Despite permit, Council removes MDP banners

Male' City Council yesterday took down banners hung up by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) announcing their October 3 protest. 

MDP is preparing to hold a major rally in Male' on Friday afternoon. The party hung up banners announcing the protest in several areas of the capital city. 

The party had obtained permits to hang up the banners, and to use loudspeakers to announce the protest on September 14. Despite this, the city council began taking down the banners yesterday. 

The City Council is yet to comment on the matter, hence it is unclear why the decision was made. 

MDP requested authorization to hang up the banners on September 14, to which they received a written response on the same day. 

In the letter, the city council stated that there have been receiving multiple complaints due to the high number of banners hung up across streets in Male'. The council said that the existing banners had been placed without proper permits, and asked the party to take them down at the earliest. They advised that banners be hung up within the set procedures. 

It has been reported that while Mayor Adam Azim was out of town, Deputy Mayor Mohamed Areesh had proposed to councilors that the banners be removed as it was drooping low, causing inconvenience to those using the streets. 

With the majority of councilors agreeing, council staff had been sent out to remove the banners yesterday afternoon.

Azim's response to Areesh's message in the council's WhatsApp group asked councilors their opinion on letting the banners remain after ensuring they fit the guidelines. 

"My view is that all political parties must be allowed to conduct political activities," Azim wrote. 

In response, Councilor Ibrahim Mohamed said that MDP had sent a letter to the council, but had later said in a phone call that the banners were not related to them.

"The banners have been up for fourteen days. Mayor, you tell us what can be done with this. The banners seem to have no owner," Ibrahim said. 

Councilors Reehan Nazim and Nazima Faiz, who were initially elected through MDP but later left the party, said in the group that the banners should be removed if no one was taking ownership of them.