The People’s Majlis has passed a government-proposed bill that strips powers from councils, amending the Decentralization Act of the Maldives.

The bill was passed with 51 votes in a committee meeting held on Tuesday night, with minimal changes.

Several councils and opposition political parties have been calling for the withdrawal of this bill. The public was given less than 24 hours to submit their opinions on the bill.

According to the bill, council bank accounts must now be operated under guidelines set by the Ministry of Finance. The ministry can also request bank statements whenever they deem necessary.

Further, for the remainder of their term, councils will no longer be able to independently hire staff, lease parts of land and lagoons, or initiate new development projects.

As per the bill, council bank accounts must be operated under guidelines set by the Ministry of Finance. The ministry can request bank statements when needed.

With the passing of the bill, although councils were previously able to conduct business independently under the law, they will now face obstacles. The bill states that councils cannot engage in any business that is already being conducted by a private party on the respective island. In addition to this, the leasing of land by councils will become more challenging. According to the bill, no rent can be charged for any land allocated to parties for providing essential services to the public.

The amendments to the Decentralization Act of Maldives, were submitted on behalf of the government by Ibrahim Hussain, main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC)’s MP for South Fuvahmulah constituency.