the reasons under which the constitutional amendments were brought in. He referred to the amendment, which mandates that the approval of three-fourths of the Parliament and 143,332 citizens must be sought for any decision on the special economic zone.

The President added that Parliament approval now needs to be sought for any foreign military presence to be active on Maldivian soil, made possible by the amendment to Act 251 of the Constitution. It also prohibits the practical deployment of foreign troops in any form on its territory, for military purposes, except to participate in agreed military exercises, with the approval of a majority of the total number of members of Parliament.

The President also noted that the change in the conditions of becoming a member of Parliament also protected the rights of the people. Members contest elections as representing a particular ideology or party and therefore there is a covenant between the elected member and the people of the constituency, he said. In the covenant, the member agrees to fulfil his constitutional responsibilities, he said, adding that the amendment to the Constitution will protect the covenant made by the members.

Referring to the circumstances that must be passed by popular vote before an amendment to the Constitution, he noted that the power to decide on the referendum, which was in the hands of a few, has been left in the hands of the people.

He further added that the changes to the President’s roles and responsibilities addressed the gaps in the existing framework, where the President had no role in determining long- and short-term national developmental planning.

The 6th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified by the President on November 20, 2024.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that development work will continue rebuilding on the solid bedrock of the economic measures implement now. He made the remarks while speaking with the residents of AA. Mathiveri Island.

The President assured that while rebuilding the economy, his Administration will ensure the rights of citizens, the nation’s sovereignty are upheld and the foreign policy goals protects the will of the people.

Reflecting on the work carried out to strengthen the economy, the President said the biggest achievements were a halt to currency overdrafts and reversing the economic trajectory from a bankruptcy. He said that while these achievements were intangible, these were a solid foundation for future economic development. As such, the President vowed that no subsidies, Aasandha payments or retirement payments would be slashed to bring about these changes but rather, the Government would prioritise on cost-cutting measures.

The President said that after tackling the issue of economy, the Administration then turned attention to the core issues facing the nation that had been left unattended to. As such, the issue of vaping and undocumented immigrants are being addressed to, he said, with Maldives Immigration’s Operation Kurangi proving to be a resounding success.

President Dr Muizzu stated that his Administration ranked housing and homeownership as the biggest developmental projects, closely followed by education and health sector development. Water and sewerage projects are ranked next, with road development carried out on those islands with completed water and sewerage networks, followed by sports and social projects.

The President emphasised from 2025 onward, developmental projects will follow this order, with the positive results rolling in based on the development of the construction and small and medium sized enterprises.

Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has extended the deadline for allocating car parking spaces from Vinares Towers. HDC had initially opened this opportunity until yesterday. However, HDC has now extended the deadline until the 12th of this month.

In an announcement, HDC stated that they have decided to allocate parking spaces from these buildings under two models. As such, HDC said they have decided to allocate a total of 76 spaces from inside the building with car registration permission, and 78 parking spaces from outside the building for parking purposes only.

The conditions for those eligible to receive parking spaces include being the main applicant who signed the Vinares flat purchase agreement, and not having any outstanding payments due to the company by December 5. HDC said that only one parking space will be allocated per person. HDC also stated that the parking space will be considered as a space allocated under the flat purchase agreement.

Details of how parking spaces will be sold through bidding from inside the building:

– Starting bid price is 650,000 rufiyaa
– Those who buy parking spaces will be given permission to register cars in this space
– Successful bidders will be given 30 days to pay the total price of the parking space

Details of how parking spaces will be rented out for parking purposes only from outside the building:

– Starting bid price for monthly rent is 2,000 rufiyaa
– Parking spaces will be rented out for five years
– A seven-day period will be given to pay a security deposit equivalent to three months of the proposed monthly rent
– Parking spaces will be allocated for parking purposes only, and registration permission will not be given for these spaces

HDC said that those interested should submit their bids to buy or rent car parking spaces through the online portal.

Attorney General Ahmed Usham has called on the international community to provide assistance to vulnerable countries like the Maldives in coping with climate change. The Attorney General made this call while speaking at a hearing held today at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the case submitted by the UN General Assembly seeking an advisory opinion on the responsibilities of countries regarding climate change issues.

This is a case submitted by the UN General Assembly seeking an advisory opinion from the ICJ under Article 65 of the ICJ Statute regarding some legal questions arising from countries’ responsibilities on climate change issues. Representing the Maldives at today’s hearing, Usham highlighted President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s initiative in continuously advocating on climate change issues and called on the international community to provide assistance to vulnerable countries like the Maldives.

He also noted the Maldives’ vulnerability to long-term impacts of climate change and emphasized that this government opposes the relocation of Maldivian people from their islands due to these impacts. In the statements presented by the international lawyers representing the Maldives at this hearing, they highlighted the responsibility to provide assistance to developing countries like the Maldives under international environmental laws and detailed the obligation of countries to cooperate under customary international law.

The lawyers also noted that it is the responsibility of the international community to provide assistance to small island developing states in recovering from the adverse effects of climate change.

Aasandha Company stated last night that they have not stopped covering any medicine under the Aasandha scheme. In a notice issued by Aasandha, it was stated that they have not stopped covering any medicine under the Aasandha scheme, and coverage for medicines will continue to be provided under the Aasandha scheme as before.

They also mentioned that the medicines covered by the scheme and the extent of coverage can be found in the “Master Medicine and Consumables List” in the “Downloads” section of the Aasandha website. According to Aasandha, if a medicine is related to a service not covered by the scheme, it will be marked as “Not Covered” on the prescription.

Furthermore, they stated that if a medicine covered by the scheme needs to be purchased from a pharmacy providing services under the scheme, it can be reported via Viber or WhatsApp message to the complaint chatline 7951400. The National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) has decided to change the prices of the 250 most frequently issued medicines under the Aasandha scheme to make the Aasandha system a sustainable system that provides quality services.

Fenaka’s Managing Director Muaz Mohamed Rasheed has said that there are solutions to overcome the major financial situation facing Fenaka, and with these solutions, the company’s debt can be cleared by 2027.

Speaking on a state media program, Muaz said that the previous government had hired an unsustainable number of employees and taken loans with high interest rates. He also said that they have to spend a large amount every month on unpaid fuel bills from that government. Muaz said that while Fenaka receives about 213 million rufiyaa per month, they need to spend an additional 85 million rufiyaa.

“There are solutions that can be brought to overcome the financial situation facing Fenaka. However, this cannot be done solely with the company’s income. Although sewerage is a service provided free of charge to the public, large expenses have to be incurred every month, and an appropriate subsidy should be received for this,” Muaz said. He said that instead of the current 11.3 million rufiyaa received as sewerage subsidy, a total of 35 million rufiyaa is spent on it. Therefore, he also said that the additional 85 million rufiyaa spent could be reduced to cover this expense.

Muaz further said that 30 million rufiyaa is spent on loans. He also said that they have requested the Finance Ministry to postpone the payments due to them for three years.

“We need the assistance of the Finance Ministry in restructuring two loans of 400 million rufiyaa taken from MIB by the previous government. It is also important to ensure that the money owed by government companies and institutions is received monthly.” Muaz said.

Muaz said that with these solutions, Fenaka’s debt can be paid off by 2027.

Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has stated that this government will respect projects initiated by any administration and that the current government will complete these projects. He gave this assurance in his speech after inaugurating the football ground in Aa. Ukulhas.

Highlighting that the football ground opened today in Ukulhas is an example of this, the Vice President said that the government will complete all such unfinished grounds. Additionally, he stated that youth are the energy of this nation and that this government will recognize youth as youth. He emphasized that if this energy lacks strength, the Maldivian nation will not progress, and said that this government gives importance to listening to the youth and fulfilling their needs.

To inaugurate the football ground, the Vice President cut the ribbon in front of the ground’s stage. He also signed the ball used in the match played to mark the opening of the ground. The match played to celebrate the ground’s opening was between a team of legends composed of former Maldives national team players and a team of Ukulhas youth.

Minister of Sports, Fitness and Recreation Abdullah Rafiu and Aa. Ukulhas Council President Shaukat Ibrahim also participated in this ceremony. Reviving and nurturing the spirit of football in the Maldives and bringing development to the Maldives through sports is an important goal of this government.

The Project for Disaster Resilience Enhancement in Male’ Island has signed a consultancy agreement for the work on Male’ City’s seawall. On the 3rd of this month, State Minister Ibrahim Thaam Mohamed signed the agreement on behalf of the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure. Chief Consultant Hiromi Namiki signed on behalf of the consultant team.

The Ministry of Construction stated that this agreement is mainly for the detailed design work of upgrading the Male’ City seawall. It is also planned to complete the designing phase by the first quarter of 2025.

On September 19th of last year, an Exchange of Notes was signed between the Maldives and Japanese governments to proceed with this project, and a Grant Aid agreement was signed on October 28th.

Health Minister Abdullah Nazim has said that the government’s measures against the tobacco epidemic are receiving public support.

Speaking at a press conference held today at the Roshani Building, Nazim said that many citizens are supporting the government’s measures to save the country from the tobacco epidemic.

“In my view, from the scenes we see today and from the meetings we have held, parents and Maldivian citizens in general are very welcoming of this. They have been calling on the government through various media and platforms to take such measures. That’s one reason why the government decided to proceed with this so quickly. Another reason is that President Mohamed Muizzu’s manifesto has a very important agenda for health prevention, there are very important promises, and to fulfill those promises, implementing this as one of the most important tasks, as one of the biggest challenges to the health system is this tobacco issue. So there is a lot of public enthusiasm for this,” Nazim said.

Nazim said that although there are challenges in implementing tobacco control measures, he is hopeful that they will be further strengthened in the future as they are progressing under the direct supervision of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. The Minister also said that such implementation challenges are faced by all countries in the world.

The Minister further said that many people are waiting for the government to take additional steps to solve the problem of tobacco use. He also noted that banning the import of electronic cigarettes and vape-related devices to the Maldives under the Tobacco Control Act is one such measure.

President Dr. Muizzu has decided in the cabinet to establish cessation services throughout the Maldives to provide assistance to those who are addicted to tobacco use and want to quit. Nazim said that the work of training people to provide this service is progressing very rapidly. He also said that many other things have been planned and organized.

The government has introduced a special hotline number called “Quit Line” to assist those who want to quit smoking. Speaking at a press conference held today at the Roshani Building, Health Minister Abdullah Nazim Ibrahim said that by calling 1676, the service will be available 24 hours a day.

According to Nazim, arrangements have been made to provide nicotine patches and gum, as well as other treatments through Aasandha for those who want to quit smoking. He also said that technical staff have been trained to provide this service. The government has decided to establish “Tobacco Cessation Clinics” in all islands of the Maldives. Nazim said that this service will be launched in all islands within the next two to three months.

As such, it has been decided to recognize and reward socially active individuals and islands that do not use tobacco. It has also been decided to provide financial assistance for social activities in the awarded islands. In addition, to find a permanent solution to the tobacco issue, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has decided to develop a master plan that will achieve good results within the next four years.

While the law has been amended to increase the duty on tobacco products, it has been decided to increase the specific rate of import duty on cigarettes and beedis from three rufiyaa to eight rufiyaa. Additionally, it has been decided to increase the “ad valorem rate” on tobacco by 50 percent, and the law has been amended accordingly. The government states that these measures are important steps towards reducing tobacco use, moving away from tobacco, and building a healthy society, and that these efforts will have positive effects on public health.