Speaker Abdurrahim: This government is working to revive an economy bankrupted by those who enriched themselves with state funds

Speaker of the People's Majlis Abdurrahim Abdulla said today that while certain individuals had enriched themselves using state funds, this government is working to revive an economy that was bankrupted by them. He made the remarks in response to questions raised by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members during the parliamentary sitting, in connection with a bill submitted by the government to amend the Tax Administration Act. Speaking in the debate, Speaker Abdurrahim, who also chairs the ruling Congress Party, said that while some people had used state funds to grow their own wealth, this government's work is to salvage the country from those who had enriched themselves and bankrupted it, and to revive the economy. "When that money was used for those purposes, what we have today is a safe country," he said. "The work this government has been doing with tax money for the people and the country is what has brought us here." During the debate, Funadhoo constituency PNC member Mohamed Mamdhoo, who submitted the bill, proposed changes to allow taxpayers to appeal to the Tax Appeal Tribunal if the amount in dispute meets a threshold set by MIRA, and to allow appeals after paying 50 percent of the disputed amount to MIRA. Galolhu North constituency member Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudhu) and Vaikaradhoo constituency member Hussain Ziyad (Fittey) raised questions about the government's use of tax money. Kudhu said that while the government talks about what it intends to do with funds, it should also address what remains undone. Both members said that citizens still lack essential medicine and face difficulties accessing medical treatment. Fittey said that if tax law is changed hastily, it could erode the trust of businesses and citizens. In response to the opposition, Speaker Abdurrahim noted that many questions have been directed at the Presidency, but he does not consider them to be questions the Presidency is obliged to answer. "But what I want to say is that different people do different things with the money they obtain. Some people use it to enlarge their own pockets and enrich their own companies," he said. The Speaker did not specify which individuals he was referring to in his accusation that some had grown wealthy from state funds. The article also notes that corruption in the Maldives is a growing concern, with the country scoring 39 out of 100 on last year's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Transparency Maldives said in February that this marks a worrying level, indicating vulnerabilities within the state system that facilitate corruption.