Lawyer and former parliamentarian Ali Hussain has warned that signing the Rasmalé agreement with a UAE-linked developer would open the way for large-scale foreign settlement and ultimately undermine the country’s national identity.
Addressing a gathering organised under the title Maldivian Land for Maldivians, Hussain said that once the deal is concluded, residents who do not speak Dhivehi would become numerous enough that it would become difficult to continue calling the country the Maldives. He described the arrangement as a transfer of land that had been reclaimed with the stated purpose of housing Maldivians.
Hussain characterised the head of the developer as supportive of Israeli interests and said share transfers could allow further parties to acquire property and residency rights. He argued that the resulting demographic change would leave little of the existing Maldivian character intact.
The remarks add to a series of public statements and legal challenges Hussain has made against the project. The government has maintained that the development is an economic initiative and that residency arrangements will be subject to controls.
