Minister Muthalib limits communication with Male’ City Council to writing

Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Dr. Abdulla Muththalib has decided that all official communication with the Male' City Council will be conducted exclusively through written correspondence from hereon.

The decision follows an incident on Sunday, during which Male' City Mayor Adam Azim, accompanied by city councillors, visited the Ministry’s headquarters at Dharubaaruge. The Mayor stated that repeated attempts to secure a meeting with Minister Muththalib over the past two years to discuss several pressing issues affecting the capital had been unsuccessful. At the time, the Ministry attributed the delay to the Minister’s busy schedule and indicated that a meeting would be arranged within the week.

However, during a Male' City Council meeting held on Wednesday, Mayor Azim revealed a letter has been received from the Minister indicating his unwillingness to meet in person. In the letter, Minister Muththalib accused the Mayor of misrepresenting the nature of their previous verbal interactions on various platforms. The Minister also alleged a lack of cooperation from Mayor Azim regarding matters discussed during past meetings related to the development of Male' and government-led projects.

As a result, the Minister stated in his letter that he considers it to be in the best interest of both parties for all future communications to be conducted in writing. He requested that the Mayor and the Male' City Council submit any questions, concerns, or requests through formal written correspondence.

Mayor Azim strongly rejected the allegations outlined in the letter, maintaining that he has never held a formal meeting with Minister Muththalib. He further stated that there has been no verbal or telephone communication between them.

"I urge the Minister at this moment not to mislead the public or provide false information. Such actions are humiliating the entire government," Mayor Azim stated.

The Mayor also noted that despite submitting numerous matters to the Ministry in writing, the council has yet to receive a single response.

Notably, North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudu) has also alleged that the Minister had failed to provide written responses to several questions he had submitted.