The "Maldivian land for Maldivians" campaign will hold a rally on 6 November to demand a referendum on the Rasmalé deal, former home minister Sheikh Imran Abdulla announced, calling on all citizens and the security forces to join. Imran repeated his claim that the project would settle non-Muslims in the Maldives, saying any move to settle people of other faiths, “especially Zionist Jews”, must first be put to a public vote. President Muizzu said last week that Israeli nationals would be legally barred from buying property in the project.
President Muizzu told ruling party MPs and cabinet ministers that a new 99-year lease would begin each time a Rasmalé property changes hands, Adhadhu reported, citing a source at the meeting. That would contradict Muizzu’s statement on the President’s Office podcast last week that buyers would have to sell properties back to the state when their lease ends, with no automatic renewal, as well as Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib’s assurance that no one would be able to renew a lease or hold property in perpetuity. According to Adhadhu, Muizzu also said the definitive agreement with Eagle Hills would be signed before 17 November.
The government withdrew its bill to criminalise treason, economic sabotage and genocide from parliament after twice scheduling and then cancelling its first reading, following criticism over its timing and scope. Critics argued that the provision criminalising direct and public incitement against a national, ethnic or religious group could be misused to silence opposition to Israel and Zionism, at a time when critics of the Rasmalé deal have accused Eagle Hills of Zionist links. Attorney General Ahmed Usham, who drafted the bill, said the genocide provisions were needed to bring Maldivian law in line with the Genocide Convention, arguing that the country’s failure to do so undermined its legal position as it calls for other states to be held accountable for genocide.
Parliament’s public accounts committee approved a pay rise for Chief Justice Abdul Ghani Mohamed, adding a special allowance of MVR4,125 (US$268) that brings his monthly pay to MVR95,125, so that it exceeds the speaker’s. The committee voted unanimously last week to raise Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla’s pay and benefits from MVR73,000 to MVR95,000, after finding that he earned less than his deputy and MPs.
Mariyam Dheena Saleem, former head of procurement at state utility Fenaka, was sentenced to one year and seven months in prison for abuse of office over payments to Blazon Inc in 2018 for work that had not been completed or verified, which prosecutors said cost Fenaka MVR848,000. Dheena faces two further charges, including over the rental of a Fenaka-leased boat to an associate. Former Fenaka managing director Ahmed Saeed is currently serving four years over a settlement agreement with the same company.
Air quality reached unhealthy levels across the north of the country with the air quality index at 170 in Haa Dhaalu Kulhudhuffushi and 162 in Shaviyani Funadhoo, above the threshold at which pollution poses a risk to everyone, according to air quality monitors. Malé’s readings above 100 were at a level considered unhealthy for vulnerable groups, while air quality in the central atolls was moderate and in the south good. Pollution carried by winds from northern India typically worsens with the northeast monsoon, which begins in December.
Air quality reached unhealthy levels across the north of the country. The air quality index at 170 in Kulhudhuffushi and 162 in Funadhoo was above the threshold at which pollution poses a risk to everyone. Malé’s readings above 100 were at a level considered unhealthy for vulnerable groups. Northwesterly winds have reduced visibility in the northern atolls to 2km over the past 48 hours, compared to than 10km on a clear day, and haze and poor air quality are forecast to continue for the next five days, particularly in the north, the Maldives Meteorological Service said.
The MDP’s national council will meet on Sunday to decide the party’s position on the Rasmalé deal, after 60 members requested the session amid divisions within the party. Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed has warned against opposing Eagle Hills, while former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said an MDP government should not allow the project. Some MDP MPs have joined the “Maldivian land for Maldivians” campaign, though the party has not formally taken part.
The MNDF said it was consulting soldiers and police officers living in the Bandaarikoshi 1 and 2 housing blocks in Malé before they are vacated for redevelopment into apartments for security personnel, a project President Muizzu announced on MNDF Day this year. Bandaarikoshi 1 will be redeveloped first with current residents to move into the new apartments once they are complete.
Parliament amended its rules to require a vote before any resolution can be debated, with resolutions that fail to win majority support rejected immediately. Previously, resolutions were debated first and voted on afterwards. The change, proposed by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, an independent aligned with the ruling PNC, passed with 56 votes to 11.
More than 440 gas leaks have been reported since 2022, most caused by faulty cylinder valves and seals or stove defects, the defence ministry told Mihaaru in response to a right to information request. The ministry recorded 28 cylinder explosions and 21 cylinder fires over the period, injuring 40 people and killing five. Seventy-four leaks have been reported so far this year.
