There is a noticeable lack of enthusiasm among members for the opposition MDP’s “Looted” protest planned against the government on the 3rd of next month. The main reason for this is the revelation of a major corruption scandal at Fenaka during MDP’s governance, as exposed by an audit report. With this report, public trust has been lost, and it’s now clear who actually “looted.” During MDP’s five-year rule, the state’s financial condition deteriorated, and from November 2018 onwards, over a billion rufiyaa was disbursed as compensation to companies like BIG, Dheebaja, and Noomadi, which are associated with MDP’s senior leaders.
Even during the difficulties of COVID-19, additional funds were released without proper procedures. Despite concerns raised by the Auditor General’s office, over 1 billion rufiyaa worth of assets were distributed, and a large portion of tourist resort rents and fines were waived.
Furthermore, from late 2021, many projects were awarded to companies, but a large portion of these projects remain incomplete. Leaked documents show that companies offering to complete work at reasonable prices were sidelined, and contracts were awarded at higher costs and longer durations, resulting in losses to the state. Capable state companies like MTCC were not given opportunities. Financially, MDP’s five years saw the highest amount of money printed (8 billion rufiyaa) and the highest increase in debt (57 billion rufiyaa) in the country’s history. Although COVID-19 was cited as the reason for this debt, only ten out of the 39 loans taken (2.4 billion rufiyaa) were actually related to COVID.
With no visible results for such a large amount of money spent, the public now demands accountability for all these issues. Consequently, it is believed that MDP’s “Looted” protest will not receive much support.
