Former opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Waheed, who recently joined the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has just won a beachfront house for Rf4.6 million (US$300,000), bidding Rf3020 per square foot.
Local newspaper Haveeru reported that Ali Waheed’s wife had also won a house from the 36 beachfront residential plots on Hulhumale, bidding Rf 3020 per square foot, for Rf 4,749,651 (US$310,000). Waheed and his wife were the third highest bidders for the property, under the Hulhulmale Development Corporation (HDC)’s housing programme.
Waheed’s former opposition colleague, MP Ahmed Nihan, questioned Waheed’s ability to afford such a property on his MP’s wage. Waheed, he alleged, “was quite a poor boy when we first met him as a DRP MP – that’s why we spoke with a friend and arranged him a house for rent that did not require an advance paid upfront,” said Nihan. “There was no way that Waheed could afford to buy a house in Hulhumale’ for Rf4.6 Million unless there was a hand of corruption in it.”
Nihan claimed that Waheed “earns a little more than Rf 60,000 (US$4000) a month like other MPs, pays Rf 25,000 (US$1600) in monthly rent for the apartment he currently lives in, and has to spend the rest on living expenses and helping constituents and travelling to islands to attend meetings and stuff – where did he get the Rf 4.6 million?” Nihan questioned.
Waheed, who was dropped to parliament every session by a fellow MP, “now owns a Mazda 3 with a driver”, Nihan added, further claiming that the MP had paid an advance for his apartment in US dollars.
“Since he joined MDP he always seems very happy and contented. He now has a Mazda 3, has paid the advance payment of his rented house in US Dollars – the payment we delayed for him because he wasn’t wealthy and the landlord was a DRP supporter.”
If Waheed got all the money genuinely by being a MP, “Why does no other MP get to buy a beachfront house in Hulhumale’ for Rf4.6 Million? I cannot afford that,” Nihan claimed.
“MDP MPs are not only fortunate enough to win houses, they also have been winning reefs, uninhabited islands and resorts as well,” he claimed.
Waheed was not responding to calls at time of press.
Aside from Ali Waheed, President Mohamed Nasheed’s brother Dr Ibrahim Nashid and two children of Human Rights Ambassador Mohamed ‘Go Go’ Latheef also won bids for houses in Hulhumale’.
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Minivan should have waited for few ours before reporting this one. Latest news on haveeru says Ali Waheed and wife Aishath Leesha both won beachfront house.
Haveeru reports total for both house as RF 9.4 million.
Lesson to be learned by coming generation of politicians,
Act like a monkey in Parliament within the first 2 years and make millions by crossing floor. Spend the remaining days investing your money and enjoying.
Ahmed Nazeer, please get your facts right. I doubt Ahmed Shafeeg of Henveiru Shafeeguge will have any interest in buying a plot of land in Hulhumale'.
For once in my life, I really have nothing to say.
When we were jumping up and down in 2008 about our promising new President, THIS was a day I never thought I would ever see in my lifetime.
A real kick in the n**s this one. 🙁
There are many business men who run shops in Male' who can't buy property worth this much. Ali Waheed, after joining MDP, suddenly spends 4.6 million? If he ran resorts or even ran local businesses, I can understand where he got the funds. But this clearly indicates the amount of corruption this country has. The anti-corruption commission has failed.
What's the big deal? At least this not government's money.
If the motivation of being a law maker (an MP) is about making money, who will make laws. The poor parents of Maldives spent everything in educating their children in the hope that education would be of use. But by their actions, people like Ali Waheed with their get-rich-soon tactics are making a mockery of decency and poisoning the youth of the contry. The message from such greedy people is clear simple: don't go to school and study. Better be a thug and get rich.
There is no hope for Maldives..
I am sure the world would never have seen a more corrupt government than President Nasheed's. The whole top order of MDP needs overhauling.
House/s? they won bids for 2 plots of land on which they will have to build house/s...
my parents spent their whole life paying rent, working overtime, bringing up 3 children and educating them the best they can all the while trying to walk a straight path. their life has been used up and they hardly saved a laari, and now we are trapped in the same circle as our parents, trying to keep our necks above water. if i didnt believe in God, i might as well say 'whats the point' and be done with...
there is no way an honest man can succeed in a corrupt nation such as this. what is there for a hard working honest man in this country? are we allowed to even have a dream for our kids? i'm so sick of these people!
in the past there was something called honour and respect. people went to great extents to protect these, even giving their lives for it. but they are worthless now. like in india, where the corrupt politicians flaunt their ill-gotten wealth to the admiration of the poor, this tiny nation of a handful of people is also finally shedding themselves of these values. its all about the money now. its only a matter of time now...soon we will be putting price tags on our parents and children...
Nihan,
Ali waheed does not live at a 25,000 rf apartment. he lives at a 15000 rf apt. Ali waheed drove a Nissan Dualis when he was at DRP which must be twice the cost of the mazda he has now. if nihan can afford a mazda AND pay RF 80,000 just for a number (8181) why cant ali waheed afford a mazda?ali waheed does not own a driver. his car is driven by a relative of him. how did nihan who said who cudnt afford 5000 to pay for his election fee afford two personal body guards and a car in less than one year from being elected to the parliament?even if nihan wanted to apply for hulhumale land plots, he would probably have been disqualified since he is already a resident of male/villingilli. count ur blessings and be grateful for what u have rather than being jealous and eyeing over another persons blessings
lol i am surprised anyones surprised.... 😛
ekamaku vaaa..nihan men dhen olhuvaalan ulhunas boduvaru..effaharaa dhakkan jehey laari eh nooneyy eii?ali waheed can easily afford the downpayment given that he has been on a 62,000 salary for the past 3 years.god knows what other businesses he may have and what other income he may recv. monthly installment nudhekkeynebaa libey bodu musaarain?bank thakun loan ves dhookurey..hulhumale' in ge ganefa eba thibi maa medhufantheege musaara libeymeehun ves.igthisaadhey kiyaigen majileehuga molhethi vaahaka dhakkaa iru dont you know that most investments are covered by loans?and that banks would jump at a chance to provide loans to a high class and well established MP like ali waheed?
after a downpayemtn, total cost is divided into 5 years. do the math people. why is it such a big deal whn ali waheed buys a house?the process was clear. he participated in a bid and won it.didnt do it underground. why dont ppl like nihan concentrate on more sensible things than this?
does anyone else here think that if haveeru and sun didnt run this, minivan would take the initiative?
Corroption.
What matters is that you are flush with cash. How you got the money is nobody's business! This is the typical Maldivian modus operand.
Its very sad to see how these MPs enjoy life when the rest of the ordinary Maldivians are struggling to keep up with their daily living expenditures. Absolutely a shame and disgusting thing to see. What good can we expect from these MPs for us in future? I doubt they are sincere with this country and the poor Maldivians. All these MPs are full of their own selfishness and greed.
Facts that can never be proven but infact is true
(1)bunch of proxies of mps are being given resorts by national planning council for investing in sewer water networks in islands.
(2)ali wahyd was given an apartment in malaysia by prominent maldivian businessman as part of deal to convert to mdp
(3) male city council is now number one corrupt institution next to parliament.
(4) special envoys and other top execs at Presidents office are owners of major land reclamation and housing projects today. They have sorted out their lives during the last coupke of years.
Just like yamin n other cronies did in previous regime. Corruption will prevail.it is like Hair loss, you cannot completely stop it but only reduce the rate at which it takes place. So like previous govt, this govt will also be corrupt.
For me, Whats important is to see if this govt is moving fwd (even with corruption) and if the movement is in right direction.
No one ofcourse wants to talk about this and no one really does. Who has said anything about how many people are on madhana, or how many houses or sewer networks are being built or constructively criticise govt by asking questions like why arent we developing hulhumale when there is empty land there! Why are we reclaiming thilafushi n also gulhifalhu both when we can do with just one for the moment? Why so many bloody airports when there are no people to fly there (tourists or locals)
as a nation its much more fun to talk about ali waheeds apartment and his mazda car. Reeko moosa, his stock n boozing habits, Govt officials jerking off on internet, etc. Etc.
Shame shame shame!
Perhaps the true corruption is our ignorance, irresponsibility, childishnrss, immaturity, insensitivity thats not letting this country move ahead as it shud!
Sad but true.
Nashid, president's brother is a well respected scientist and has worked and lived in Switzerland doing state of the art research for most of his adult life. His PHD was a research PHD achieved years perhaps even decades back, so I do not find it suprising to know that he has that kind of money 🙂
Haveeru/sun has no bloody right to write this. haveeru was operated by our money, maldivians money..its pity and shame for haveeru to write this
I'm actually glad that Minivan ran this news. if it was only on Haveeru and Sun, the only people who wiil be able to comment are those who agree with the article. Minivan is bringing both sides. Arguments for and against Ali Waheedh, the major topic of discussion.
why doesn't anyone think about what he or she is writing before it goes into public domain.
1. Hulhulumale beach plots are awarded on competitive bidding - goes for highest offers.
2. First the winner have to make the down payment - which also can be paid in six months.
2. The balance is paid over a period 10 years.
So this 4.6 million or whatever is not going out of anyone's pocket today.
Whether it is haveeru or minivan, i guess they have to explain to the public how the payments are made as well. Just because you have the freedom of press, doesn't mean that you can write half of the truth and mislead the public.
Arguments FOR??? IS there an argument FOR this atrocity. Of course casting morals aside is an option. Nothing stops us from being complete slaves to a worthless "ideology" and its heartless ideologue.
However one cannot help but agree with Champagne Afeefy. No concrete steps have been taken to combat corruption. No structural reforms have been introduced to the functioning of the executive - everything remains as it did on 2008 with even less scrutiny and pressure from the international community. Corruption and crime abounds in broad daylight and we do not possess the power, education and means to express our concern about these issues.
The Maldivian subjects had barely begun to open their eyes under Kings Nasir and Qayyoom. However, the narcissistic child Kind Nasheed and his puppetmasters have managed to reverse the direction of increasing public awareness.
Millenium Development Goals can kiss our a**.
@tsk tsk
What a desperate attempt to save the face, it could have been very much better if ali Waheed had the guts to make the comment on his own name.
Ali Waheed you are a coward!
One more thing! For the past two years ali Waheed with his family lives in an apartment in M.Victory house 6th Floor, at a price of 25000/- Mrf per month. The land lord of this plott is Mr. Bakuru from Rannbaa restaurant. One can dial to find truth!
Ali Waheed is EXPOSED ! Corrupt loser
@fahaafoshi: your observation best describes the pathetic state of Maldivian mind.
'like in india, where the corrupt politicians flaunt their ill-gotten wealth to the admiration of the poor' Maldivians have adopted the caste system values. This should be no surprise too: 99 percent of people worship hindi soaps like Kasuti and live by those images in all things, be it relationships or marriages. I am sure most mothers would now be wishing that their daughter marries some one like Ali Waheed.
Please talk about values and issues. Not Nasheed or Maumoon or Nasir and scape goats.
The rapidly evolving Maldives caste system of the last 20 years is as follows
Brahamin class (resort owners)
Kshatriyas (politicians)
Vaisvas class (Government employees)
Sudras class (ordinary Maldivains)
Harijan (bangladeshis)
@TRUTH on Fri, 12th Aug 2011 12:16 PM
$300,000 is still a lot of money. It is hard to swallow, but corruption is here to stay. If the corrupt have no fear of the law nor embarrassment from being exposed, morals go out of the window.
Personally I leapt at the MDP majority, and I still hope it stays that way. Having said that, we also must realize soon that the previous kleptocrats which we avoided could become indistinguishable from the current govt at the rate were going.
@Tsk Tsk
I'm sure one could come up with arguments for. I know you could, had Yameen been the subject accused. You know, things like "proof", the "Green Book" etc - thats the gist of it if I recall correctly.
"TRUTH on Fri, 12th Aug 2011 12:16 PM"
Its sad that you are a just another ignorant character wasting space on the comment section with your ignorance and your goal of deceiving.
Firstly,
http://hdc.com.mv/downloads/downloads.php
you can download the "down payment options.pdf" from their site.
and as per the document published by the Housing Development Corporation, there are two types of plots.
1. Beach front - 36 plots
2. Beach side - 114 plots
For Beach Front plots, the downpayment has to be paid in "TWO" installments and NOT "SIX"
And, the total payments have to be made in "FIVE" years and NOT "TEN"
The options that you stated are the options for "Beachside plots" and NOT for "Beachfront plots" and to remind you once more this article is about "Beachfront plots"
saabahey Ali Waheed.. Boom boom laafa malay inn flat, hulhumale' 2 goathi, male' ga 25000 ah ulhunu apartment badhalu koffi, aa car eh ganefi.. hama hus athaa dho... reedhoo kulaige meehunah hama ok dho... dhen lalalaa... hehe
i have am a director of a medium sized company and i own a plot of land on male' but i cannot afford to buy a plot of land from the beach front of hulhumale'. i would like to know how ali waheed AND HIS wife can both afford to this
Well, let us not be fooled to think he "won" anything!...... In this corrupt society - this was probably a part of the package deal he got for selling his loyalty - again. He is no less than a "political prostitute" - now an always.
@ Ziyan... the worst and the saddest thing is , a big percentage of our population is so IGNORANT still support and be brainwashed by these coward MPs or so...
Hip Hip Hoorey!! Welcome to MDP, Al Waheed. DRP, ADP, QDP Can u you see this??!! 😉 Sign for MDP today, before too late.
this just a small part of the deal he made with MDP. more to come. we may not know it all but its pretty big load for sure.
Waheed must have found a gold mine. Its not only Waheed who has this kind of money. Fenfushi brothers in STELCO, Zaid and Aboobakuru spent the same. From where they got it?
How about some of the other parliamentarians.
@peasant:
That's harsh but fair.
We all have our biases. Yet I guess we all agree that more can be done to battle corruption at all levels.
To be fair Waheed has protection from that silly green book and it is my firm belief that one cannot say beyond all reasonable doubt that he has been bribed. of course I assume it is the bribers and not the bribed that you seek to defend.
However, I feel the same way I do about Waheed when it comes to Alhan, Ilham, Mahloof, Shifaz, Ahmed and the gang.
These are persons with little to no real experience in any field except for career politics. They are puppets and are hired/bought/sold/bribed by whomever offers the highest bid. I am not saying the elder gentlemen do not engage in corruption either yet, to me, they are the lesser evil. An age limit of about 30 years is a desirable requirement for potential MPs.
Also, peasant, there are very real blunders on the part of the MDP and their minority as well as their majority in Parliament that led to the situation we are in today. The simple good vs. evil paradigm that a lot of people buy into regarding the MDP vs DRP/PA is not quite that simple.
These clowns, Ali Waheed, Ilham and Mahlouf are making a mockery of everything we are trying to do. Just wish they were not so powerful and so hell bent on destroying our very vulnerable country.
It appears we have sudeenly forgotten that all Gayoom cronies have houses in Singapore,Malaysia and in London. How did they earn the money. We can't even have a look at it. God Bless Ali Waheed and his family.
There is nothing wrong for Ali Waheed to buy a property. He is going to pay for it not like Gayoom's cronies who still owes millions to the government.
"How did they earn the money. We can’t even have a look at it. God Bless Ali Waheed and his family."
You don't see a disconnect in your statements? Ali Waheed has insulted us. There is no plausible deniability here and yet he flaunts his ill gotten gains.
Never mind. I'm going to join you in your Orwellian Double Think and pretend everything is alright, which is what impotent men do.
@Tsk Tsk-
Sorry, couldn't resist a jibe at a seemingly conservative leaning fella. I'd have to agree with you on all counts but to where the main problem lies, which is the people, not MPs. We accept these zero sum games and back our horse no matter what.
Take him to court where even the millions recovered from the drugs lords are made legal lol.... God save our country...