Male' City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muiz, who is also opposition PPM/PNC's presidential candidate, has said that he will work to increase the 1,000-hajj quota granted to the Maldives by Saudi Arabia to 2,000.

Speaking at his campaign rally in Lh. Naifaru on Thursday, Dr. Muiz said that former President Abdulla Yameen, the leader of the PPM/PNC coalition, was very close to The Saudis and King Salman Mosque is a result of that closeness.

"I am not making any promises, but I will work towards it, I will try to increase the hajj quota to 2,000," Muiz said.

He said that since there are 1,000 seats for the Hajj quota, even those who are well-off and others who want to go for the pilgrimage should stay for a few years.

Noting that the foreign policy of the current government has not benefitted the country and its people, Dr. Muiz said that due to the agreements signed by the government with different countries, the independence of the Maldives has been left in the hands of another country.

Dr. Muiz said the residents in Naifaru were in need of proper water and sewerage networks and that he would upgrade the system during his tenure as the people.