Malé, Maldives – Maldives National Party (MNP) has expressed concern over the 99-year lease of land to foreigners from K. Thilafushi for industrial purposes.
The HDC announced the sale of the land for industrial purposes on Thursday. The announcement said that the land will be leased for 99 years if the winner of the bid is a foreigner or a foreign company.
In a press release, the MNP said it was concerned that land was being given to foreigners for 99 years, especially in an area designated for industrial purposes.
Raising concerns over the 99-year land title for foreigners, the MNP said in a statement that SMEs would be adversely affected by having to compete with foreigners for land.
“It is unacceptable that while businesses have not fully recovered from the damage caused by COVID-19, the protection measures available to Maldivian businessmen should be deprived. It will directly damage the Maldivian economy and the financial situation of families,” the statement said.
MNP added that they believe that Maldives’ domestic and foreign policies should be “Maldivians First” policies that give priority to the local people and protect their rights.
“Therefore, the Maldives National Party calls on the government to change its decision to sell land to foreigners in the Thilafushi industrial zone,” the party said.
According to the HDC, the land will be sold in phases through tender. The first to be sold is the land in Zone A of the newly reclaimed area of Thilafushi. However, the HDC did not say exactly how much land is being sold.
