Hulhumale' Municipal services: Azim and councilors in dispute

During a meeting with Hulhumale' residents last night, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu addressed concerns about why municipal services have not yet been moved from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to the Malé City Council. 

The President claimed that his administration and all relevant institutions are fully prepared for the handover, but the City Council itself has refused to take over the responsibility. He expressed hope that the Council would change its decision soon so he could fulfill his campaign promise.

"I hope that before long, the Council will once again reverse that decision and take over the responsibility. I stand ready to fulfill the promise," President Muizzu stated last night.

In response, Mayor Adam Azim speaking to the media, said that the cause of the delay was because of President Muizzu. He argued that the transfer has stalled only because the President does not actually want it to happen. 

To support his claim, the Mayor shared a timeline on social media showing that the Council has been working on this issue since September. 

According to the timeline, the Council has participated in meetings with the Finance Ministry and HDC to discuss budgets and logistics, showing they are ready to cooperate.

However, the Mayor's claims were quickly challenged by City Councilors from the ruling PNC party. Deputy Mayor Mohamed Areesh and other councilors, including Ibrahim Mohamed and Nahula Ali, accused the Mayor of lying to the public for political gain. 

They pointed out that the Mayor has never presented the issue for an official vote during a Council meeting. They argued that without a formal vote, there is no legal way for the Council to accept the services, and accused the Mayor of creating a "media show" to hide his own lack of action.

"What is the legal way for the Mayor to do this without calling for a vote in the Council? If the Mayor had sincere intentions, shouldn't he take practical steps toward this with a Council vote?" Areesh stated.

The Deputy Mayor stated that, in practical terms, the City Council has not taken any action to take over the municipal services currently provided by HDC in Hulhumalé.

"He is putting on a show for the media just to achieve a political goal. This is a blatant lie to the people in broad daylight," he stated.

Council Member Ibrahim Mohamed, who is considered one of President Muizzu’s closest allies, addressed the Mayor by stating that it is completely unacceptable for Mayor Adam Azim to tell such blatant lies while holding such a responsible position.

"This is what you call deceiving the public. I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the act of giving such statements to the newspapers for a specific political purpose," Ibrahim Mohamed stated.

As the exchange of words intensifies, the two sides remain at a total disagreement. While Mayor Azim insists that the government is blocking the process, the President and PNC councilors maintain that the door is open and only a formal agreement from the Council is missing. 

For now, the President stated that HDC will continue providing municipal services in Hulhumalé on a temporary basis until the City Council agrees to take over.