President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom Friday vowed to double infrastructure development projects despite proposing a smaller budget next year.
Speaking during a mass rally held to celebrate ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) anniversary, President Yameen said that well over 500 projects are currently in progress all around the Maldives despite various difficulties.
The President also said that the target for next year is to double the amount of projects, and that the result will be evident all around the nation.
"Over 560 projects are currently ongoing all over the Maldives. If God wills it, then we will double this amount and rise above it. We are proposing a budget of 27 billion for next year," the President said.
The finance ministry has been tight-lipped over the proposed budget, but according to sources, the government has submitted a MVR26 billion for 2017 as opposed to MVR27.5 billion for this year.
The President said that his government is focused on fulfilling its pledges by taking decisions past governments were not brave enough to make. He said that the government was continuing efforts to bring development and prosperity to the nation and its people.
"People were living in fear before, but now criminals fear to commit crimes due to the decisions taken by the government," the President said.
President Yameen said that the opposition mocked him when he talked about finding oil in the Maldives and creating jobs, but that despite all the jokes, efforts are ongoing to find oil and that over 94,000 jobs would be created before the end of his term.
He further said that the government has brought great accomplishments in empowering women and the youth in Maldives and that there will be no reason for people not to vote for PPM.
The President said that politicians will talk about politics at a podium, and that there was nothing wrong with it. He also said that sometimes, politicians will talk in a way that will make everything seem different to reality, but that this government will stand steadfast in spite of this.
He repeatedly said that this government does not need any foreign favours, and that this government wants Maldivians to find solutions to Maldivian problems. The President said that Maldives will be an upstanding country within the world by the time his term ends.
