Any possible disruption to projects will be from cashflow constraints, not debt repayment, says gov spokesperson

Any possible disruption to government projects will be from cashflow constraints and not the repayment of the country’s staggering debt obligations, says chief government spokesperson Hussain Shareef (Mundhu).

Responding to questions at his weekly press briefing on Thursday afternoon, Mundhu denied allegations by the opposition that the government was taking on more debt, leading to a stall in development projects in islands.

He said there wasn’t a single island in the Maldives where the government wasn’t running a project. He said that the government was running multiple projects simultaneously in some of the islands.

Mundhu noted that the government has repaid around USD 1 billion in debt over the last one-and-a-half months.

He said that the repayment was carried out “responsibly” in accordance with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s instructions.

“In Sha Allah, there isn’t going to be any disruption or stall in any project due to the loans or debt we are repaying. Any [disruption], if any, will be a result of cashflow [constraints],” he said.

Mundhu said that the government was managing its cashflow in the “most responsible and beneficial” manner.

He said that the government aimed to ensure uninterrupted provision of public services, and would not be halting any projects.