Monday
23rd Dec 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Solih and chief of staff Ali Zahir. Photo: President's Office.
The Chief of Staff at the President's Office, Ali Zahir, has expressed concern regarding the opposition rally on the streets of Male City titled "Magey Flat Koba?" (literally, "Where is My Flat?").
The former President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom initiated the Hiyaa housing programme which oversaw the construction of 7,000 housing units in Hulhumale Phase 2. The housing units had been allocated to their rightful owners by the end of his term. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, however, had halted the programme, claiming that the allocation process had been "corrupt". He established a Flat Committee to investigate and revise the allocation lists. The final lists revised by the Flat Committee were published this week, and have come under much criticism.
"It is with distress that I see the actions of people who act in such a way that would spread the virus more; by prioritizing their fanatical zeal over their own safety and the safety of their families; in a time that the virus is spreading and causing increasing strain on medical facilities 🦠"
Dr Mohamed Muizzu, the VP of PPM, had responded that the government was "cruel and unjust" to the poor people who had been assigned a flat by the previous administration but had been disqualified through the Flat Committee's revisions. The Commoners' Friendship Association, a local NGO, stated that there were 3,700 people who had been disqualified by the Flat Committee but continue to live in squalid conditions.
The opposition PPM/PNC Coalition took to the streets today to protest the Flat Committee's conclusions.
In response to the rallies, Ali Zahir criticised the protesters and described them as having been struck by "overzealousness". He wrote that as the virus spreads and puts more pressure on medical facilities, the protesters were prioritizing their fanatical zeal over the need to control the spread of the virus, and the safety of their families.
He described, with noted "distress", the protests as being undertaken in such a way that would increase the spread of the virus.
The opposition PPM/PNC Coalition took to the streets today to protest the Flat Committee's conclusions.
In response to the rallies, Ali Zahir criticised the protesters and described them as having been struck by "overzealousness". He wrote that as the virus spreads and puts more pressure on medical facilities, the protesters were prioritizing their fanatical zeal over the need to control the spread of the virus, and the safety of their families.
He described, with noted "distress", the protests as being undertaken in such a way that would increase the spread of the virus.