Decentralisation amendments diverge from university recommendations
The amendments limit the administrative and financial powers of local councils and change the composition of island councils.
Recent amendments to the Decentralisation Act, including the abolition of Atoll Councils, were introduced contrary to recommendations made in a study by the Maldives National University (MNU).
The amendments limit the administrative and financial powers of local councils and change the composition of island councils. Under the new structure:
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Islands with populations above 2,000 will have five councillors
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Islands with populations below 2,000 will have three councillors
Previously, islands with more than 3,000 residents had seven councillors, and those with smaller populations had five.
The MNU study recommended alternative reforms, including:
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Reducing the number of full-time councillors and electing part-time councillors with sitting allowances to lessen financial pressure on councils
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Strengthening, rather than abolishing, Atoll Councils
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Granting councils full administrative and financial autonomy
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Converting Women’s Development Committees into council committees and allocating separate sitting allowances
The study did not recommend abolishing Atoll Councils. Instead, it suggested revising the law to make better use of Atoll Councils.
The study emphasised that reducing the number of councillors was not the appropriate solution. Instead, it proposed limiting the number of full-time councillors to two — the president or mayor, and the vice-president or deputy mayor — while retaining part-time councillors to maintain democratic representation without increasing costs.
The government’s amendments, which restrict several council powers, run counter to the study’s recommendation that councils be granted full financial authority.
