No guarantee Zionists won't settle in Maldives if Rasmalé proceeds as planned: former Chief Justice

Former Chief Justice Dr. Ahmed Abdulla Didi has declared the Rasmalé agreement signed with Eagle Hills a completely void agreement, warning that if the project continues in its current form, there is no guarantee that Zionists will not settle in the Maldives. Speaking on RaajjeTV's 'Fashairu' programme, Dr. Didi said the owner of Eagle Hills, the company awarded the Rasmalé project, is a supporter of the actions of Zionists against Palestinians, and that working with such a party amounts to supporting Zionism. He accused the government of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of pursuing 'secular' policies that are far removed from Islamic principles, saying the concept of an Islamic state enshrined in the Constitution is not limited to building mosques and waqf properties, and that a leader of an Islamic state must protect the religion. Dr. Didi said the agreement contains many elements contrary to the Constitution, and that the Attorney General had endorsed the agreement only because he is someone who passes laws as the government wishes. Describing the damage from the agreement as irreparable, he called on all Maldivian citizens to raise their voices and say 'no' to the deal. The government has said the commercial terms agreement covering the framework needed to negotiate and finalise a contract with Eagle Hills was signed under the Private Sector Initiated Proposal (PSIP) principle, pursuant to Article 10.22 (n) of the Public Finance Regulation. Alabbar, however, has said the Maldives was the first to express interest in the project.