A tweet about electricity bills from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, while he was the mayor of Male' in 2021, has drawn criticism amid public anger and complaints over high electricity bills sent by the State Electricity Company (STELCO) for last month.
After household electricity bills were sent out, many members of the public shared photos of their bills on social media to highlight significant increases compared to the previous month. Amid the concerns, protests were also staged near STELCO.
The tweet that resurfaced was from July 29, 2021, while President Muizzu was the mayor of Male'.
"This month's electricity bill is unaffordable for most Male' residents. It has happened that people living in hardship will have to face further hardship. The people have been forced to pay bills with money they do not have," he said in the tweet.
The tweet has been circulating on social media platforms. Some people have also been replying to the President's tweet.
"Then what should we do? Are you getting ready to call it out after providing a discount with the President's generous assistance," a person asked in a reply to the President.
Some people who expressed their views said that the President had tweeted in his capacity at the time in a bid to win further support. The President's "tune has changed" after assuming power, some people said.
"Regular citizens have had to bear several burdens because of bills. Do you not have any feelings at the moment?" a person complained on X.
"This time your government has also increased electricity bills. How can the public pay bills with money they don't have after paying high rents? We're expecting that you will solve this."
Social media has been full of complaints about bills for May being high despite most days of Ramadan being covered in the previous bill.
In a post on the company's X account, STELCO said customers can submit complaints regarding the electricity bill to its customer service.
The company has allowed complaints to be submitted to its customer service building's phone number 7788438 through WhatsApp or Telegram. Complaints can also be sent to STELCO's email.
