Ibrahim Shujau, Member of Parliament for the Baarashu constituency, has stated that atoll councils are a burdensome extra layer in the decentralized system and that they should be abolished. He made these remarks while debating in Parliament on the constitutional amendments proposed by the government. The amendment proposed by the government includes the abolition of atoll councils, and Shujau stated that their dissolution would further empower and strengthen island councils. He also believes that there are currently difficulties in the administrative structure of island councils and that their structure should be changed to be similar to that of the Malé City Council. Shujau also noted that this is the President’s vision.
This amendment also includes a provision that if a Member of Parliament is dismissed from their party, the decision regarding their seat will be made through a public referendum. While Shujau supported this as giving the final say to the people, most members who debated the bill supported the abolition of atoll councils. However, many members stated that they do not support the proposed amendment that would cause members to lose their seats. They believe that this would lead to increased expenditure by requiring two elections for a single seat and that even if a member elected with the support of a political party leaves that party, they would still have to contest for the seat a second time through a public vote.
Although some members expressed concern that the bill proposes amendments to two unrelated articles, the presidency stated that the bill was submitted to the floor after being reviewed by the Parliament’s legal team.
