Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Dr. Mohamed Shainee has assured the current administration did not grant license to any foreign vessel to fish from Maldivian waters.
It is prohibited for foreign vessels to fish from Maldivian waters, Maldivian Fisheries Minister Mohamed Shainee stated answering a question posed at a press conference held by Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), assuring no foreign vessels were granted the permission. While, the government has reassured it has prohibited to fish in Maldivian waters, opposition coalition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has pledged not to increase licenses given to foreign vessels to fish in Maldivian waters. Responding to these comments, Minister Shainee said while no foreign vessels were registered in Maldives, it proves the pledges of the opposition are baseless.
During the press conference, the minister widely criticized the pledges of the opposition for the fisheries sector of Maldives. In this regard, the fisheries minister revealed the current administration has already decided to absolve the loans issued to recover from the tsunami disaster Maldivians faced in 2004, even before the opposition candidate announced to pardon the loans.
Citing the opposition candidate's pledges and comments, Shainee advised to pledge responsibly after conducting necessary research. During the campaign trail, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has been visiting various islands and pledging to conduct projects already initiated or completed, which have been met severe criticism from the public.