MDP proposes constitutional amendments to cap parliament seats
Under the current Constitution, every 5,000 people is an administrative division.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's re-election manifesto has proposed to amend the constitution to ensure that the number of members of parliament does not increase.
President Solih launched the fourth part of the manifesto made by MDP and its allies for a second term at B. Dharavandhoo on Tuesday evening.
The Strengthening Governance and Accountability section of the manifesto’s good governance policy promises to end the current increase in the number of members of parliament every five years.
“The constitution will be amended to make necessary changes to the composition of the parliament and to change the number of members every five years,” the manifesto read.
Under constitution, every 5,000 people is an administrative division. Therefore, as the population increases, the number of MPs increases after each parliamentary election.
Change in membership:
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17th parliament - 77 members
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18th parliament - 85 members
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19th parliament - 87 members
The president's manifesto also includes additional changes to strengthen governance and accountability. Some of these are:
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Expand the range of services available through One-Gov and make services provided by all government agencies available to the public through this online portal
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Legislative reforms to the civil service model to transform the civil service into an efficient system that enables rapid implementation of government policies
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Establish a modern framework to eliminate the gaps in the operation of the state institutions and enable the institutions to operate with operational independence
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The Employment Act will be transformed into a flexible basis that fully protects the rights of workers and employers, incorporating improvements in management systems
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Amendment of relevant laws to provide for flexible and remote working in public agencies without normal attendance due to the nature of work and special circumstances
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Establish equal pay standards of the state's wage equalization policy and make necessary improvements in wages
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Since the last 10 days of Ramadan are the time when many people are engaged in night worship and to facilitate prayer, government employees should work from home during these days
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Identify independent agencies that overlap in jurisdiction or perform the same functions, review their jurisdiction and make necessary changes to their functioning in a manner that will achieve their objective
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Establish a system to assess the quality of services provided by public agencies including citizen participation
