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HULHUMALE' - Another trap set by the Gayyoom regime to plunder money from desperate Maldivians
from
a correspondent
edited
slightly by Dhivehi Observer
8
Oct 2004
The day when
the Hulhumale' reclamation and development
project began, all Maldivians especially those
residents of Male' desperate for a decent place to live,
had high hopes thinking that they would get a plot of land or a flat to
rent at an affordable price. However when the government announced the
Hulhumale' rent rates, all our hopes went down the drain. The announced rents
were exorbitantly high.
The average salary for an ordinary Maldivian is Rf2,000
per month, which is equivalent to US$157.00. Rent
for a 2 bedroom flat is Rf2,900.00 plus Rf150.00 maintenance charge, which comes to Rf3,050.00 per month. In the case of
workers fortunate enough to be earning Rf4,500.00
each month, they are left with Rf1,450 after paying rent.
Travel expenses of Rf600.00 means they are left with Rf850 to
survive each month. Can they manage their lives without starving? Hulhumale'
tenants have been selected through ballot. The flats were unfinished, no wall paint, nothing on the floor (just the concrete flooring), no furniture, just four walls and a concrete sheet over the head. We had to bear additional costs between Rf15,000 to Rf25,000 before moving into these flats. Furthermore the rent does not cover any utility costs like electricity and water, which are again the highest in the world. You have to be a millionaire to rent a flat in
Hulhule'. I have a full-time government job which pays me Rf2,500.00 and my wife gets about the same. After paying the ridiculous rent every month, we have about Rf2,000 left to spend
on other necessities.
It is not only the cost of rent that we have to
bear. What about the food, clothing, education for our children, health and other necessities such as communication, transport, water and
electricity? How could we possibly spare a penny to
meet these basic needs? What a nightmare! These rents have to be paid by
tenth day of each month and if it gets delayed, we have to pay a fine.
Within the last four months, more than 10 families have been sent to Attorney General's Office because they failed to pay their
rents. According to these families, they had to
pay for more urgent needs such as food and health, and they were not able to save enough to pay the high rent. The
government will soon be cancelling the leases of these families,
leaving them homeless. This is a barbaric action
by government land lord against its own
people.
Lots of families have begged for a rent reduction and
in some cases they have asked if payment can
be deferred for two or three months. All of them have been
bluntly rejected. Apart
from the ridiculously high rents, we have not been provided
with the very basic services such as
doctors' clinics, general food and basic
supply shops etc. We have to use a ferry between Hulhumale Hulhumale'
residents don't have anything on their minds except
finding ways to earn enough money to pay the rent; otherwise we will be
homeless… that we know for sure. In
Maldives with a tiny land area, it has
always been the responsibility of the government to provide
land and shelter for its citizens. Affordable
rents are a natural expectation in a heavily
taxed country where wages are strictly
controlled and unions are banned. The
Gayyoom government earns enough money from
taxes and commissions to house all
Maldivians.
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Male', Hulhule' and nearby islands 2003
Flats under construction 2003
© Dhivehi Observer 2004