Gayoom’s Government should be resposible to the poverty stricken Gasim

Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim has said that the Maldives is poverty stricken with the economy in crisis because of the irresponsible and damaging actions of a people.

Gasim said that if the former government accepted the project to invest in the islands of Addu and accepted the project to develop a transit harbour at Ihavandhipolhu then the country will receive a large number of income which alone would sustain the nation. He said that the former government however irresponsibly denied his requests during his tenure as the finance minister.

"If those islands were leased the richest millionaires in the world would have invested. The employees there would have got two or three thousand dollars a month. What is it? Wasnt islands leased? Hundreds were leased. Were they developed? Is the state generating any income from them? Are the people getting jobs and getting good salaries? No. Nothing sort of this was done.  Islands are left undeveloped," he said.

Gasim said he pleaded the government but it was rejected. "It was a time when the world's economy was stable. I made the request several times," he said.

Gasim said that although despite his many requests and explaining all this his pleas were rejected and it was not even put on the agenda of the cabinet meetings.

In addition to this, Gasim said that he opened all these opportunities not to increase anything for him but to help the nation and to make the people self sufficient.

"Now we are down in the lowest pit as a consequence. The golden opportunity to build this nation, to alleviate this nation was rejected," he said.

Gasim said that the people should take heed for all of this when giving their vote in the upcoming election and they should vote for the most trustworthy and people loving candidate who would strive to alleviate the country from its current state and build and develop this nation.