Motion seeking safety of Maldivians abroad dismissed
Shiyam has filed an emergency motion demanding the safety and security of Maldivians going abroad.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Parliament on Tuesday rejected an emergency motion submitted by the opposition coalition seeking protection of Maldivians living abroad and those travelling abroad.
In Tuesday’s vote to see if the motion moved by Naifaru MP Ahmed Shiyam on behalf of the opposition coalition can be taken up for discussion:
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39 MPs voted to expel the motion
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Six MPs voted to accept the motion
Moving the emergency motion, Shiyam said he was concerned that some foreign countries were taking action against them for their views expressed in the territory of the sovereignty of the country by taking advantage of the freedom of speech and assembly guaranteed by the Constitution.
The failure of the government to take action to ensure the rights and safety of Maldivians is, Shiyam said, a betrayal of the "constitutional and moral responsibility" bestowed on the state by the Constitution.
Shiyam has filed an emergency motion demanding the safety and security of Maldivians going abroad, following the deportation of PPM’s Hulhumale constituency president Abdul Samad (Samadbe) who was taken into Indian immigration custody on Saturday.
Abdul Samad, who arrived in India on Friday, was detained by Indian immigration on Saturday and was detained inside Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru with his family, the opposition said. The party alleged that Samad was arrested because he was the leader of the opposition's 'India Out' movement.
He arrived to Maldives on Monday amid calls from the PPM-PNC coalition to find his whereabouts and ensure his safety and security, saying he had gone missing after being taken into Indian immigration custody.
Shiyam said that if the state does not take any action against the countries that take such action against Maldivians:
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There is a possibility of hatred against that country and its people in the Maldives, and something bad that should not happen in that hate speech may happen
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If a foreign state starts targeting Maldivians for their views expressed within the Maldives, it will deprive Maldivians of the right to use the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and they fear that they will depend on the consent and disapproval of another state
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