President to ratify decentralisation bill; says he cannot allow disenfranchisement of half of the electorate

In his weekly radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed has said he will ratify the Decentralisation Bill which was passed by the People’s Majlis on 28 April. He said while the Bill was not perfect, delaying it would bring more harm than benefits.

The Bill was passed without provisions for seven provinces as proposed by the government.
In his address, the President stressed the benefits of regionalisation, adding provincial administration now would continue based on the powers vested in the President by the Constitution. He said a legal framework was needed to fully implement the plan, and expressed hope there would be a new legislation at a later stage.

Speaking on the Bill on Local Council Election, which was passed by the People’s Majlis, the President said it violated the voting right of about half of the electorate as it required the non-residents in Male to travel to their islands to be able to vote.

The President said, “I cannot allow disenfranchisement of about half of the electorate. In my mind, it is not right, and it is not a good bill.”

In his weekly addressed, the President also discussed another bill – a bill on domestic violence and women’s rights – that was being drafted by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

He said while the government had almost completed drafting a similar bill, the government was ready to implement the DRP’s bill once passed.

“I support as much as I could the work being done by the President of DRP’s Women’s Wing, Dhunya Maumoon. I hope the bill will be submitted to the Majlis very soon,” he said.

In this week’s radio address, the President also spoke on his visit to Rasdhoo on Thursday. He highlighted the developmental projects planned for Rasdhoo and the progress of projects already underway in the island.