Dear Mr. President,

Leasing or selling of Islands and atolls legally to other countries, no matter how strong the bilateral ties may be, may have very important and dangerous consequences. There are many people from the Maldives, who are active members in our community and have worked very hard to make this country one of the best developing nation in the world. The order to sell nation’s islands will make many of Maldivians very distressed and give rise to a feeling of being sold and being robbed of dignity and self-respect.

Faafu Atoll (also known as Northern Nilandhe Atoll or Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi) is an administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name. Out of a total of 23 islands, six are inhabited. The capital island Nilandhoo is the largest in the Atoll and lies on the southern rim of Faafu Atoll. These islands serve as a delight for citizens as well as tourism sector with wide range of activities like – Scuba diving, Snorkeling, Surfing, Island excursions and Mosques.

Selling off, selling out or just plain giving away our islands and atolls is now all too common a theme for the ruling party’s Government. In addition to wanting to turn our nation into international territory, some in the Government are pursuing an agenda that includes subletting atolls for international resorts, giving away the best public lands for sale to foreign developers without bids.

Of all the questions which can come before this nation, fall short of the actual preservation of its existing territory, there is none which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us. Those who care about protecting our national heritage need to recognize the perilous times in which we live. If our children are to experience the great outdoors tomorrow, we need to fight for it today. Due to this we highly encourage you to reconsider the decision of selling Faafu Atoll.

Respectfully yours,
A Concerned Maldivian