MDP says councils not responsible for stalled island projects

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Monday criticised remarks by Mohamed Muizzu that island councils are obstructing development projects.

President Muizzu made the comments while speaking at the opening of the new headquarters of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) on Thursday evening. He said several government projects had stalled because councils had not allocated land, and that councils were making project implementation difficult.

The MDP said the remarks followed recent changes to the decentralisation framework. Atoll councils have been abolished, amendments have been made to the Decentralisation Act, and the number of councillors has been reduced.

MDP interim chair Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, who is also the Member of Parliament for Hanimaadhoo constituency, told a press conference on Monday that the government was restricting the functioning of councils. He said council authority had been reduced and that land under councils could now be reassigned without their consent.

Gafoor said the government’s claim that councils were responsible for delays was incorrect. He said councils are elected for fixed terms and are not required to act on instructions outside their legal mandate. He urged voters to choose council members freely in the upcoming local council elections.

In a separate statement issued on Monday, the MDP said the President’s remarks were intended to influence the council elections. The party said the decentralisation framework was established by the first MDP government, and that the Constitution includes provisions recognising decentralisation as part of governance.

The statement said the government had not achieved progress in island development over the past two years due to a lack of planning, and that it was incorrect to assign responsibility for this to councils. It added that councils are required by law to consult residents and implement five-year development plans, but that recent amendments had delayed the implementation of these plans.

The MDP said that projects announced by the government without reference to council-approved development plans undermined the role of councils. The party said councils are separate legal entities with planning and management responsibilities defined by law, and called for the removal of restrictions that prevent councils from carrying out their functions.