Former Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed condemned Maamigili MP Qasim Ibrahim for raising his business interests at a meeting of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee yesterday and called for an inquiry.
Speaking at the committee meeting, Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim said that his fish exporting company should also receive the government subsidies provided to the state-owned Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO). As MIFCO is not required to pay rent, it should not be charged from private businesses either, he said.
Qasim’s remarks came after Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP for Hulhumale’ Dhekunu Dr. Mohamed Shamheed submitted a motion seeking an inquiry into the reduction of fish purchasing prices and the practice of making payments to fishers in local currency instead of US dollars.
Chairing the committee meeting and speaking after Shamheed introduced his motion, Qasim said he has invested more than USD 250 million in the fisheries industry, adding that his factories at Maandhoo and Hoadedhdhoo were "stronger and better" than the government's investments.
"I begged the government and told them to give me a loan of MVR 100 million to complete the Hoadedhdhoo investment, give me a loan to be paid back in five or six years. They didn't even reply," he said, accusing the previous MDP government of providing loans to other businesses to invest in fisheries, including an unnamed yellowfin tuna exporter.
Qasim complained about the government subsiding MIFCO's operations whilst charging rent for premises leased to his companies. But the spirit of the Constitution was to treat companies engaged in the same business equally, he argued.
"If rent isn't taken from MIFCO, then you shouldn't take rent from us either. The subsidy given to them should be given to us too. We are also the same people doing the same work," Qasim said.
The committee's decision on proceeding with the motion was unclear as the audio was cut off from the livestream of the meeting.
Reposting Adhadhu’s reporting on Qasim’s remarks on social media, former Vice President Jameel said that Article 75 of the Constitution does not allow Qasim to speak that way in Parliament.
“The People’s Majlis is not a place for advancing self-interest and business interests. I condemn these remarks by Qasim in the harshest terms and call for action,” Jameel said in his repost on X.
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