Vice President Faisal Naseem on Thursday reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to decentralised governance, stating that decentralisation is at the core and vanguard of its policies. He made this statement while speaking at a ceremony held by the Local Government Authority (LGA) to give away the Kangathi Awards 2022.
Decentralised governance has been a key priority and pledge of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration. Citing this, the Vice President recalled that one of the first acts of this administration had been handing over previously withheld powers to local councils and facilitating their administration.
The Vice President went on to underscore the unparalleled significance the administration attaches to island and atoll-level development, in addition to empowering women to participate equally in all state and national-level engagements. He said that the number of women serving in ministerial positions and the foreign service is testament to this fact.
Addressing members of local councils and others in community leadership positions, the Vice President urged unity and promoted cooperation in all matters related to national development and highlighted the significance of social harmony in building productive citizens.
At the ceremony, the Vice President officially unveiled the "Council Rankings 2019-2020" and conferred awards on the top-performing island and atoll councils. The Kangathi Awards rank local councils under the Local Council Performance Index.
