Addu Council Referendum: City MPs express divided opinions

Addu City parliamentarians have expressed sharply differing opinions on the upcoming public referendum to determine whether Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Meedhoo should be separated from the Addu City Council and granted their own independent councils.

The vote is scheduled for October 25 to gauge the will of the residents of these three islands regarding their separation and the formation of individual councils. This will be the first vote held under the newly enacted Public Referendum Act.

Ahmed Azaan, MP for the Hithadhoo Central constituency, has called for a vote against the separation.

Writing on social media, Azaan argued that the greatest political power for Addu’s politicians and the greatest voice for the people of Addu lies in the city, the country's second-largest population center after Malé, speaking with a unified voice.

He stated that forming separate councils and breaking away from the current City Council structure carries a high risk of relinquishing that power and collectively leading to political marginalization for those representing Addu.

"It is a reality that, because Hithadhoo has governed Addu for ages, the way the administrative arrangements are established will cause difficulties and concerns for the residents of other districts," Azaan admitted in a post on X.

Despite these concerns, he believes a solution can be found by maintaining Addu's unity and introducing changes to the City Council’s administrative arrangements. Azaan affirmed his readiness to work towards this goal.

“I request that the people of Feydhoo, Meedhoo, and Hulhudhoo also vote against forming separate councils for Addu in the referendum on the 25th of this month,” he concluded.

In contrast, Ibrahim Didi, the PNC MP for South Feydhoo constituency, has supported establishing a separate council for each island. He detailed the potential benefits of separating the councils in a Facebook post.

The Independent Member for the Addu Meedhoo constituency, Abdhu’Rahman, also voiced his support for the move.

In a post on Facebook, he described Meedhoo as a community that feels "orphaned" and without a guardian.

“No one is interested in caring for us. No one is interested in handing us over to another group either. We can manage our affairs much better on our own,” he wrote last Tuesday night.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated that the decision to hold the public opinion vote on changing the Addu City Council's composition was made following numerous requests and concerns raised by residents of the city.

The President’s Office has announced that to identify the potential changes to the jurisdiction of Addu's islands following the referendum results, the Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works will lead the formation of a ministerial-level team. This team will, in turn, establish a technical panel of experts familiar with the "Addu context" to begin work related to the islands' jurisdiction.