Malé City’s deputy mayor Shamaau Shareef has said that he hopes the newly composed Local Government Authority (LGA) board does not become an obstacle to local councils.
Shamaau said this in an interview to RaajjeTV’s ’60 Minutes’ program, where he criticized the recent amendments to the Local Government Act.
In this regard, he said that the past three years has been highly destructive to the doctrine of decentralizing power and that local councils are effectively powerless now.
He further said that two of LGA’s former chairs had stated that the government had an agenda towards depowering local councils, and that the amendment – which state that the chair of LGA’s board shall be an appointee of the President’s Office – is indicative of this.
Shamaau said that he hopes the newly composed board works towards guaranteeing citizens their rights despite the nature of their appointment.
Said amendments were passed on April 12th, with haste as they were debated on the day following its proposal. The parliamentary review committee which analyzed them did not make significant changes, and it was passed within a day.
The government proposed amendments to articles 62, 63, and 64 which concern the composition, appointment, and terms of members that sit at the Local Government Authority’s board of directors, which is charged with holding local atoll councils accountable.
Prior to the amendments passing, the board consisted of a member from the capital’s city council, four elected representatives of atoll councils, a civil society organization member appointed by the parliament, a member of the general public – also appointed by the parliament, and a cabinet minister chosen by the president.
As per the amendments, the board will consist of the LGA’s CEO, a cabinet minister, a ‘female official with a background in social equality’ work, an individual experienced in public administration, and member from a civil society organization. All five members will be appointed by the president.
While all board members are given a tenure of five years, their allowances and responsibilities will be set out by the President’s Office as well.
