Committee approves rule change to allow MPs to attend without ties
The amendment stipulates that members who violate the dress code will face disciplinary action under existing parliamentary rules.
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The General Committee of Parliament on Thursday approved an amendment to the Rules of Procedure allowing members to attend parliamentary sessions without wearing ties and to wear national or traditional attire.
The amendment, proposed by Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla, follows instances where some MDP members began attending sittings without ties. The opposition MPs had earlier stopped wearing ties in protest against the absence of ministers during question sessions.
Under the amendment, the committee decided to formally include a section on dress requirements as Table 5 in the Rules of Procedure, outlining both permitted and prohibited clothing.
The new table defines four categories of acceptable formal attire:
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1-
Suit;
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2-
National or traditional Maldivian dress;
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3-
Shirt, tie, and trousers;
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4-
Formal clothing that aligns with general standards of dress in the Maldives, including long-sleeved shirts without ties and formal shoes.
Items of clothing prohibited for members when attending parliamentary sessions include:
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Transparent or revealing clothing;
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Apparel featuring badges or insignia representing specific groups or causes;
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Clothing bearing obscene words, drawings, or images;
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Jeans;
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Cargo-style trousers with multiple pockets;
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T-shirts or garments made of t-shirt fabric;
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Water shoes, tennis shoes, or jogging shoes.
The amendment stipulates that members who violate the dress code will face disciplinary action under existing parliamentary rules, including potential suspension from sessions or committee meetings.
The same dress code will apply to non-members visiting the Parliament building.
The amendments will take effect once they are ratified by the full House in an upcoming sitting.
