Fayyaz Ismail Calls for Review of Expat Accommodation Contract

The Chairperson of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Fayyaz Ismail, has called on the government to reconsider its decision to award a contract for expatriate worker accommodation to a foreign contractor.

The Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology has initiated efforts to sign a contract with Malaysia’s Atilze Digital, a subsidiary of G3 Global Berhad, to develop an accommodation facility for expatriate workers. This move is part of the National Integrated Migrant Worker Dormitory project, which aims to oversee and manage the accommodation and welfare of all migrant workers in the Maldives.

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The Maldives government sent a letter of award to G3 Global Berhad’s subsidiary last Wednesday. The project will be based on a private-public partnership model, with full private finance initiatives and revenue sharing between the Maldives government and the contractor. The initial concession period for the project is set at 30 years, with an automatic extension for an additional 30 years.

Fayyaz Ismail has expressed significant concern over the mandatory requirement for employers to use these facilities. While he acknowledged that there is no issue with a foreign party providing such services without this mandatory requirement, he suggested that a private local company or a state-owned enterprise (SOE) could undertake the project, as it had already been assigned to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

Malaysian news outlet The Edge Malaysia reported that the project will generate revenue through fees charged to employers for each migrant worker. The fees will start at USD 100 per month for the first year and will increase to USD 120 per month. Of this amount, USD 5 per worker will be shared with the Maldives government.