Opposition MPs oppose Decentralisation Act amendment

MPs of opposition parties have opposed the Amendment Bill to the Decentralisation submitted to the parliament by the government, proposing to abolish Councils in islands with less than 500 people.

The Amendment Bill submitted by Nilandhoo MP Abdulla Khaleel also states that Councillors excluding the President and Vice President of Councils, shall become part-time staff of Councils.

During the debate on the bill at today’s parliament sitting, Jumhooree Party’s (JP) Keyodhoo MP Moosa Nizar Ibrahim said that there should not be any discrimination based on the size of the population, in how citizens are represented.

He said that islands without councils will see a drop in the standard of basic public services, and will be largely ignored by the government.

Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) Hithadhoo-South MP Ali Nizar said that amendments to laws should benefit the people, and called on ruling party Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to take into account the interest of the country.

PPM’s Jameel Usman, while declaring support for the bill, acknowledged that some articles require revision.

The bill states that if the population of an island is less than 500, its administrative system shall be determined by the Local Government Authority (LGA) and Atoll Councils.

The bill also proposes that islands with populations of between 500 and 5,000 people shall have four Councillors, and islands with populations between 5,000 and 10,000 people shall have six Councillors.

The Decentralisation Act presently states that islands with less than 3,000 people shall have five Councillors, islands with populations of between 3,000 and 10,000 people shall have seven Councillors, and islands with over 10,000 people shall have nine Councillors.