Light bulbs and bureaucracy: three Addu islands vote on breaking away

“The silliest part is that a lower ranking employee there approves this request,” the Hulhudhoo local claimed ahead of Saturday’s referendum on creating separate island councils or remaining under the unified city council.

Mayor Ali Nizar categorically denied this claim. “Due process is followed,” he said. Directors of all ward offices can approve purchase orders.

But for Moosa and other residents of Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo and Feydhoo, the light bulb story – disputed or not – captures the bureaucratic frustration driving the historic vote: should Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo and Feydhoo gain administrative autonomy, or does unity provide greater strength?

Addu is no stranger to questions of autonomy. With a tumultuous history that includes the short-lived breakaway Suvadive Republic and the disputed ascension to city status in 2011, the southernmost atoll once again finds itself at a crossroads.

"The people of this island don't hold the power to decide on matters related to the island. […] The second issue is, we don't have financial independence," Moosa explained his stance to the Maldives Independent.

Ghufran*, seated beside him, agreed on the "basic issues" facing voters in Saturday's referendum. 

Hulhudhoo's council member only takes up matters he deems important and the island lacks any authority on the 13-member Addu City Council, Moosa contended.  

The islands or ward districts of Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, Maradhoo and Maradhoo Feydhoo are each represented by one councillor. Feydhoo has two councillors and Hithadhoo has six, reflecting the larger population of the atoll capital and granting it a voting majority when Mayor Nizar – who is also from Hithadhoo – casts the tie-breaking vote. 

"When an island council is formed and the council gets a [bank] account, government-issued block grants get credited to these accounts," Moosa continued, stressing that financial autonomy would allow a Hulhudhoo council to utilise its own funds.

Hussain Faiz Rahman, the council member for Hulhudhoo, was unavailable for comment. But his Facebook posts suggest opposition to dismantling the city council.

Eligible voters from Meedhoo and Feydhoo echoed Moosa's sentiments about representation, financial autonomy and service delays. 

According to Aminath* from Meedhoo, urgent letters from the ward office are required to go through to the city council as memos and be signed off by the mayor.

Mayor Nizar, however, dismissed this claim as well. Letter requests mostly get fulfilled within minutes and would not exceed a 24-hour waiting period, he said.

Aminath also accused the city council of making decisions that affect islands without the knowledge of the respective members. Similar to Hulhudhoo, her reservations about the city council model extended to restrictions in budget utilisation. She described the overall experience under a city council as "neglectful".

Raheema* from Meedhoo supported breaking away over what she described as unfair treatment towards Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo. "No matter how much they deny preferential treatment, many requests from these two wards get parked," she said.

She took the example of a proposed bikini beach in Meedhoo for tourists. The proposal was denied because such beaches were not designated in other wards of Addu, she alleged.

Across the reef in Feydhoo, Councillor Mohamed Faisal – who supports creating an independent island council – said the city council model entails excessive bureaucracy and project delays. "A lot of begging is required" when it comes to the funds allocated for Feydhoo, he said.

According to Moosa, a Hulhudhoo island council could receive an annual block grant of at least MVR 18 million (US$ 1.1 million), far higher than the current MVR 10.3 million to MVR 10.5 million he claims the city council allocates for the island.

Speaking in Laamu Gan on Monday, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced that Hulhudhoo's grant would stand at roughly MVR 13 million or 14 million. Meedhoo and Feydhoo would be allocated MVR 18 million and MVR 25 million, respectively, he said.

Those who advocate breaking away say this grant together with revenues generated from their respective islands would enable more efficient administration of municipal affairs.

But in a recent interview with Adhadhu, Nizar took Feydhoo's example to explain why this may not be the case. According to the mayor, Feydhoo's island council would require nearly triple the existing manpower, increasing the overhead costs to about MVR 22 million, including expenses related to the island's upkeep. This figure excludes the 15 percent allocated for the council reserve and Women's Development Committee, he said, stressing that the island's current revenue is MVR 1.5 million.

"Who would want to switch to a bokkuraa [small paddle boat] while travelling on a ship?" was Didi's* response when asked about the proposed separation. "There is strength in unity," he told the Maldives Independent from Feydhoo. 

The "political" move was a device to "diminish the unified voices" of Addu when politicians visit the city without fulfilling their pledges, he said.

Ibrahim* meanwhile reflected on the results of Addu's previous secession. "We got separated for whatever reason. There is still a scar related to that," he said from a Feydhoo resident's perspective. 

"I feel like the reasons given for going with an island council are not solid enough. I don't believe, leaving the city council is the solution. Plus, with the budget figures shared from both sides are alarming. We need to see a clear way forward to generate revenue and be self-sustaining, if we are to go solo."

Gasim* from Meedhoo said there are too many drawbacks to being an individual island council. The city council has not denied anything his councillor had taken up, he said. If matters have gone unaddressed, it shows the "incompetency" of those elected, he added.

In a Facebook post, Hulhudhoo Councillor Faiz advised his constituents that they "need to understand the financial implications of an island council," adding that the "numbers are alarming."

"As the sitting council member, I believe I have a responsibility to make the people aware of what we are going to face. At the end of the day, it will be the people who decide. No matter the result of the referendum, we will honour the people's decision," Faiz said.

The binary options on the ballot in Saturday's referendum are either splitting or staying with the Addu City Council.

But both the pro- and anti-breakaway camps say there is a third option that would be far more reasonable.

Raheema, Gasim, Ibrahim, Councillor Faiz and Mayor Nizar all believe this to be the perfect compromise: amendments to decentralisation and public finance laws that would grant financial independence to individual islands while remaining within the city council structure.

The referendum is "simply not necessary" when a legal remedy is possible, said Gasim. Raheema, who supports the breakaway, concurred: "It did not have to come to this political strife. The president and parliament have the authority to bring the necessary changes within a few hours." 

It is unfortunate that the failure to address the grievances of the smaller islands has come to a divisive vote, she added.

Mayor Nizar denounced the referendum as a plot to "divide and rule" Addu in order to diminish its collective bargaining power.

Polls open on Saturday morning across Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo and Feydhoo. The outcome will determine whether Addu remains unified or splits along old fault lines. The rest of the city – which has no vote – awaits the result.