Parliament amends rules to suspend MPs for conduct violations
The rules for members also adds actions that will no longer be allowed in parliament.
By
Aishath Maha
The Rules of Procedure of Parliament have been amended on Wednesday, to suspend a Member of Parliament from attending a specified number of sessions and committee meetings if they violate the parliament’s code of conduct.
The new rules of procedure were passed by a unanimous vote of 64 members present in the session.
Article 18 of the rules provides for new measures to be taken in case of violation of the Code of Conduct. Breach of disciplinary norms was defined as violation of any law, regulation, or Code of Conduct in the country.
The penalties for violating any of these include:
-
Condemning such an act committed by a MP, writing an official letter to that MP and sending a copy of the letter to other MPs of Parliament
-
The act should be condemned and announced in the Parliament and the MP advised to not repeat it
-
Exclusion from a certain number of sessions and committee meetings
-
Exclusion from official trips and delegations sent by Parliament for a certain period of time
-
If a MP causes damage to the property of the Parliament, the compensation for the damage shall be deducted from the salary of the MP
However, MPs under disciplinary measures may still attend specified sessions or committee meetings to vote on certain issues. The issues are:
-
Impeachment of the President
-
No-confidence motion against a minister
-
Removal of members of independent institutions of the judiciary and persons holding independent positions
-
The issue of approval of the state budget
The Code of Conduct for members also adds actions that are not allowed in a session of parliament. They include:
-
Addressing the Speaker or another MP in anger or with profanity
-
Angrily approaching or touching a member or an employee of Parliament
-
Throwing an object in anger at the Speaker or at a particular MP or at the administrative panel
The rules of the last Parliament do not include measures to be taken if members of Parliament violate the rules. The new rules passed by the 20th parliament will apply from Wednesday onwards.
