Counsel General of the Parliament Fathimath Filza has stated that the Thinadhoo Island Council cannot be accorded the status of a city council under the Decentralisation Act. While providing legal counsel on the status of the island council, she addressed the administrative and legal challenges associated with the conferred city council powers and status.
The Parliamentary Committee on Decentralisation had examined the powers and status of a city council and concluded that the Thinadhoo Island Council had attained city council status during its term. Despite the city status being granted midway through the term, the committee's report emphasised that it would persist until the term's conclusion. As such, the committee resolved to transfer the powers and responsibilities of the city council to the island council and advocated for approval from relevant state institutions to officially recognise Thinadhoo Island Council as a city council.
However, Counsel General Filza contended that the committee's decision was not in accordance with the Decentralisation Act. She clarified that even if an island transitions to city status mid-term, the city should continue to be governed by the island council, as per the act. She said that the law does not mandate the establishment of a separate city council in such scenarios and emphasised the absence of a legal foundation for designating the island council as a city council, even in the event of Thinadhoo being declared a city.
Counsel General Filza's legal advice prompted deliberation during the committee meeting, leading to the decision to propose amendments to the Decentralisation Act to confer city status upon Thinadhoo. The previous government had granted city status to Thinadhoo after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's pledged to grant the island city status during his campaign. The new administration acknowledged Thinadhoo's city status but characterized it as nominal and lacking any substantive follow-up actions.