Minister of Cities and Administrative Areas Management and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar, has stated that the claims made by some parties about abolishing the atolls of Maldives are irresponsible. The minister made this statement while speaking on PSM News’ “Raajje Miadhu” program regarding the ongoing discussions about the government’s alleged plans to abolish atolls. During President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s trip to Aa. Atoll, he met with the people of Mativaree and stated that the Atoll Council serves no purpose, and therefore, they have decided to amend the Constitution to abolish Atoll Councils. Following this, some individuals on social media have accused the government of intending to abolish atolls entirely.
Addressing these claims to PSM News, Minister of Cities and Administrative Areas Management and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar, said that these are irresponsible statements and not government policy. The minister said that when the decentralization system was introduced during the MDP government, the creation of provinces resulted in an additional layer in the system, increasing dependence on Male’ for various matters. Therefore, he believes that changing the structure of Atoll Councils and including councilors elected for each island’s development in the Atoll Council would increase their responsibilities, which he considers to be in conflict with the law.
The Minister for Administrative Areas stated that Atoll Councils don’t have much to do besides providing administrative assistance to the islands. He said this is also an additional layer to the decentralization system, and the government wants to change the current structure of Atoll Councils. “The President has been saying that the Atoll Councils will not exist in their current composition. However, as you know, considering how the Maldives’ atolls are naturally formed and how work is inherently organized, there will be some form of administrative arrangement for the work done in each atoll,” said Minister Adam Shareef.
The minister said he personally believes that educated and capable individuals should be in charge of the administrative work in the atolls, similar to how Permanent Secretaries are positioned in ministries. He stated that these individuals should be appointed through the Civil Service, and based on their performance, they could be appointed for terms longer than five years, according to Minister of Cities and Administrative Areas Management and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar.”
