Nasheed accuses govt of issuing bans to make headlines, only to concede

Fomer President Mohamed Nasheed criticized President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration on Tuesday, accusing it of issuing bans on divisive subjects just for the sake of making news headlines, only to reverse the decisions.

The criticism comes after the administration recently announced it was considering reducing the import duty on cigarettes, after doubling it back in 2024 in a major crackdown on smoking.

In a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, Nasheed said that President Muizzu’s administration isn’t known as one that works to bring prosperity to the Maldivian people.

“[It is known as] an administration that issues divisive bans and creates headlines,” he wrote.

“They have raised the price of cigarettes to a level where it is no longer affordable to smoke, made vapes something that is only available on the black market, they are discussing banning sheesha, they are advocating to reduce the use of smartphones.”

Nasheed said that the administration was interfering into the personal lives of people “without any bound or limit.”

“And what they do next is reversing these bans to pretend like they are making concessions,” he wrote.

Dr. Muizzu ge sarukaaru faahaga mi vanee Raajeyge rayyithunnah thanavaskan hoadhaa dhinumah masaikaiy kuraa sarukaarehge gothugaeh noon. Khilaafu huri kankan manaa koh, headline hahdhavaa sarukaarehge gothuga. Cigarette nubovey varah agu bodu kuravvaifi, vape akee black market…

— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) June 2, 2026

Back in 2024, President Muizzu’s administration increased the import duty on cigarettes and beedi from MVR 3 to MVR 8 per stick, and the ad valorem tax from 50 percent to 100 percent.

But during a press briefing on Sunday, Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan said the administration was considering lowering the import duty to MVR 4 per stick at the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the WHO has not issued an official statement regarding the claim.

The move to reduce the import duty has been slammed by critics as the latest in a string of U-turns taken by the administration, including the promise to reform Aasandha and subsidies.

When questioned about the decision on Monday, President Muizzu told reporters that he wasn’t taking a U-turn on his strict stance on tobacco products, but was making “necessary changes” to the import duty on cigarettes.

The anti-smoking measures implemented by the administration earned Maldives global recognition, with a World No-Tobacco Day Special Recognition Award from the World Health Organization (WHO) for President Muizzu, and a Integrity Award from the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) for the Maldives.

Despite the global recognition for the measures, the ban on vapes and the subsequent doubling of import duty on cigarettes has created an illegal market where vapes and cheaper brands of cigarettes are being smuggled in and sold in the Maldives. This has also resulted in the loss of millions of Rufiyaa in import revenue.