Former President and MDP Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed has launched a strong criticism at President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, saying the purpose of the amendments the government is trying to bring to the Decentralization Act is to break the Maldives apart.

Speaking at the official ceremony held in Thinadhoo to mark 60 years since the city was resettled, Nasheed said that if the government works to separate lands from the jurisdiction of the people and strip away the powers of atoll councils, the people will rise up against it. He also said that carrying out anything in the Maldives without the consent of the people is not acceptable.

Nasheed noted that the real development Thinadhoo has achieved is not buildings and concrete, but rather the change that came to the thinking of the people through the democratic system. Recalling that the absence of a decentralized system in the past had led protests in the southern atolls to the point of seeking separation from the state, he said that while the state budget before 2008 was seven billion rufiyaa, with democracy that figure has risen to more than 15 billion.

Nasheed also said that when revenue increases, roads, harbors and sewerage systems must be built, and the only thing that must not be done while carrying out all of this is “theft.”