President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has reaffirmed his commitment to decentralising governance, vowing to closely work with citizens for meaningful local empowerment. Marking the national Decentralisation Day on February 26, he highlighted his administration’s strategy of direct community engagement – including a pledge to visit every inhabited island twice during his presidential term – to address grassroots challenges firsthand. This renewed stance underscores the government’s emphasis on active citizen collaboration in shaping local development.
Background: A Presidency Built on Decentralisation
From the outset of his term, President Muizzu has made decentralisation a cornerstone of his governance agenda. In his inaugural address to parliament earlier this month, he stressed that running islands under decentralized principles is fundamental to social harmony and national progress. He affirmed a commitment to fully implement the decentralised system by engaging directly with communities to understand their needs, noting he had already met with nearly every island and atoll council across the country. These early efforts – including a first round of visits to all but one local council and the commencement of a second round of meetings – laid the groundwork for the intensive outreach now being pursued. Muizzu’s longstanding view is that empowering island councils and local committees will make governance more inclusive and responsive to the public.
Island Outreach Strategy: Two Visits per Island
A centerpiece of President Muizzu’s decentralisation drive is his island outreach strategy. He has committed to touring each of the Maldives’ inhabited islands at least twice during his five-year term. According to the President, these visits are not mere ceremonial trips but working visits aimed at directly assessing community conditions and hearing local voices. By meeting residents, council members, and community leaders on their home turf, Muizzu seeks to identify and tackle local issues in real time. This hands-on approach allows him to gain firsthand insight into the challenges faced by different island communities. Such direct engagement, he argues, helps bridge the gap between the central government and remote populations, ensuring that development plans align with each community’s unique needs. The President’s active island tours thus far have been credited with bringing immediate attention to pressing issues and building public trust in the decentralised governance model.
Emphasising Citizen Empowerment and Decentralisation Day
Decentralisation Day, observed nationwide on February 26 each year, served as the backdrop for President Muizzu’s latest reaffirmation of his decentralisation policy. In a message on his official social media (X) account to mark the day, he underscored the government’s close collaboration with citizens to drive meaningful empowerment at the local level. Muizzu noted that significant efforts have already been made to resolve community challenges through on-site island visits, consultations with island and atoll councils, and direct engagement with the public. The significance of Decentralisation Day itself was highlighted as a celebration of the Maldives’ shift to local governance – it commemorates the implementation of the country’s decentralised administrative system across all regions. The President’s observance of this day underlines his view that citizen involvement is not just a campaign promise but a continuing practice. By prioritising dialogues with residents and local officials, Muizzu aims to empower citizens as key stakeholders in decision-making. Officials say this approach is fostering greater ownership of development initiatives within communities and reinforcing the principle that local voices matter in governance.
Government Initiatives Strengthening Local Governance
Beyond personal outreach, President Muizzu’s administration is enacting concrete measures to strengthen the decentralised system. In recent weeks, the government has launched several initiatives to bolster the capacity of island councils and community institutions:
- Infrastructure Development: Dozens of new island council secretariat offices are being built to provide modern, functional workspaces for local administrators. Contracts have been awarded for the construction of 55 council office buildings, with preparations underway for another 50 facilities through assistance from foreign partners. These upgrades aim to give councils the dignified infrastructure needed to effectively serve their constituents.
- Enhanced Local Authority: Legislative reforms are underway to empower local bodies. Just last week, President Muizzu ratified the 14th Amendment to the Decentralisation Act, which clarifies and expands the role of elected Women’s Development Committees (WDCs) in islands and cities. The amendment establishes structured support mechanisms – including clear funding procedures and new allowances for committee members – to ensure WDCs have the resources and authority to carry out community development projects. This change reinforces the involvement of women’s committees in local governance and addresses longstanding operational challenges they faced.
- Financial Empowerment: The government has pledged to strengthen the financial autonomy of councils. Plans outlined by the Ministry of Cities and Local Government include boosting council revenues and budgets so that local authorities can be more self-sufficient. By improving funding streams and fiscal resources, councils will be better equipped to initiate and sustain services for their communities without heavy reliance on central administration.
- Human Resource Support: President Muizzu has also promised to improve conditions for local government personnel. Council staff salaries are set to be harmonised and increased in line with recent civil service pay rises, ensuring that those working at the frontlines of island administration are adequately compensated. Additionally, dedicated training and capacity-building programs are being planned to enhance the skills of councillors and committee members, enabling them to manage local affairs more effectively.
These initiatives reflect a comprehensive effort to devolve power and resources to the island level. By upgrading facilities, adjusting laws, and providing financial and HR support, Muizzu’s government is building an enabling environment for councils to function as robust, reliable units of governance. Officials assert that such steps will make local councils more capable of handling development projects, public services, and emergency responses, thereby validating the decentralisation model.
Conclusion
President Muizzu’s steadfast focus on decentralisation marks a significant shift in the Maldives’ governance approach – one that brings the government closer to its people. His commitment to visiting every island community, coupled with policies that empower local councils and committees, has been widely seen as an effort to embed governance at the grassroots. As the nation observes Decentralisation Day, the tangible actions of this administration provide momentum to the decentralised system, translating rhetoric into results. Moving forward, citizens and analysts alike will be watching how these island visits and reforms translate into improvements in daily life. If successful, President Muizzu’s model of governance could strengthen social harmony and development by ensuring that no island is left behind in the Maldives’ progress toward more inclusive, locally driven governance.
