Stability and darkness: Muizzu touts achievements as critics savage two-year record

Muizzu returned to the campaign themes in his speech at the ruling party's celebratory rally on Friday night. He outlined policy approaches on issues ranging from drug abuse to foreign workers, and from healthcare to rural development.  

"If all the policies of this government, all of the pledges that I made, are to be added up, summed up and divided into three categories, they would be 'stability, development and security,'" he said.

Describing Islam as the "most important pillar" of his policy, he listed the construction of mosques, Quran centres and waqf buildings as well as the development of a Zakat House and sponsoring the Hajj pilgrimage for low-income individuals among efforts to uphold Islamic principles and function as "a proud Islamic state."   

Muizzu declared that he has pursued a principled course of action over political expediency, referring to decisions to ban vaping and hike tobacco tariffs. 

"Previous governments knew this country's problems. But they chose the easy way. I don't want that. I want to make good decisions. I don't want to see whether it would be the most popular decision at the time," he said. 

He ended the 53-minute speech with an appeal against voting for opposition candidates in the upcoming local council elections, which he said would obstruct the government's development work at the island-level. He urged voters to choose council members who would "cooperate with heart and spirit" with fulfilling the president's pledges. 

In a scathing op-ed published on Adhadhu on the occasion of the administration's second anniversary, Maldivian Democratic Party President Abdulla Shahid argued that Muizzu has failed to deliver on every major campaign pledge. 

"Without any doubt, the past two years of President Muizzu's government have been two years that brought darkness to the Maldivian nation," Shahid wrote. "Two years that plunged the country backwards exponentially. Two years that brought helplessness and despair to the people. Two years that looted this Maldivian nation's wealth."

He criticised unfulfilled economic promises, such as the import of Turkish food exports and European medicine, and accused Muizzu of fabricating an "Indian occupation" narrative to manipulate nationalist sentiment. The Uthuru Thila Falhu agreement that Muizzu vowed to release on his first day in office remains locked away, and the Addu police training centre he once called an Indian military base continues operating as designed, the former foreign minister observed.

Shahid highlighted the recent awarding of more than 200 projects worth MVR 2.7 billion (US$ 175 million) without competitive bidding, alleging the misuse of funds from the state-owned Bank of Maldives without shareholder consultation. The dollar's black market rate has reached historic highs and signature projects such as the Rasmalé reclamation have stalled or fallen far behind schedule. He went on to accuse Muizzu of installing political activists at state institutions, interfering with the judiciary, and undermining media freedom – warning that the country is sliding toward authoritarian rule. 

An editorial on Sun characterised the two-year period as one spent "on training wheels," identifying diplomatic missteps and criticising bloated embassies staffed by political appointees. The piece identified a diplomatic row with India in early 2024 – when three senior officials disparaged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Muizzu declared the Maldives would not be "bullied," triggering a tourism boycott backed by Bollywood celebrities – as the administration's "biggest blunder."

The editorial underscored the failure to secure 90 percent of the MVR 2.6 billion projected as grant aid for 2025 and exposed staffing imbalances at Maldivian embassies, where political appointees outnumber trained foreign service officers. Across 21 diplomatic missions, there are 78 political appointees compared to 48 career diplomats. The Kuala Lumpur embassy alone has 19 political appointees and just two foreign service officers, contributing to a four-month payroll and operational cost of MVR 95.94 million for all missions combined.

Despite the damning assessment and a looming debt crunch with US$ 1 billion due in 2026, Muizzu's anniversary speech struck a confident tone. The following is a complete thematic breakdown with extracts:

Guided by a "Maldives First" policy, the administration will maintain friendly relations with all countries, "near and far, big and small," Muizzu said. 

"This country will have close relations with all nations except Israel. As long the brutality against the people of Palestine continue, there will no welcome to Israelis in this country. The Israel passport has been banned because we the Maldivian people wanted it. The Maldives does not welcome people who brutally kill Palestinians. We banned it because [the public] does not welcome [Israelis] to use the beautiful beaches and lagoons here."

"I faced a lot pressure when we attempted to ban the passport – [they said] 'tourism will be destroyed, other things will happen.' I believed that will not be how it happens. That's because this is a democracy. In a democracy, things should happen the way the people want." 

There are no political prisoners in the Maldives now because the government has not pursued vengeance or sought to imprison opponents, Muizzu said, adding that he was unconcerned by any political rhetoric or activity. The prison cells built under previous administrations specifically for politicians remain empty, he said. 

"It wasn't like this before. By one year, and surely by two years, everyone would be in jail. We won't do that. There won't be any political revenge. I said this government will not continue a spirit of revenge...true and meaningful stability can only come if eradicate that evil and poisonous current of revenge from this country."

However, "there will be rule of law in this country, no one will be treated differently, everyone will be equal."

The judiciary has been granted full control of a record-high budget without approval from any ministry. A separate account has been opened at the central bank to deposit the block grant, he said.

"That way, all the decisions needed for administration – whether that's hiring employees, making repairs, making a trip, day-to-operations – everything is independent. We have made the judiciary independent." 

A new complex has been built for the criminal court and drug court in Hulhumalé to address longstanding space constraints, he added, which would pave the way for clearing a "piled up" backlog of cases.

"There won't be any judge who can get up and say that this government has exerted influence."

The largest counter-narcotics operation in Maldivian history was conducted on Thursday with over 500 police officers arresting over 100 suspected drug dealers. 

Amendments proposed to the drug law "will be passed with the highest punishment in Islam determined for people who smuggle and sell drugs." 

Gang crimes have gone down 49 percent compared to the previous administration. The new gang crimes law is intended to save and reintegrate wayward youth to society, he said.

Since "Operation Kurangi" was launched in May 2024, biometric data have been collected from 191,723 foreign workers, whose whereabouts have been identified. After the regularisation deadline of November 15, unregistered expatriates will be "immediately deported." Some 9,021 foreign workers were deported over the past two years, up 143 percent from the previous administration. 

"This country will have the right to freedom of expression to the broadest extent within the bounds of Islam," Muizzu said.   

"There will no be restriction. However, the Maldivian people don't want to provide the opportunity to do something forbidden in Islam, prohibited by Islamic shariah, under the name of free expression. So this government won't do it. This is democracy. You have to accept democracy.

"So there will be freedom of expression within Islamic bounds. If you want to express outside of those bounds, you have to go to another country. I don't care whatever foreign place puts up however many statements, I won't pay any heed." 

The right to a good reputation is one of the most important ones granted by Islam, he added, declaring that the government would not allow unchecked defamation. 

Street protests in Malé were restricted to the carnival area since 2016 but the government has designated four more spots in the capital. 

"But we don't see people gathering. Why don't you gather? You can gather every night, too. Who's stopping you from gatherings?" 

A well-rounded health policy must implement preventive care and curative care equally, Muizzu said. The vape ban and generational ban on smoking are part of this approach, which would prevent numerous diseases, he added. 

"The public does want to ban vapes. Parents want it. Children started bringing drugs into schools through the medium of vapes. They started bringing in drugs. Isn't that what happened? Why should we stay blind to this? I could have chosen that easy way as well, couldn't I? I choose the good way, not the easy way."

Next year's budget includes allocations for developing tertiary hospitals and laboratories across the country, he said.  

"When we develop our education system, we're developing minds. Our nation can only progress by developing those minds. How do we want to develop those minds? To develop minds that would think on the side of the nation, we want to develop youth who have strong, patriotic love of the nation – youth who will be proud of this nation's beloved Islam, the sacrifices of our ancestors, our independence, our Dhivehiness, and have the capability to make decisions for the future."

Infrastructure development should not be reserved exclusively for the capital Malé, other cities or atoll capitals, Muizzu said.

"I have gone to islands that no president has gone to over the past 45 years or so. No president. I've gone to many islands that no president has been to since president Maumoon [Abdul Gayoom]. I'm shocked by that. Neglected! Neglected in every sense!"

But every Maldivian citizen is equal. "That's why I opened ATMs there [on rural islands]." Police stations have been built on all inhabited islands while ID card and passport issuance services have been arranged in every atoll, he added, pledging to set up dollar ATMs on 70 islands by March. 

Funds have been allocated in next year's budget to develop children's parks and fitness centres on every island. "As I speak, at this moment 1,875 projects are ongoing in the Maldives," he claimed, including 1,356 projects had been contracted by the current administration.

Agreements have been signed with private contractors to develop 825 housing units across the country. The 2026 budget includes plans for an 1,100 housing units on 16 islands. For the capital, the Bank of Maldives was enlisted to develop 3,000 units in Hulhumalé and Villimalé. An agreement will be signed in the near future for a further 4,000 housing units in the Greater Malé Region. 

All plots of land awarded under the previous administration's Binveriya scheme from Hulhumalé and Gulhifalhu will be handed over. Recipients chosen under the Gedhoruveriya scheme are in the process of moving into 4,000 apartments built in Hulhumalé.

"We didn't change the list. The list is the way it was. We didn't play with it," he said. 

The stalled reclamation of Giraavaru will soon resume after a dredger arrives on November 23, after which the plots awarded from the lagoon will be handed out.

The reclamation of Fushidhiggaru for the development of Rasmalé will proceed apace once three more dredgers arrive this month and 15,000 plots of land will be awarded from the new city. "God willing, it will be completely reclaimed in about five months. That is 1,100 hectares. Looking at the size, that's twice as large as Hulhumalé's two phases combined." 

A total of MVR 444 million have been disbursed to 1,040 parties for government work completed more than two years ago. Payments on pending bills will continue until they are cleared, he added. 

"So we're paying the money owed to everyone and settling everything without printing money. We won't print money." 

An MVR 2,000 monthly allowance will be introduced for thalassemia patients in 2026. In addition to a case of canned tuna for each household for Ramadan, electricity bills during the fasting month will be capped at MVR 400. 

"The rest is discount!"