Fuvahmulah Central Member of Parliament Ali Fazad has questioned the performance of the Fuvahmulah City Council over the past five years, asking what tangible benefits have been delivered to residents during that period.

Speaking at a People’s National Congress (PNC) event held on Friday, MP Fazad said that while members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) frequently claim that councils under their control are effective, the Fuvahmulah City Council has, in his view, fallen short of public expectations.

Fazad noted that since the introduction of the decentralisation system, Fuvahmulah City Council has largely been governed by opposition-majority councils. 

He said public debate often focuses on what the current Government has achieved in the past two and a half years, but added that similar scrutiny should be applied to the council’s record over a longer period.

“People ask what this two-and-a-half-year Government has done for Fuvahmulah. What I want to ask the opposition candidates is: with five years at the council, and even 11 years with a majority, what have you done for Fuvahmulah?” he said.

Referring to the first council formed under the Decentralization Act, Fazad said it began operations with MVR 842,000 in public funds and, by the end of its term, had increased its revenue to MVR 4 million. He said that council also facilitated the donation of medical supplies worth USD 100,000 to the local hospital, established a fish market and introduced several public services.

Fazad said the current council transferred the people’s fish market to a private company without compensation, noting that earlier council actions had included compensation for affected residents, which he said was not applied in recent cases.

Fazad said the PNC is presenting candidates who are committed to addressing such concerns, including compensation issues, and resolving long-standing matters affecting the people of Fuvahmulah.

He concluded by appealing to voters to grant the PNC a majority in the Fuvahmulah City Council, saying this would enable closer coordination with the Government and more effective delivery of services to residents.