Successive Maldives’ governments seem hellbent on leasing any available uninhabited island or sandbank for any party interested in developing resort properties.
Residents of Maldives' capital island Male' City used to have two picnic islands in North Male' Atoll - Kuda Bandos and Feydhoo Finolhu - which were given away for resort development on terms which are not clear even to date.
President Ibrahim Muhammad Solih has to be commended for keeping his '100-day' promise of setting aside a new picnic island - Kudagiri - developed after reclaiming land from Emboodhoo Finolhu which is 15 minutes boat ride away.
The island opens for the public tomorrow but am I excited about that? Regrettably not!
The reason? Only coconut palms are there at the moment which means no shade from the hot sun. Housing Development Corporation (HDC) would need to plant shade providing trees (such as 'hirundhu' and 'dhiggaa' etc.) if we are to spend even a few hours there without been fried and baked by the hot sun.
I have never picnicked on a sandbank because I cannot tolerate the sun's direct heat even while wearing a cap. While sitting under the shade of an umbrella or a concrete shelter might provide some relief, what is there to be joyful about if I have to spend a weekend where there is no greenery? I might have to give Kudagiri more time to take the shape of a natural island if I am to get excited about the prospects of picknicking there.
Friday, February 10, 2023
Kudagiri picnic island opens tomorrow - so what?
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How is the Maldivian government able to provide this for free? The land was reclaimed at a cost of millions & millions more spent on the infrastructure. Maintenance cost of the island with all the staff is going to be quite high. And all this is done with borrowed money. But it’s free entry & free ticket is also free. Now the Maldivian public demands everything free. We have no appreciation of the cost of things.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that it's like parents spoiling their children. The incumbent government seeks to get re-elected at any cost, and hence, the politicians are willing to do anything to please the electorate. The question then is how long can the government afford to provide services for free? What happens to the debts that keep on accumulating that are incurred when the government keeps on borrowing to spend on the free services?
DeleteIt's only a matter of time before Maldives becomes another failed state. Would then the United States, India or China bail us out? Will the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund help Maldives deal with our national bankruptcy?
These are thought-provoking questions especially relevant during this presidential election year and so far we are not seeing anything that makes sense of these difficult issues. I have stopped pondering about such questions long ago because it has become too complex for an ordinary citizen like me to figure out the sophisticated answers. May Allah save us all!
"Indeed, Allāh will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves."
Delete- The Quran
Maldives Inland Revenue Authority claims that last month the state collected MVR 3.40 billion which is the highest monthly income generated in Maldives' whole history:
Deletehttps://psmnews.mv/116537
Opportunity open for everyone to contribute trees to Kudagiri and Vice President Faisal Naseem expects the island to be shady after a year:
ReplyDeletehttps://vaguthu.mv/news/830690
Former Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has criticized incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for a "Freudian slip" when the latter mentioned half of the Dhivehi word "Masthu vaa" ("drugs") and then quickly recovered while explaining that there are two designated tobacco smoking spots at Kudagiri picnic island: https://dhiyares.com/47015
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