Not just flowers and photo-ops: what Malé’ needs from its mayor

Instead of decentralised leadership, the capital is stuck with someone playing the role of maintenance manager: sweeping pavements, cleaning drains, planting flowers and replacing light bulbs. This is not governance but a diversion from the real responsibilities of municipal leadership. Malé doesn’t need a sarudhaaru (foreman) – it needs a mayor.

The Maldivian Democratic Party’s Adam Azim will ask for a second term in an election scheduled for March. But voters in the capital might consider just what it is they should be expecting from their municipal leaders.

The Decentralisation Act envisioned a mayor focused on governance and administration, on systems, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and institutional functioning. Public services should work with or without the Mayor’s physical presence. Cities require structure, predictable processes and scheduled service delivery.

If the mayor of Malé really wants to be useful, there are three areas where his focus should lie.

Good governance begins with openness, democracy and transparency. One of the most basic, yet critical, responsibilities for the Mayor is the legally-mandated Malé Land Registry. Citizens have the right to know how public land is allocated, who gets it, for how long, at what price and under whose authority.

Yet, under Mayor Azim, updates to the Land Registry were delayed for 678 days, being released on November 20, just days before his rival, Ali Azim, launched his own mayoral campaign. Such timing makes this seem more like political maneuvering than fulfilling a public obligation.

Even worse, the registry itself is riddled with discrepancies, missing details, incomplete records and errors in basic information such as plot sizes and lease dates. Withholding this information for over a year meant those receiving land allocations had ample time to build or develop the plots, complicating any attempts to challenge questionable allocations.

In my role as Malé’ city councillor for Galolhu Uthuru, I have asked for a review of the public interest and value-for-money in all these contracts and to annul all those drawn up after June 14, 2023. It was on this date that council rules were amended to disallow long- or short-term leases without the explicit approval of the entire Council.

The spending problem is equally troubling. Over MVR 55 million has been spent on greenery and beautification projects, though the Council only approved MVR 4.8 million in 2023 and MVR 5.35 million for 2024. While Mayor Azim’s party once criticised President Mohamed Muizzu for spending millions on planting date palms around Malé during his time as mayor, Azim has continued this pattern.

I recall an Adhadhu News report in which Mayor Azim admitted the Council kept no proper records for the plant store, with millions allegedly spent without clear procedures. I personally sent him a detailed letter warning of fraudulent invoices for trees, but no action has been taken. The plant store continues to operate without oversight and not a single case has been referred to the police or the Anti-Corruption Commission.

A mayor’s duty is to ensure public resources are used efficiently, not to indulge in unnecessary spending on unverified projects. The right to information and transparency seems to be of no importance to Mayor Azim.

Malé is home to 40% of the nation’s population, yet basic municipal services remain unpredictable. For example, no one knows how long it takes to register a child –  whether it’s seven days or thirty. The approval of building drawings may take two months unless you personally know someone inside. If you do, it might be approved in a week. 

There is no service charter, no SOPs, no timeline and no provision standards. Nothing tells citizens what they are entitled to or how long services should take. A city exists to serve its residents but in Malé services are inconsistent, opaque and inequitable. They should not depend on personal networks or gatekeepers.

Meanwhile, there are simple changes that could drastically improve life. The restriction of loading/unloading hours at peak hours, introduced under President Abdbulla Yameen but discontinued in 2018, is a prime example. This measure would significantly ease traffic and demonstrates how the Mayor can re-imagine the arrangements and management of the city and its public spaces. It’s not just about showing up with a broom.

An effective mayor must stand up for the rights and dignity of the people. Citizenship is more than paperwork – it includes the right to public space, to express opinions, to housing, to safety and to equitable access to services.

Consider the right to protest: in Malé, public demonstrations are confined to tiny, designated zones which limits citizens’ ability to freely express their opinions. We’ve also seen police violence and misuse of authority during peaceful protests and yet the city’s leader has remained silent. I don’t care what Adam Azim thinks as a private citizen or political party member - his responsibility is to speak as the mayor of Malé.

Take housing, another critical issue: thousands of residents have been deprived of their rights to affordable housing yet not once has the Mayor formally addressed this issue. Housing is a matter of dignity, equality and citizenship. When thousands were deprived of their rights to an apartment, not one single motion or agenda item was submitted by the Mayor. All housing-related items on the official agenda have been submitted either by me or by council member Mariyam Nazima Faiz.

Fifteen years after the Decentralisation Act was introduced, citizens of Male’ must remember that the law designed a municipal leadership rooted in policy, vision and residents’ well-being, not political maneuvering or cheap photo opportunities. 

The Maldives’ capital city needs real leadership rather than a sarudhaaru interested only in superficial projects, symbolic gestures and maintaining the status quo.

          

Saif Fathih is a columnist at the Maldives Independent and a serving member of the Malé City Council for Galolhu North. With his educational background in communications, international studies and public policy, he previously worked as a journalist, editor and public policy advisor, with roles including senior policy director at the ministry of national planning and editor of Ocean Weekly Magazine. Saif began his career as a radio producer and presenter at Minivan Radio, writer for Minivan Daily, and translator for the British High Commission and the European Union Mission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He is also the host of Ithuru Vaahaka, the Maldives Independent podcast