President: MDP has vision for Bodu Thiladhunmathi’s development

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih states that the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has a vision to develop the Bodu Thiladhunmathi region, which he said will affect a “great change” not just to the two atolls but the entire northern Maldives.

He made the remark during a campaign rally in HDh. Hanimaadhoo on Wednesday.

Addressing the rally, President Solih said that Hanimaadhoo is the main gateway to the “great change”.

“A great change is coming. A great change is coming to Hanimaadhoo,” he said.

He said that his administration had to run a lot of projects in the Bodu Thiladhunmathi region because it had been sidelined by the previous administrations.

“Let me tell you, we accomplished this through well-planned efforts. Hanimaadhoo has always been one of the centers of Bodu Thiladhunmathi. This has been true as far back as 500 years,” he said.

The president said that though the people of Hanimaadhoo had expected a great change with the airport developed in the island 32 years back, it had never happened.

He said that the only thing the previous administration did was to change the airport’s nameplate to “international.”

The president said that the project to develop the airport initiated by his administration will expand the airport to accommodate 1.5 million passengers per annum, which will spread economic progress across northern Maldives.

He said that while the previous administration had run 73 projects in HDh. Atoll, his administration had run over 200.

He alleged that the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)’s policies were mostly designed to restrict freedoms and concentrate populations to one place.

“PPM will enforce their policy no matter who their candidate is. It is we who will change Bodu Thiladhunmathi,” he said.

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

• Develop the remaining roads in Hanimaadhoo
• Develop a sports complex
• Modernize the football field
• Build housing units