Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam stated last night that even though the opposition MDP claims the decentralization system is a "child they birthed," all they managed to do was abandon that system on the streets.
During a ceremony held by the PNC to open the Malé campaign office for Hdh. Kulhudhuffushi for the upcoming local council elections, Minister Shiyam countered the remarks made by the opposition regarding the decentralization system.
"The [opposition] is saying that the decentralization system is a child they conceived and gave birth to. I wonder from where these people are saying this. It wasn't even these people who started talking about the decentralization system," Shiyam said.
“If they are going to say that, the only credit I can give them is this; if it was born, they are the ones who gave birth to it and then abandoned the system in the streets.”
Shiyam stated that when this government came to power, there was no evidence of any care being given to the decentralization system or any efforts made to bring about progress.
If that were the case, Shiyam noted, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu would not have had to build council office buildings in 100 islands. He mentioned that there is no space in councils for island councilors to work and that President Muizzu witnessed this destitute scene during his visits to the islands.
"If anything had been done for the decentralization system before this, it wouldn't be necessary in over 100 islands, surely, to first of all build an office building," Shiyam said.
The government has contracted RCC to construct new buildings for council secretariats in 55 islands across the Maldives.
Additionally, the government is working on constructing new buildings for councils in another 50 islands with free aid from the Chinese government.
According to Shiyam, even police services, which are among the most basic services required for islands, are unavailable in many islands. He said that this government also had to take on that work. He stated that the ways for councils to increase revenue were also within a limited scope, and it was this government that changed that.
Shiyam stated that it was also this government that decided to empower the Women's Development Committees (WDCs), which previously "existed in name only," and to arrange workspace and budgets for them.
Shiyam noted that this government has done the most work to empower the members who win the WDC elections to be held on April 4th, providing them with the opportunity to work alongside a good salary.
