Parliament approves rule change allowing multiple petitions on same issue

The People's Majlis has approved an amendment to its Standing Orders allowing multiple petitions on the same issue, a change that comes amid competing petitions over a proposed amendment to the Decentralisation Act.

The amendment was approved on Tuesday with 56 members voting in favour and seven voting against.

The proposed Decentralisation Act amendment was submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Hannan Aboobakr. The bill seeks to grant the government greater authority to acquire land and property under the jurisdiction of local councils for government projects.

The legislation was forwarded to committee last week with the support of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC).

In response to the bill, a public petition calling for its rejection was submitted to parliament approximately two weeks ago. The petition has since attracted more than 2,300 signatures.

Supporters of the bill later launched a separate petition calling for the legislation to be passed. Signature collection for the petition was promoted through PNC-linked social media groups, leading some critics to describe it as a government-backed initiative.

Under the Standing Orders previously in force, parliament could not accept a second petition on a matter already covered by another active petition.

To remove that restriction, Funadhoo MP Mohamed Mamdhooh submitted a proposal on behalf of the PNC to amend the rules governing petitions.

The amendment removed a clause in Article 257-1 of the Standing Orders which stated that a petition could not seek an action or measure already requested in another petition currently under consideration by parliament.

The proposal was referred to the General Purpose Committee during Monday's parliamentary sitting.

According to proceedings from the committee meeting, members approved the amendment and forwarded it to parliament. The meeting lasted approximately five minutes.

The committee report was subsequently presented to the Majlis for consideration.

During Tuesday's vote, the amendment received the support of 56 members.

Seven members voted against the proposal, including members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and independent Addu Meedhoo MP Abdul Rahman.

Speaking before the vote, PNC Parliamentary Group Leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah said the amendment was intended to facilitate broader public participation in the petition process.

According to Falah, the purpose of the change was to ensure parliament could receive public views and consultation from a wider range of individuals and groups.

The amendment took effect following parliamentary approval, removing the previous restriction on multiple petitions relating to the same issue.

The change means the petition supporting the Decentralisation Act amendment can now proceed despite the existence of an earlier petition calling for the bill's rejection.