Nazil Criticises Government’s Approach to Council Membership Reduction

The leader of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s parliamentary group, Ibrahim Nazil, has criticised the government’s efforts to reduce council membership as a means to cut state expenses, while failing to address the high number of political appointments.

During today’s debate on the government’s bill to amend the Decentralization Act, which aims to limit council by-elections to twice a year, Nazil, who represents the South Hithadhoo constituency, argued that reducing council membership is not a responsible approach.

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Nazil accused successive non-MDP administrations of “playing” with councils and alleged that the incumbent People’s National Congress (PNC) administration is attempting to sideline councillors elected by the people.

He questioned the government’s intention in “strong-arming” councillors elected to serve the people, noting that political appointments have increased from 700 to 2,700.

At a PNC rally earlier this month, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu suggested that the number of council seats should be reduced in islands with smaller populations, stating that he does not believe it will disrupt the provision of public services.

However, the government has yet to submit any legislation to that effect. In the debate, Nazil alleged that the proposed move was designed to silence the voice of the people.