Mahir elected vice president of LGA’s Board

Mohamed Mahir Easa has been elected the vice president of the Board of the Local Government Authority (LGA).

Mahir, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, was elected the vice president during the 10th meeting of the Board held on Thursday.

The President dissolved the former Board and reappointed members to LGA’s Board under Article 7 (a) of Special Provisions Act on Decentralization of Administrative Divisions 2020, enacted to declare procedures for local councils and the LGA following the extension to the term of local councils with the postponement of the local council elections amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus in Maldives, in June.

The seven-member Board is composed of:

• Sheikh Imran Abdulla (President), Minister of Home Affairs
• Mohamed Mahir Easa (Vice President), State Minister for Home Affairs
• Fathimath Afshan Latheef, Chief Executive Officer
• Mohamed Shihab, Advisor to the President, the President’s Office
• Ahmed Sameer, Minister at the President’s Office
• Ahmed Shareef, State Minister for Finance
• Fathimath Niuma, Deputy Minister for Planning and Infrastructure

Article 7 (a) of Special Provisions Act on Decentralization of Administrative Divisions 2020 states the President must appoint seven members to LGA’s Board, and that the appointees are not entitled to additional pay if they are already serving in a salaries state position.

The Act awards the LGA with a range of powers. As such, the LGA is to policies on how council secretariats are to operate during the interim time period, and sent it to the council secretariats within 15 days after the Act takes effect.

LGA is also tasked with forming regulations under the Act. It will also oversee whether councils serve their responsibilities stipulated under the Act and provide the services stipulated to the relevant constituencies.

Interim councilors will require authorization from the Local Government Authority (LGA) before they make decisions such as the donation or sale of a property or asset under the council’s jurisdiction, the lease of a property or asset under the council’s jurisdiction for more than a six-month period, taking loans, investing in public services, spending funds under the name of the people, passing supplementary budgets, changing the administrative structure of councils, or appointing or terminating employees.