Parliament reconstitutes committees; MDP concedes oversight committees
The third term began with the withdrawal of the no-confidence motion raised against Speaker and Deputy Speaker of parliament.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
The ruling MDP, which has a majority in the parliament, will not be able to chair the committees that hold the government accountable, after the parliamentary standing committees were reconstituted on Wednesday after a long delay.
The parliament was in a deadlock when its second term of the year ended in June and went into recess:
-
The committees had to be reconstituted following the change in the composition of political parties in parliament after the defection of 12 MDP members who belonged to the faction of Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed
-
The parties could not agree on the composition of the committees, and the committees were not formed even at the end of the second term
-
The committees were formed at an extraordinary sitting during recess, but some members changed parties during the recess; when the third term began in mid-August, the committees had to be reconstituted again
-
The parties could not reach an agreement because the MDP did not want to give up the chairmanship of the government oversight committees
The third term began with the withdrawal of a no-confidence motion against speaker Nasheed and Deputy-Speaker Eva Abdulla.
The vote in Wednesday's sitting approved the formation of standing committees as follows:
-
The MDP will not chair the finance committee and the government oversight committee; the motion was moved by The Democrats MP Hassan Afeef
-
Afeef's motion passed with 19 votes; nine members voted against the motion
-
Therefore, existing finance committee chair Kinbidhoo MP Mohamed Nashiz and the government accountability committee chair, Kulhudhuffushi North MP Yasir Abdul Latheef -- both from MDP -- will lose their chairmanship
-
The parliament approved the formation of standing committees with the support of 16 MPs present
New composition
General Committee
-
MDP - 5
-
The Democrats - 2
-
Independent - 1
Petition Committee
-
MDP - 6
-
The Democrats - 2
Privilege and Ethics Committee
-
MDP - 8
-
The Democrats, PNC, MDA and JP - 1 from each
Environment Committee
-
MDP - 7
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM and JP - one from each party
SOE Committee
-
MDP - 8
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM, PNC and MNP - one member from each party
Finance Committee
-
MDP - 9
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM, PNC, MNP and MDA - one member from each party
Human Rights and Gender Committee
-
MDP - 7
-
The Democrats - 2
-
MNP - 1
Government Accountability Committee
-
MDP - 7
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM, PNC and MNP - one member from each party
Committee on Independent Institutions
-
MDP - 8
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM and MNP - one member from each party
Social Committee
-
MDP - 6
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM - 1
Regulations Committee
-
MDP - 7
-
The Democrats - 2
-
PPM and MDA - one member from each party
Economic Committee
-
MDP - 8
-
The Democrats, PPM, PNC, MDA and JP - one member from each party
National Development and Heritage Committee
-
MDP - 6
-
The Democrats - 2
Committee on Foreign Relations
-
MDP - 8
-
The Democrats, PPM, PNC, MNP - one member from each party
-
Independent - 1
Decentralization Committee
-
MDP - 7
-
The Democrats and PPM - one member from each party
-
Independent - 1
Judiciary Committee
-
MDP - 7
-
The Democrats, PPM and JP - one member from each party
