Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has stated that the previous government purposely raised the rent of the Gaakoshi and Arabiyya flats. The remark was made by Minister of State Akram Kamluddeen in a tweet responding to a claim by the presidential candidate of the People's National Congress (PNC) Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
At a campaign event, Muizzu pledged to reduce the rent of Gaakoshi and Arabiyya flats. He also criticised the development of unaffordable social housing units.
In response, State Minister Akram said that the rent was raised during the previous administration when Muizzu was the Housing Minister after a deal was made following a long period during which construction was stalled. He claimed that Muizzu raised rent and provided loans at low interest to some individuals.
As such, State Minister Akram said that most tenants had no choice but to accept loans with high interest to live in the Gaakoshi and Arabiyya flats. He added that the current administration is consistently working to solve the housing crisis.
Construction of the Gaakoshi and Arabiyya flats began during the administration of President Mohamed Nasheed. The subsequent government of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) resumed the project after paying the contractor an additional USD18 million. The price of the flats also increased due to the rising cost of the project.