Nasheed on land seizure bill: ‘Theft of people’s land’

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s chairperson, former president Mohamed Nasheed has voiced serious concern over a legislative bill that would grant the government authority to repossess lands falling within the jurisdiction of local councils to conduct projects, describing the proposed measure as an unlawful and unjust seizure of people’s land.  

The bill was accepted by Parliament with 55 votes in favor and eight against, out of the 63 lawmakers present.

Under the proposed legislation, once the Cabinet decides to remove specific areas from a council’s jurisdiction and the Local Government Authority (LGA) notifies the respective council, those lands would be removed from the council’s ownership and placed under full government control. The bill further requires councils to hand over land needed for government projects to the LGA, while stipulating that councilors must not obstruct state initiatives without a "reasonable cause."

In opposition to the proposed amendments, the MDP held a protest outside the Parliament on Tuesday under the slogan ‘Reject the Looting Bill’. Speaking to journalists at the protest, Nasheed asserted that the bill would facilitate the improper seizure of people’s land. He maintained that the legislation is unacceptable and called for its immediate rejection by Parliament.

"This bill has been proposed without due consideration. The most appropriate course of action is its withdrawal," Nasheed remarked, describing the proposed measure as theft of property belonging to island communities.

He also urged President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu not to ratify the bill should it be passed by Parliament.

During the floor debate, Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir (MDP) raised constitutional concerns, alleging that the government was using an independent member to deliberately dismantle the country’s decentralized governance system. He warned that the proposed changes would effectively strip local councils of their existing powers.

However, Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah (PNC) raised a point of order, clarifying that the bill was not an official government submission and emphasizing that every parliamentarian has the right to propose legislation. Notably, MP Abdul Hannan, who sponsored the bill, had also previously introduced the controversial Media Control Bill.

As opposition to the proposed legislation continues to grow, a public petition calling for its immediate withdrawal has already collected more than 678 signatures.