Before returning to Male after concluding his tour of Noonu Atoll, President Mohamed Nasheed today visited Kamadhoo of Baa Atoll.
Addressing the people of the island, the President said despite having large proportion of the country’s population living in small islands, some of the policies of the government in the past had neglected the development of such islands and encouraged the people to relocate in larger islands.
Acknowledging the importance of developing larger population centers in the Maldives, he said the government would not neglect the development of smaller island communities in the country.
Noting that one of the unique features of this country was the presence of many small island communities, the President said the government’s objective was enhancing the living standard of the people while preserving the nature of their islands and the country.
He said, the government policy to achieve this goal depended on the integrated transport network the government has begun to establish. The President said when the transport system was complete, all small islands would be able to access the opportunities available in the nearby islands and economic activities would boom as a result and increase people’s income.
In addition, speaking on the development that this country had achieved during the past two years, the President said ensuring people’s freedom of expression was more important than any material development.
He said the government was able to understand the needs of the people only because they had the freedom to discuss their issues openly and raise the issues with the government without fear.
