Muizz says islands with 8k population need city status

Opposition PPM-PNC presidential candidate Dr Mohamed Muizz on Sunday made many pledges in GDh. Thinadhoo, including amending laws to grant city status to islands like Thinadhoo with populations of 8,000 and above.

Muizz made these pledges while addressing a campaign rally in Thinadhoo on Sunday, as he is running campaign tours in the south in preparation for the upcoming presidential election.

Before bringing up the issue of transforming Thinadhoo into a city, Muizz said that MVR 1 billion worth of projects were implemented in Thinadhoo during the five years of the former President Abdulla Yameen's government. These include road construction, land reclamation, Islamic center and housing projects, he said.

“I am confident that you will trust me and give me a chance to do everything I can for the development of this city, …this island,” he referred to Thinadhoo as a city before actually promising to turn the island into a city.

"Yes, even if mistakenly, I did say city”, he later said.

After saying that, Muizz noted:

"Therefore, I believe that the requirement of the 10,000-strong population in the law should not be mandatory if a city has the necessary resources, services [and] infrastructure there," Muizz said, referring to granting city status linked to the aspirations of the people of Thinadhoo.

Muizz believes that instead of a population of 10,000, it is more important for the place to have city-level services available. That progress has been made on the path of development and there is also a future of further development.

“Therefore, if you [the people of Thinadhoo] trust us in the September 9 vote, I will make the necessary changes to the laws and declare Thinadhoo as a city,” Muizz said through the glee and applause from the crowd.

Afterwards, Muizz said he "believes that if it reaches 8,000 people, it should become a city. Noting that many doors are opened with the transition to a city, Muizz added that the island will move forward at a faster pace if the people of Thinadhoo hold his hand.

“Whether you look at the fisheries sector or the other directions, I hope to give you real color in your hopes,” Muizz said.

While Muizzu made this announcement, according to the latest census data released this year, Thinadhoo has a population of 6,200.

Some other promises Muizz made to Thinadhoo at the Sunday evening rally:

"These things cannot be done without visionary thinking [or] some kind of vision. They cannot be done without strategy and such a team," Muizz, who was housing minister in Yameen's government, said.

“I believe that the people of the country will accept and be assured that we have that vision, that leadership, that governance and the track record of delivering the desired result”.