Who Benefits From Unused Tourist SIM Packages?
A simple question for our telecom operators and regulators:
Thousands of tourists purchase prepaid SIM cards and data packages when they arrive in the Maldives. Many leave after a short holiday without fully using what they have already paid for.
What happens to that unused value when the package expires? Who ultimately benefits from it?
Even if the average unused value is only a few dollars per tourist, when multiplied across our large number of annual visitors, the total could be significant.
There is nothing wrong with operators making legitimate revenue. But there should be transparency about how much tourists collectively pay for prepaid packages, how much is actually consumed, and how much expires unused.
Perhaps it is time for the relevant authorities to look at the numbers.
Small amounts multiplied by millions can become very big numbers.
Let me have the honor of nominating my dear friend @IbrahimShujaau to sign this petition.
Unlike many MPs, brother Shuja knows this subject well and spoke about it in detail during the parliamentary election campaign.
I’d be very happy to see his signature on this.
To sign: https://t.co/nkSwJLWEFP
Dear Minister Ameen,
The Visit Maldives committee may need some Paracetamol and Panadol before making future decisions on the branding and taglines of the Maldives. The latest tagline itself suggests that some medical attention may be needed.
This seems like a very narrow-minded approach. The Maldives is a world-class tourism brand, and its future branding deserves professional expertise. A qualified branding team should develop the concepts and present them for approval, rather than leaving such important creative decisions entirely to this kind of committee.
This hardworking Customs officer of high integrity, Azmath Shakir, who has served diligently for decades, is now facing intense attacks from drug smugglers who conceal narcotics in bras, buttocks, underwear and similar places, simply for doing her job.
Keep up the excellent work, Azmath. We stand with you.
It is no surprise this is happening just days after it came to light that PG @abbas_sharyf released a PNC woman who had hidden drugs inside her underwear.
Let’s see,
Gov spending in the first SIX months of 2026:
Travel: 125 million
Vehicle purchases: 37 million
Furniture & equipment: 316 million
Administrative supplies: 380 million
President's Office: 103 million
Majlis: 106 million
Salaries: 8 billion
Is this how a low-income country spends?
That's equivalent to approximately:
308,000 per day on new vehicles
883,000 per day to run the Majlis
858,000 per day to run the President's Office
Over 1 million per day on travel
2.6 million per day on furniture & equipment
Yet when it comes to investing in public services, infrastructure, healthcare, education, or other priorities that directly benefit citizens, we are told there isn't enough money.