The President of Aa. Himandhoo Council, Husham Ismail, has stated that the amendment to the Decentralization Act of the Maldives is not an obstacle to the development of islands. The Council President made this statement while speaking at a meeting held for the residents of Himandhoo to meet with the President of the Maldives. The Decentralization Act has been amended to strengthen the financial expenditures of councils and monitor financial transactions. Some councils have spoken out against the amendment, claiming that it strips councils of their powers. However, the government has stated that the new amendment strengthens financial transactions and that no power given to councils will be taken away.
Shedding light on this amendment, Aa. Himandhoo Council President Husham Ismail said that when the Decentralization Act was amended, Himandhoo Council also issued a statement against it. The Council President said that the statement was issued then due to fears that the council would not be able to carry out its current activities. However, the Council President said that in reality, the new amendment does not take away any power given to councils. He added that the amendment was necessary because some councils were misusing the budget provided by the government.
“Every year, Himandhoo Council also goes on an experience trip from the free money provided by the state. We go to some island in the Maldives as a motivation trip for the staff. However, there are councils that go on experience trips 4 or 5 times a year. Some councils even go abroad. So, because of the councils that were doing things wrongly, it has become difficult for the councils that were running well,” said Husham. Husham said that he believes the amendments brought to the Decentralization Act by the government are good amendments. Although some say that one year of the councils’ term has been lost with the new amendment, he said he doesn’t accept that. He also said that he doesn’t view getting permission from the parent institution to do things as a burden.
Husham said that the new amendment has created opportunities for councils that were making unnecessary expenditures to work properly. He said that in the remaining period of the term, they will work for the benefit of the people by obtaining permission from the authorities that need to be obtained, and that this change does not pose any obstacle to development. Husham, who is completing his third term ind term in the Himandhoo Council, said that there is no basis to the claims being made by various parties that the decentralized system has never been damaged to the extent it is now. “I have seen a term where councils were begging institutions established in the name of national institutions. Submitting what we need to ministries has been closed. We have to submit what we need to the national institution. We don’t even know if the institutions send things to the ministries,” said Husham.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has also said that he will not do things that will make it difficult for councils and that he travels to islands with the aim of listening closely to the difficulties faced by the people and finding solutions. Speaking at a meeting with the people of Himandhoo, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that previously, coming to Male’ and meeting with various ministries and institutions was a burden that island institutions had to bear. The President said that even if they wanted to meet, there were difficulties in achieving the desired results. However, the President said that by coming to the islands and listening to issues closely, it becomes easier to solve things quickly.
