Policy

The social housing misdirect

5 min read
Housing should never have been driven by an attitude of ‘quick-fixes’. Housing is not a temporary respite, even if people may opt for temporary housing during specific phases of their...

Unravelling the myth that is social welfare

5 min read
Social welfare is a touchy subject. If the concept of social welfare payouts is expected to adhere strictly to economics textbooks, then the outcomes are considerably undesirable. Yet, time and...

The unsustainable food subsidy

2 min read
The Maldivian government spent MVR339.2 million in 2015, and MVR291.9 million in 2016 on subsidies for rice, flour and sugar. The government controls prices at MVR5.50 per kilogram for rice...

The toxicity of gender based violence

5 min read
Statistics worldwide indicate an alarming increase in gender based violence (GBV) and domestic violence (DV) since the COVID-19 pandemic, and is notably higher in developing countries, such as the Maldives....

The National Drug Agency, woefully inefficient

6 min read
Abdulla Easa Fulhu (Esa), is a reputed musician, phenomenal lyricist, and the first Maldivian to have been sentenced for life imprisonment for his involvement with illegal substances. Today, alongside Mohamed...

Safety First

4 min read
Maritime tragedy looms over Maldivian news headlines at roughly the same time every year. The changing of the seasons, and the worsening of storms bring about risky journeys and the...

'Zero Tolerance' no longer

5 min read
On 9 October, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih cancelled the suspension of Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof. According to the Spokesperson at the President's Office Mohamed Mabrook...

The Minimum Wage dance

6 min read
Under the Employment Act of 2008, a Salary Advisory Board was established to provide recommendations to the Minister of Economic Development on the determination of a minimum wage for the...