President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that better services can be provided to the public by reducing the number of councillors. He made this statement during the ceremony held to inaugurate the Naares Portal and the second phase of the Operation Kurangi.
Taking the podium at the event, President Muizzu noted that the country’s decentralization system is currently very burdensome. He went on to say that the system is not working as efficiently as it should as, due to the size of the councils.
Sharing his views on the changes that could be made to the number of councillors, the President requested to change the number of councillors in islands with less than a 3,000 population should be decreased to three. He also suggested that islands with a population between 5,000 to 10,000 should decrease the number of councillors to five. The president also proposed a formula that does not increase the number of councillors in city councils currently.
Furthermore, President Muizzu added that reducing the number of councillors will enable the councils to run more efficiently, with high prioritization given to the needs of the public. He noted that technical studies in relation to this are being conducted. He also stated that reducing the number of councillors would reduce the state expenditure on local councils, giving the state the opportunity to use that money on improving the salaries of civil service employees.
Moreover, President Muizzu stressed that providing services to the public is not about the numbers, but about the sincerity and honesty in actively providing those services. Noting that the role of councils in solving the major problems of the country will be increased, President Muizzu state that services will be decentralized in the future to provide the public with the widest range of services.