MDP accuses govt of restricting opposition's role in parliament

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has accused the government of increasingly restricting its ability to raise public concerns and hold the administration accountable through Parliament.

Speaking at a press conference outside the People's Majlis on Wednesday, members of the MDP parliamentary group alleged that the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) was using its parliamentary majority to obstruct opposition efforts to scrutinise government decisions.

The MPs expressed concern over amendments to parliamentary rules, the rejection of resolutions submitted by opposition members and restrictions on speaking time during parliamentary sittings.

Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir said recent amendments to the parliamentary standing orders had removed opportunities for MPs to debate resolutions, while subsequent resolutions submitted by the opposition were being rejected.

MDP parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Nazil also accused the government of introducing changes to parliamentary rules and legislation to prevent opposition MPs from carrying out their responsibilities as elected representatives.

"Through amendments to parliamentary rules and laws, the government has continued to obstruct our work as representatives of the people. We now have very limited opportunities in Parliament to carry out the work the public expects of us," Nazil said.

The opposition MPs alleged that the changes were intended to prevent parliamentary scrutiny of the government's Ras Malé development project, which has been the subject of public concern.

Nazil said the MDP would continue pursuing the matter despite the procedural restrictions.

He said the party had submitted a resolution to Parliament the previous Wednesday calling for a public referendum on the project, following a recent parliamentary decision concerning the holding of referendums.

Nazil maintained that the resolution was distinct from those affected by the recent changes to parliamentary procedures.

"We are confident that the recent amendment concerning the submission of resolutions and the resolution we have submitted are two different matters. There should be no doubt that this resolution must proceed in Parliament," he said.

Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad said the changes to parliamentary procedures had progressively reduced the opposition's ability to raise issues during sittings.

He alleged that the PNC had first obstructed the submission of urgent matters by arguing that the issues raised could not be established as ongoing.

When the opposition subsequently attempted to raise concerns through parliamentary resolutions, the rules were amended to restrict that avenue as well, he said.

Ziyad claimed that resolutions submitted by the MDP after the amendments were being rejected without consideration.

He also criticised the amount of speaking time allocated to opposition MPs during Wednesday's sitting.

According to Ziyad, the MDP was given a total of nine minutes to speak, which had to be divided among its 13 parliamentary group members.

"Nine minutes divided among 13 members does not even give each member one minute," he said.

Ziyad, who is serving his second term in Parliament, also questioned the duration of parliamentary sittings under the current administration.

He said sittings previously continued until around 11am when resolutions or other matters required further consideration, but were now frequently concluding earlier.

"I have not seen Parliament conclude before 11am until now. If Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed had not spoken for an hour today, the sitting would have ended by 9am. That is the situation in Parliament," he said.

Ziyad argued that the opposition's remaining avenue for raising public concerns and seeking government accountability was to pursue a referendum, which the party was attempting to secure.

Maradhoo MP Ahmed Didi said opposition members had a responsibility to represent public concerns and hold the government accountable.

He argued that restricting the parliamentary minority's ability to bring matters before the legislature also reduced opportunities for the public to learn about government decisions.

"The changes to the procedure for submitting resolutions have significantly restricted the opportunities available to the minority in Parliament. It could even be said that those opportunities no longer exist," Ahmed Didi said.

He added that the opposition could not accept the restrictions.

The MDP parliamentary group maintained that it would continue efforts to raise concerns over the Ras Malé project and seek parliamentary consideration of its proposed referendum.