Speaker Announces Debate on 2026 Budget to Conclude Tomorrow

Speaker of Parliament Abdul Raheem Abdulla has announced that the debate on the 2026 state budget will conclude tomorrow. During today’s sitting, the Speaker instructed MPs wishing to participate to register before 10:30am.

Each MP is allotted up to 22 minutes to speak—15 minutes to debate the estimated budget and a further seven minutes to comment on the committee report.

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Debate today was marked by sharp criticism from ruling party MPs, who accused the previous government of failing to complete key development projects and of not establishing basic services across the islands.

Funadhoo MP Mohamed Mamdhooh said that during the former MDP administration, budgets were passed without ensuring the delivery of essential services. He argued that despite significant state spending on various companies, basic needs such as water and sewerage systems remained unmet in many islands. He added that the current administration had spent much of the past two years managing repayment of large loans taken by the previous government.

“When MDP was in power for five years, there wasn’t a single dime available for the state to spend, nor any money to pay the companies owed by the state,” Mamdhooh said. He added that the present administration had avoided defaulting on those debts while continuing recovery efforts and covering state expenditure. Mamdhooh also stated that water and sewerage systems would be established on all islands by the end of the current administration, with next year’s budget including funding for several new projects.

PNC MP for Kudahuvadhoo Abdul Hameed criticised the rise in state debt, which he said had reached MVR 126 billion over the five years of MDP’s government. He highlighted unresolved issues relating to Kudahuvadhoo’s harbour, sewage system and electricity services.

Government-aligned MPs further claimed that the previous administration had failed to implement island development budgets and argued that the current government had taken steps to sign agreements with private companies to carry out 206 projects. They noted that the MDP had filed a court petition in an attempt to halt these initiatives.

Unlike other ruling party MPs, Madaveli MP Mohamed Shameez criticised the government for not doing enough in his constituency. He said that despite repeatedly raising concerns over the needs of the three islands he represents, there had been no meaningful progress. Shameez reiterated that no notable development had taken place in Madaveli over the past two years and expressed hope that the upcoming budget would address housing shortages through land reclamation. However, he also criticised the former government and praised the work of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.

Opposition MPs countered that the current administration had not launched any new projects in two years. Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad said the budget lacked new revenue-generating measures, though it projected MVR 1.8 billion in revenue from increased cigarette taxes. He noted allocations of MVR 390 million and MVR 1.8 billion for housing programmes. He also pointed out that expected foreign aid for 2025 had been significantly revised, from MVR 2 billion to MVR 50 million, stating that this reflected poorly on ministerial performance.

Opposition members argued that if the government provides assurances to communities, ministries and agencies must follow through, warning that failure to do so undermines public trust and ministerial credibility.

Kanditheem MP Ameen Faisal said that if a president gives assurances to the people of an island, government ministries and institutions must do the same, and that if they fail to do so, they should not be entrusted with ministerial responsibilities.