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"Our people need food..."

By Dhon Mohonu - 23 June 2004

“Our peoples need food, not fighter aircraft; books, not bombs; medicines, not missiles”

-Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom-

Can Mr. Maumoon be trusted? The above quote is from the concluding remarks of Maumoon’s address to twelfth SAARC Summit held in Islamabad - Pakistan, January 2004. Let’s have look at the government spending of Maldives between 1998 and 2001.

Government expenditure by function FY 1999, Source: www.adb.org

During the fiscal year 1998 18% of total government expenditure was on defense spending while just 10% of total government expenditure was spent on health care and 21% on education and mere 11% spent on economic services. In year 1999 21% of government expenditure was on defense pending, this is equivalent to total spending on general public services, while 10%, 17%, and 12% was spent on health care, education and economic services respectively. In year 2001 the percentage of total government expenditure spent on health care declined to 9% while spending on defense spending declined to 13%.

Despite the massive spending on defense, the crime rate in Maldives has increased during the last year, and people feel less safe now than 6 years ago, hence is the government spending efficient and effective? So where does all this spending end up?

I leave for you all to make your own conclusions; the above data is 100% reliable.