70% of Maldivian population can be re-populated in Hulhumale: President Yameen

70% of the current population of the country can be re-populated in Hulhumale’ once Hulhumale’ Development Phase II was complete and once 25-story buildings were permitted in Male’ and Hulhumale’, said President Abdulla Yameen on Thursday.

Speaking as chief guest of ceremony held to lay the foundation of Tree Top Hospital,

President Yameen said that if the population of Maldives was controlled within a certain limit, 70% of the population could be re-populated in Hulhumale’.

President Yameen said that Maldivians need not worry about lack of land on which to live on in the country. He said that reclaiming land from just five lagoons under land reclamation project would produce land 32 times the size of Hulhumale’.

“This is USD 500 million (cost of land reclamation of five lagoons).Therefore if we want to move forward, we need to fearless and move forward,” said President Yameen.

He said he was happy to see businesses spend on social causes while expecting little or no return.

“I just want to say that the government will support all such projects by private parties,” he said.

Stressing that the biggest priority of the government was economic development, President Yameen said that the recent amendment to Constitution granting land ownership rights to foreigners - controversial though it may be – was beneficial to the economy.

He said that he did not believe Maldives could move forward doing “business as usual.”

“I believe that we need to take the lead, set goal to move forward, ignite the spirit of moving forward, and pave the way for big things.”

The President said that looking at what Maldives has been blessed with, land had to be reclaimed to take advantage of those blessings.

Noting that the old way of doing business had to be said goodbye to and new opportunities had to be opened in business, President Yameen said that previous governments had been busy “learning” the way of business. And that the environment had not been engaging enough to conduct business.

“Laws passed by government were not that profitable to businessmen. But god willing the landscape is changing now to do what is beneficial to businessmen.”

President said that he hoped the Tree Top Hospital being built in Hulhumale’ would be beneficial to a lot of people.