Speaker says govt busy saving economy that ‘they’ bankrupted for personal gain

Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla says that while “some people” used state funds to line their own pockets, the incumbent administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu was busy saving the Maldivian economy that they bankrupted through these acts.

Abdul Raheem, the chairperson of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), made the comment on Tuesday in response to questions posed by lawmakers from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) during a debate on a government-proposed amendment to the Tax Administration Act.

The bill, sponsored by Funadhoo MP Mohamed Mamdhooh, seeks to require taxpayers to require to pay at least 50 percent of tax amounts charged by Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) in order to be eligible to appeal it with the Tax Appeal Tribunal.

During the debate, two MDP lawmakers – North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) and Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad (Fittey) – questioned how the government spends taxpayer money. Kudu commented that all the ways the government has been failing to utilize tax money requires equal scrutiny as how it is spending it.

Both Kudu and Fittey said that ordinary citizens were facing challenges in accessing essential medicines and proper healthcare.

Fittey also said that constant revisions to the Tax Administration Act would result in loss of confidence of business owners as well as the larger community.

Following Fittey’s remarks, Abdul Raheem commented that the Parliament’s presidency has had a lot of questions directed at it regarding how the government spends public funds, questions that he said it is not required to answer.

“Nevertheless, I want to say that different people do different things with money. Some get busy lining their own pockets, enriching their own businesses,” he said.

Abdul Raheem said that others were busy saving the country that the type of people he mentioned bankrupted for their own personal gain, and reviving the economy.

“It is because the funds are being spent in this manner that we have now have a country that has been saved. This is what the government has been doing by generating tax money for the people and this country,” he said.

Abdul Raheem did not specify who he was referring to when he accused “some people” of stealing public funds to line their own pockets.

The Maldives scored 39 out of 100 on Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, which the organization said highlights persistent governance issues, including the centralization of executive power, a shrinking civic space, and weakened oversight bodies.