Didi says opening applications for non‑existent flats and land is an election scam

Maradhoo MP Ahmed Didi has accused the government of opening applications for flats and land that do not yet exist as a tactic to influence the upcoming local council elections.

The government recently opened applications for 15,000 land plots and 7,900 flats.

Speaking on SSTV’s Baaru Hathareh programme on Tuesday, Didi said the administration has not laid the foundation for a single new housing project in more than two years. He added that there is no sign of funding for any such project.

“When you come out now and do this on the eve of another election, everyone knows this is just to influence the election,” he said.

Didi contrasted the situation with the previous MDP administration, noting that when the then‑opposition PNC accused MDP of allocating land for political gain, he could at least see the projects underway and the funds allocated.

“The deception of giving land for settlement in a place that does not exist is a scam to make the people fools,” he alleged.

He also criticised the government’s 2025 budget, which he said was marketed as a housing budget but ended the year with 89 percent of the allocations unspent.

“I have not seen any housing project in any island where this government has laid the foundation. Only some projects initiated by the MDP government are being continued,” he said, adding that the administration’s “words and actions don’t meet at all.”

Didi argued that without laying foundations in the past two years, the government cannot realistically complete flats and hand them over within the next two years.

He also noted that the list of eligible recipients for flats and land was not completed during the previous MDP government, and some of the land allocated at that time has not yet been dredged.

The government, however, maintains that applications have been opened only for confirmed projects. It says 7,900 flats have secured funding and construction is set to begin soon. The administration also says dredging of Rasmale will be expedited and that land and flats will be allocated to all eligible applicants before the end of its term.

Applications for land in the Male' area close at 23:59 on March 4, while applications for flats close at 23:59 on April 17.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has pledged to provide housing for every Maldivian aged 18 and above, with a policy framework that differs in several areas from that of the previous government.