Rasmale land sale 'creates another state within the state', says National Movement spokesperson

National Movement spokesperson and legal counsel Ali Hussain has warned that selling land from the Rasmale development project would fundamentally alter the Maldives' territory and effectively create a second state within the country. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Hussain argued that any transfer of land ownership to foreign citizens, including representatives of non-Islamic faiths, constitutes a constitutional change that must be approved by a referendum. He noted that the area in question is roughly three times the size of Malé and that the government is rushing through a Real Estate Bill to enable these transfers without proper public consultation. Hussain also questioned whether laws and Islamic principles would be upheld on lands owned by external parties, and accused the government of bypassing the Executive Council and ordinary Maldivian citizens by allocating approximately 500 hectares of land through inaccessible procedures. He called the matter a national issue requiring a direct vote of the people.