LGA warns action against councils which pass ‘unrelated’ resolutions

Local Government Authority (LGA) says it will take actions against local councils and atoll councils which pass resolutions unrelated to their mandate.

Officials from LGA were summoned for questioning by the Decentralization Committee of the Parliament this Monday.

The LGA was questioned regarding its previous decisions to suspend councilmembers for involvement in political activities.

In response to the question, Board member of LGA, Amir Ali said the authority had faced several cases of defiance from councils dominated by opposition parties.

“The government is issuing the directive that, for instance, a certain affair of the State must be done a certain way. A councilmember will stand up and issue [a resolution] in the council’s letterhead that they refuse to accept it. That they don’t accept it even if the State says so,” said Amir Ali.

He said the council of the island selected to hold official Fishermen’s Day festivities had issued a resolution to reject the government’s decision.

“Such policies needed to be implemented after things dropped to that level. Councils cannot issue resolutions on issues which have nothing to do with them and on matters which do not fall under their jurisdiction. Councils shouldn’t issue resolutions on issues which aren’t within their mandate. They may issue a resolution on a whim saying they refuse to accept a certain minister,” said Amir Ali.

He said that several councils, during the period of time in question, issued resolutions and obstructed the government to the level it made it impossible for the government to provide its public services.  

Amir Ali said the LGA sent a circular warning councils not to issue resolutions on issues which do not fall within the mandate of the councils when the situation deteriorated to that level.

He said that the LGA took action against councilmembers who issued non-related resolutions and then refused the authority’s instructions to annul the resolutions.

“The former government was very happy with the suspensions and the efforts to regulate the work of councils. But the next government may not feel the same way,” said Amir Ali.

The LGA was then questioned regarding its purpose.

Ungoofaaru MP Mohamed Waheed (Waddey) asked whether the purpose of LGA was to take action against councils or to encourage decentralization.

In response, Amir Ali said that though some may picture LGA as an institution which exists discipline councilmembers, the purpose of LGA was to empower councils, provide training and assist councils draft policies.

“Some people just feel LGA is an institution which issues suspensions. That this is an institution to mete out punishments. But that isn’t the case. We believe that while councilmembers may be elected by the people, they are also paid their salaries with tax money from the people. They should therefore also maintain a code of conduct. They cannot just sign-in to the office as they wish and then go on a fishing trip,” said Amir Ali.

He said the LGA was deeply involved in empowering and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of local councils, and also ran continuous training programs.

LGA, during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration, placed a large number of MDP councilmembers on unpaid suspension long periods of time.