President criticizes rivals’ manifestos

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has criticized some of the policies on the manifestos of his rivals in the 2023 presidential race.

In a campaign rally in Sh. Maaungoodhoo on Monday, the president said that some of the pledges made by campaign teams of his rivals include projects that his administration is already running.

“Candidates will come and make pledges. Some of the candidates have come and made promises. They went to one island and promised to build a 1,200 meter [runway] airport. But we are already building a 1,500 meter [runway] airport there,” he said.

He also criticized his rivals for promising to introduce unsecured SME loans. The president said that his administration is already issuing unsecured SME loans, and that it just requires a good proposal.

The harbor area of Maaungoodhoo were decorated with colorful campaign banners; in MDP’s yellow, in MDA’s orange, and in PPM’s pink.

Referring to the banners, the president said that real contenders should have made a visible presence at this point.

He noted that the campaign activities of the main opposition PPM were visible in Maaungoodhoo, and thanked the party’s members.

The president said the people must decide what they want next, having seen the development projects run during his five-year term.

“I believe this island will vote for the coalition that has joined MDP,” he said.

The president acknowledged that some of the projects in Maaungoodhoo weren’t running at a desirable speed.

He promised to expedite the projects, including the water and sanitation project.

The president said that if elected for a second term, he will:

• Develop the major roads of the island
• Build additional classrooms in the island’s school
• Turn the hospital into a 24/7 medical facility
• Build a modern mosque