Nasheed pledges income policies for self-employed

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that a future Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government would formulate policies aimed at helping self-employed individuals generate income through activities such as fishing, cake making, baking and sewing.

Nasheed made the remarks during a visit to Kudafari, where he addressed residents as part of his campaign activities.

Speaking to the public, Nasheed said an MDP government would introduce measures to support household incomes and enable families to earn up to MVR 60,000 per month.

He acknowledged that such proposals may appear difficult to believe initially but said the MDP had previously implemented policies that many had considered unattainable.

Referring to perceptions of the Maldives during the administration of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Nasheed said the country had often been portrayed as a small nation with limited resources and a dispersed population.

“At the time, they were telling us that Maldives was very sparsely populated, with few natural resources, and small islands thrown into the Indian Ocean,” he said.

Nasheed said the MDP rejected that view and instead regarded the Maldives as a country extending approximately 1,000 miles from north to south and 600 miles from east to west.

He also referred to social welfare initiatives introduced under previous MDP administrations, including support for single mothers and orphans.

“When we said we would provide social security to single mothers and orphans, people said that would not happen. But we were able to engage with people and implement those policies,” he said.

Nasheed stated that government revenue from taxes and other sources had increased from MVR 7 billion in 2008 to MVR 40 billion at present. He said similar policy approaches would be pursued in the future.

According to Nasheed, efforts to improve economic activity in Kudafari should begin with identifying income-generating opportunities available on the island in cooperation with the local council.

He said residents engaged in occupations such as fishing, cake making, baking and sewing should be identified and supported through policy measures developed by the MDP project office.

Nasheed also accused the government of creating obstacles for people seeking to improve their livelihoods.

He said the government was addressing public debt through additional borrowing, tax increases and subsidy reductions. He further alleged that reductions in expenditure on healthcare, medicine imports and social security programmes were being used to increase available state funds.

Nasheed said his approach was based on increasing household income so that people could meet their financial obligations. He argued that earnings received by citizens should be doubled to achieve that objective.

“Every household needs about MVR 60,000. An MDP government will do that,” Nasheed said.