Sixty-three members of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) National Council have backed a call for the party leadership to convene a meeting to determine the party's official stance on the Rasmalé project.
The decision to request a National Council session regarding the allocation of 500 hectares of land from Rasmalé to the UAE-based company, Eagle Hills, was made during an informal meeting of council members.
Eighteen members attended the informal meeting, where they unanimously decided to conduct a poll on the National Council’s WhatsApp group to gauge the collective opinion on requesting a formal session from the leadership.
Adhadhu understands that 63 members have participated in the poll so far, all of whom voted in favour of holding the meeting. Additionally, the members requested that the session be broadcast live.
The only prominent figure advocating against holding a National Council meeting regarding the Eagle Hills project is the party’s Chairperson and former President, Mohamed Nasheed. He has argued that criticising Mohamed Alabbar (founder of Eagle Hills) could be detrimental to the Maldives, noting that the UAE maintains a close relationship with the MDP.
"I repeat, this is very damaging to the MDP. The UAE is a friendly nation to the MDP. By acting this way, we are pushing the UAE toward the PNC," Nasheed stated in a message sent to the National Council group.
In contrast, former MDP President Abdulla Shahid and former Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail have expressed their support for convening a meeting to deliberate on the matter.
