Male' City Council pushes back after Minister Muthalib accuses it of withholding cooperation

Male' City Council has rejected Infrastructure Minister Dr. Abdullah Muthalib’s claim that the government is not receiving cooperation from the council, noting that the council itself holds a majority from the ruling PNC.

Speaking earlier, Muthalib said road repairs and maintenance in both islands and cities are the responsibility of local councils, not government ministries. He said councils receive “hundreds of millions of rufiyaa” in block grants annually but questioned whether they carry out meaningful work “beyond talking to the people.”

He also accused Male' City Council of failing to cooperate in the redevelopment of Boduthakurufaanu Magu. According to him, the council did not respond to repeated letters requesting the removal of a market area to allow road expansion, forcing the contractor to complete the section without a pavement.

In a post on X, Male' City Council Media Officer Aminath Shathufa Shafeeu dismissed the minister’s remarks as “absolutely false statements” regarding flooding and development work in the capital.

Hello Minister, @muththo

Please refrain from spreading misinformation.

First, regarding flooding: Malé City Council (MCC) procured two global pumps, which are functioning effectively. Eight segments of Majeedhee Magu that experienced severe flooding, largely due to earlier… https://t.co/QssAWV2Fyj

— Amna Shath (SHATHS) (@AmnaShath) April 15, 2026

Shathufa said the council has taken “important steps” to address flooding, including procuring two global pumps that are already in use. She said eight segments of Majeedhee Magu that previously experienced severe flooding, “largely due to earlier shortcomings by the Housing Ministry,” she wrote, have now been resolved under the current council.

She added that the council has cleaned more than 45,000 drains and continues road repair work “despite RDC’s refusal to supply road blocks and pavement stones.”

Responding to the minister’s claim of non-cooperation, Shathufa said the concept for the Boduthakurufaanu Magu project was approved by the council. She said the government had ordered market vendors to vacate the area during Ramadan, a move she argued would have harmed their businesses, and that the council chose to delay the relocation until after Ramadan “in the best interest of the vendors.” She said new stalls have now been arranged.

She also stated that the project “was initiated under the previous government,” and that its funding, design and planning were completed when current Mayor Adam Azim served as CEO of MTCC. Given this, she said, the minister’s allegations of obstruction by the council were “baseless.”

Shathufa further questioned the minister’s authority to intervene in council matters, writing:

“What is your mandate to interfere in the work of local councils? Please respect the Decentralization Act and allow councils to function independently.”

She also noted that the PNC holds the majority in the Male' City Council, adding that the minister’s remarks implied that “members of his own party” were obstructing council work. She described his statements as misinformation made for political purposes.

In a follow‑up post, she criticised delays in the renovation of Rasfannu and Sultan Park, saying the government had previously claimed the work would be completed within two months but was now saying it would be done “soon.”

The ruling PNC has previously raised concerns that some council matters were not progressing due to the absence of its own councillors.  

Meanwhile, the opposition MDP secured the majority of seats in the April 4 local council elections, with all incumbent MDP mayors retaining their positions.