President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has emphasized the importance of providing services and benefits to all citizens without discrimination, regardless of the size of the island's population.
Speaking at V. Rakeedhoo, his first stop during his current campaign tour to Vaavu Atoll, President Solih reaffirmed his commitment to ending discrimination in the Maldives. He said that the government should provide services and benefits to the people without any discrimination and with equality, and said he ran for the 2018 presidential election with the Jazeera Raajje manifesto to stop discrimination in the Maldives.
"Every citizen is equal before the government. That should be the case," the president said.
He said in the past; some were deprived of services because they lived on a particular island with a small population. The practice was brought to an end under the Jazeera Raajje vision by providing basic services to the people in their own islands, the president noted.
“We are developing the Maldives [under the Jazeera Raajje development vision]. We are providing basic services to the people without discrimination between small and large islands,” he said.
Acknowledging the decline in Rakeedhoo's population, President Solih attributed it to the lack of certain services, such as proper education and healthcare facilities. The President said the national RTL ferry system will connect the entire country within the next year, making it significantly easier for the people of sparsely populated islands like Rakeedhoo to obtain services that are not available on their islands. He expressed hope that the positive changes brought about by the government would contribute towards an increase in Rakeedhoo's population.
