Yameen: Govt centralising powers by removing atoll councils
Yameen, who now acts as an opposition leader, said decision-making had been centralised for 15 years.
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Former President Abdulla Yameen on Thursday criticised amendments to the Constitution and related laws that remove Atoll Councils and permit the government to implement projects without approval from island councils.
The amendments eliminate provisions in the Constitution and legislation that define Atoll Councils. Another amendment states that the government may proceed with a project if a council does not grant permission within a reasonable period.
Under the changes, the government may carry out projects or activities in administrative districts with the approval of the Local Government Authority (LGA), which functions under the Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works.
Speaking at his PNF office, Yameen, who now acts as an opposition leader, said decision-making had been centralised for 15 years.
“It has been 15 years since the capital and the President’s Office decided everything,” he said.
He said efforts to further shift authority away from local bodies were not acceptable.
“They cannot decide how to allocate land from their villages here. They cannot know from Malé. That is where the government bought this thoroughfare,” he said, referring to the amendments passed by the government-majority parliament.
Yameen said the government had taken away powers granted to the provinces under law and the Constitution, including control over forest land within provincial boundaries.
“After the law defines the land and jurisdiction of the villages, who will take care of the other forest areas in the province? They should come under some ministry,” he said.
He said he remained opposed to the removal of Atoll Councils.
“I am against the abolition of the provincial councils. The provincial councils are the bodies that assess activities and development at the provincial level. Without them, only the village level will remain,” he said.
