Amphibious mini-city and floating golf course: Is anyone excited?

Surprise, surprise. There’s no election on the horizon. But another megaproject is here with a big bang. Maldives is going to get the world’s first star-shaped amphibious mini-city with a massive convention centre hidden under lush green-roof terraces, complete with interior pools and beaches!

With the megaproject the Dutch are back. But this time it’s not Boskalis.

The last time we used a Dutch company’s name was in connection with the now-forgotten Gulhifalhu Global Business Park (GGBP). Three hundred thousand, minus one person (Idham Muizzu knows a thing or two about due diligence) were all duped into believing that GGBP was going to be ‘developed’ by Boskalis when our government was in fact getting into an agreement with a very ‘British’ Sivarajah Manivannan’s Capital Investment & Finance Ltd of the United Kingdom. Yes, United Kingdom – of course!

Then came the “Dubai World’s” phase II of Hulhumalé and the incredibly amazing Moonbay Marina. The fool’s paradise Moonbay marina didn’t prove to be a good sell. Perhaps the Dhivehi taste for megaprojects were a little too cloyed by countless empty promises on phantom projects like the 2003 Presidential Elections’ Hulhumale Bridge and the USD 300million transshipment port government decided to ‘build’ in Ihavandhippolhu in the run up to the 2004 parliamentary elections. Gayoom lost the 2008 Presidential elections and poor Moonbay continued her lonesome and miserable existence in youtube.

The time of mega-projects didn’t end with Gayoom. Within a few months into his presidency Nasheed too learnt the ropes of the mega-project trade.

November 2009: Government announced a USD 200 million wind farm project to produce clean electricity for Male’, Hulhule’ and a number of tourist resorts. For almost a month state media went on a frenzy about how GE was coming to build the latest generation wind turbines and lay the submarine electricity cables in Maldives. Yawn, another big yawn. I wish someone would explain to me what Falcon Energy and WES, GE and Government of Maldives are each supposed to do in this project.

November 2009 was indeed the month of mega-projects for Maldives. Government announced another project with GMR Infrastructure to develop a trendsetting international airport at Hanimaadhoo together with resorts with a bed capacity of 6000!

That wasn’t all. Government signed an MoU with another Indian company, Suzlon to develop another wind farm valued at USD40million in Addu.
Fast forward four months. Suzlon’s windfarm and GMR’s airport are probably collecting dust somewhere in a dark corner of a Government office. And it doesn’t look like Gaafaru wind farm is getting out of youtube to see the day light anytime soon.

Mega-projects in the Maldives have always been the ultimate weapon in the arsenal of our mighty politicians and their deep-pocketed resort bigwigs when they prepare for their ritual once-in-every-five-year onslaught on our unsuspecting people. It looks like Gaafaru windfarm, Hanimaadhoo airport and Addu Windfarm are all destined to the fate of Ihavandhippolhu transhipment port, Moonbay Marina and the Hulhumale bridge.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not against mega-projects. In fact I think today’s mega-projects are my great-great-granddaughter’s only hope to stay above water if she is to live in the middle of the Indian ocean. I wish she would be there to marvel at Jaguar Woods sink a 50-foot birdie putt on the last hole to take the Maldives Open Championship held at Dutch Docklands floating golf resort, 100 years after I’m gone. ;-)