The People's Majlis has passed an amendment to the Decentralization Act, granting the central government the authority to reclaim lands within the jurisdiction of island and city councils at its discretion.
The bill was passed with the support of 47 members from the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) present at yesterday’s session. Members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against the bill.
The legislature approved the bill without considering two petitions: one submitted to the Majlis calling for the bill’s rejection, and another—backed by the government—urging its passage without any changes.
Furthermore, the Majlis disregarded an amendment proposed by Galolhu North MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo), which sought to mandate public consultation before the central government could make changes to an island's jurisdiction or resources.
As the law was amended to grant the Cabinet the power to seize island lands, MDP members maintained that no council in the Maldives would obstruct development projects on their islands. They challenged the government to name any council that had engaged in such obstruction.
However, PNC members were unable to provide any examples to justify the move.
The only PNC member to speak on the matter was the party’s Parliamentary Group Leader, Ibrahim Falah. He claimed the bill was necessary because councils occasionally obstruct government development projects. Despite this claim, he failed to cite a single instance where this had occurred.
"For example, if the government of the day wants to develop a football pitch on an island, and the council is not aligned with the government, they might withhold the land. Then the youth of that island are left without a way to play football because the facilities cannot be built," Falah said.
"This happens very frequently."
Despite Falah's assertions, no island council has to date rejected a development project proposed by the government.
Councils have not opposed any projects under the current administration, including the installation of BML ATMs—touted as a major success—or the various hospitals, police stations, gyms, and parks for which President Mohamed Muizzu laid foundation stones during his nationwide tours.
Additionally, councils have not refused to allocate land for projects recently contracted to 53 companies across 123 islands.
In fact, the public has expressed concern that work on many of these projects has failed to progress after the foundation-laying ceremonies.
The amendment, submitted to the Majlis by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, stipulates that once the Cabinet decides to reclaim a land or site within a council’s jurisdiction for a government project, that property will be removed from the council’s ownership. Such sites will then fall under the full authority of the state.
Furthermore, even before an island’s development plan is approved, councils are now required to hand over land if the government requests it for a development project.
Other amendments to the Decentralization Act target the code of conduct for council members. These additions compel councilors to provide full cooperation to the central government.
The bill also proposes that councilors must not act in a manner that obstructs government projects without a valid reason, nor should they pass resolutions intended to halt such initiatives.
Opponents and members of the public have dubbed the legislation the "Land Grab Bill," arguing that these changes will completely dismantle the decentralization system and strip local councils of their power.
