Opposition MDP President and former Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has pledged that all land taken from island councils under a bill passed by Parliament yesterday will, God willing, be returned to the councils under his administration.
The bill, an amendment to the Decentralisation Act submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Mohamed — an independent lawmaker closely aligned with the government — was passed by the People’s Majlis with the backing of the ruling PNC’s parliamentary majority.
Responding to the vote, Shahid said:
“All land taken this way will, God willing, be handed back to the councils under my administration.”
Under the newly-passed bill, the Cabinet may, by resolution, seize land falling within a council’s jurisdiction whenever it is deemed necessary for a government project. Of the 59 members who voted, 47 backed the bill, while the 11 MDP members present voted against it.
Shahid described the legislation as a direct assault on the foundations of the decentralised system of governance. He said the government was reversing the principle of bringing decision-making as close to the people as possible, and instead consolidating power at the centre — a move he said runs against the spirit of decentralisation that the people of this island nation had fought for.
The Decentralisation Committee, which reviewed the bill, introduced an amendment providing that where a council or a third party has invested in land later seized by the state, appropriate compensation may be sought through the Finance Ministry. Shahid dismissed this safeguard, saying no monetary payout can fill the void left by stripping citizens of their power.
Councils across the country have also begun voicing their objections since the bill’s passage. Atoll councils in particular warn that the law effectively strips them of virtually all authority over land within their own islands.
Let me know if you’d like a shorter version, a more neutral wire-style rewrite, or if you’d like me to add reactions from other political figures or council representatives.
