Rasmalé project criticism is to meet Alabbar, says Shujau

PNC member for Baarah constituency Ibrahim Shujau has said that opposition MDP members are speaking against the large project planned in Rasmalé under the name 'Maldives Waterfront and Marina' in order to meet the owner of UAE-based Eagle Hills and create a demand. Speaking in today's debate on the bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Code, Shujau said the amendments are important to fill the legal gap in taking property obtained through crime to the state. He noted that the bill is important for increasing investor confidence, and said opposition MDP members have also not pointed out any issue in the bill. Therefore, he said, the thinking of opposition members speaking against the bill is to talk about the Rasmalé project for a political purpose linked to the $20 billion investment projects the Maldives is about to receive, rather than the amendments to the law. Shujau said MDP leader President Mohamed Nasheed has also said that the UAE's Eagle Hills project is a good project. He said some candidates contesting that party's presidential primary are speaking against the project in order to seek an opportunity to meet investors. 'The statements made by the individual candidates contesting MDP's presidential primary, in my belief, are statements they are making in order to create a demand because they too want to meet the owner of Eagle Hills,' he said. Shujau said that although big businessmen and political parties made petitions and raised their voices against the earlier Enboodhoofalhu reclamation project when it began, today its benefits are being received by the whole country. He also said that instead of showing all investment as bad in political thinking, political leaders must welcome the large investments coming to the Maldives.