The reality of the Maldivian economy:
We have around 171,000 Maldivians in the labour force. Roughly 90,000 are paid by the government, with thousands more in political posts and businesses dependent on government spending.
This leaves fewer than 50,000 people doing much of the productive work, many in tourism, that actually generates the foreign currency our economy depends on and add value to the economy.
Meanwhile, government salaries alone exceed MVR 17 billion this year, while recurrent expenditure is almost equal to total government revenue.
For years, we have printed and circulated billions of rufiyaa through an oversized state without creating equivalent economic value or USD earnings. That rufiyaa eventually chases the limited USD available.
The result? Those who actually produce and earn and add value to economy see the value of their work diluted.
And now, instead of fixing the structural problem, the government wants the USD those workers earn.
This is just one among thousands of Maldivians who have been forced to turn to the public for donations simply to access the healthcare treatment they need. This is what happens when the State creates different classes of healthcare coverage for different citizens.
The MP representing Ashfaq and his family receives a premium health insurance package worth 1.3 million per family member, with access to treatment across countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. His spouse and eligible children are covered too, all funded by taxpayers.
Meanwhile, the very citizens he represents are left to struggle with a far more limited public healthcare system, navigate approvals, and sometimes ask public for donations just to get treated.
How can this be fair?
Those who are able to support Ashfaq financially, please do!
And to everyone else, please sign the petition to dismantle this healthcare caste system in the Maldives.
Our tax money should not fund premium international healthcare packages for MPs and their families while ordinary citizens are forced to fundraise for essential treatment.
Healthcare should not have one standard for those in power and another for everyone else.
Petition link: https://t.co/nkSwJLWEFP
“Participating in such meetings (Palestine solidarity protest) is the duty of artists like me. If our fame does not serve the cause of humanity and freedom, then there is no use being popular actors.”
Actor Sathyaraj while addressing a Palestine solidarity protest in Chennai on 19 September.
“Today, for the injustice happening to Palestine, Israel alone is not responsible. America is responsible. Modi’s silence is responsible too.”
Award winning actor Prakash Raj while addressing a Palestine solidarity protest in Chennai on 19 September.
This is what I have been talking for a while .If we want to bring millions of tourists to the Maldives, we must invest in consistent, long-term promotion.
Tourism is not a political party or a supermarket we can’t expect results only when we need them. It takes planning, awareness, and global visibility.
We need our politicians to truly understand what tourism means. It’s not just about guesthouses and resorts it’s about the entire ecosystem: jobs, investment, connectivity, and national reputation.
We’re building massive infrastructure like the new terminal but what’s the use of a big terminal if we don’t bring in enough tourists to fill it?
If budget is tight, then let’s be smart: promote all national strengths under one unified message tourism, fisheries, aviation, investment. The Maldives is more than a destination. But we must sell it proudly, continuously, and collectively.
#BREAKING: Friday is the first day of #EidAlFitr in #SaudiArabia, the Tamir and Hautat Sudair observatories announced following sighting Shawwal crescent moon