President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday slammed efforts to hog all credit for the new passenger terminal set to open soon at the Velana International Airport (VIA) as “childish behavior”, adding that all administrations involved in the key project deserve “due credit.”
The remarks, made in an episode of ‘Rayyithunna Eku’ podcast that aired Tuesday, comes amid debate over who deserves credit for the landmark project.
The project to develop the passenger terminal was initiated during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration. The project continued during former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, with the incumbent administration completing a lot of the work and set to open the terminal on July 26, on Maldives’ 60th Independence Day.
In a People’s National Front (PNF) rally earlier this week, Yameen said that President Muizzu cannot claim even a 10 percent stake in the terminal project. He also alleged that the decision by Solih to add USD 300 million to the project to make modifications to the terminal was a cover for corruption.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu speaks during an episode of 'Rayyithunna Eku' podcast on July 15, 2025. (Photo/President's Office)
Yameen loyalists claim that he deserves credit for his vision in launching the project in the first place, while Solih loyalists claim deserves the credit for doing a lot of the work and changing the design of the terminal – which former finance minister Ibrahim Ameer recently said had looked like “a container.” Meanwhile, those loyal to President Muizzu claim that it is he who deserves the credit for ensuring the swift completion of the project.
When questioned regarding the social media debate regarding who actually deserves credit for the new terminal, President Muizzu described the debate as pointless.
He said that consecutive administrations have contributed to the development of the VIA, the main gateway to the Maldives, throughout the years.
“The airport was built during President [Ibrahim] Nasir’s administration. And then President Maumoon [Abdul Gayoom]’s administration also did a lot of developmental works by securing funding from various foreign parties,” said President Muizzu.
He acknowledged that both Yameen and Solih deserve due credit for the terminal project.
“There’s no need for anyone to claim that they did everything or the bulk of the work. That is just plain childish behavior. No one should act like that,” he said.
Terminal ge credit negun Raees sifa kurevvee ''kudakudhin ulhey gotheh'' kamah, ''ehen ulheykah nuvaane''https://t.co/g4qB1HQYOS pic.twitter.com/JJNRC49A4E
— sun.mv (@sunbrk) July 15, 2025
President Muizzu said that while 54 percent of the work on the outer structure of the terminal was done when he assumed office in 2023, a lot of interior work remained incomplete.
He added that contractors hadn’t been hired to do a lot of important tasks, such as the development of roads around the terminal or development of duty-free shops.
President Muizzu said that opening the terminal and boosting the economy through it was his administration’s top priority.
“This is something that I also said during my first visit there after I took office: This is the project that is of most importance to this administration. We initially wanted to open the terminal in October last year. But while were unable to meet that deadline, the terminal is now ready to open this month,” he said.
The new passenger terminal at VIA is large enough to cater to handle up to 7.5 million passengers annually, and is expected to significantly boost tourism.