MDP announces protests, sets out 12 reform demands

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on Tuesday announced plans to hold protests against government policies and called for a set of reforms.

The decision was announced at a press briefing by Interim Chairperson Abdul Ghafoor Moosa. He said the move follows a resolution adopted by the party’s National Executive Committee.

The resolution sets out 12 demands which the party said require immediate action.

The demands include repealing amendments that allow the President to appoint heads of independent institutions and returning that authority to the People’s Majlis. The party also called for changes to State Financial Regulations to address procurement practices and prevent project awards without competitive bidding.

The MDP called for the removal of the provision allowing political parties to remove Members of Parliament from their seats, and for changes to the Decentralisation Act to restore the powers of local councils.

The party also called for faster investigations into cases involving corruption, including political appointments, project awards and land allocation. It requested disclosure of the number of political appointees and related details over the past six months.

Other demands include measures related to the fisheries sector, changes to the Judicial Service Commission, and replacement of the leadership of the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Elections Commission.

The party further called for measures to address inflation, reduce government spending and provide information on the state of the economy.

It also proposed the formation of a committee comprising political parties and civil society organisations to consider constitutional amendments, and called for a halt to projects affecting the environment, along with a review of fishing licences issued without Environmental Impact Assessment reports.

Member of Parliament for Galolhu South Meekail Naseem said the protests would begin to seek action on the demands.

The resolution states that the decision follows the outcome of recent local elections and public opinion, which the party said indicate a loss of confidence in the government.