President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has said that ministers will not be removed from their positions if disapproved by the opposition-majority parliament during the endorsement process.
The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has argued that parliament will endorse ministers individually and is reported to have a list of members it plans to disprove. The government contents that parliament’s endorsement of ministers is “ceremonial” and should be done wholesale.
Speaking during his weekly radio address, Nasheed said that he believed the consent of the parliament should be given ministers “as a whole, rather than voting individually.”
“Members appointed to the cabinet will remain in office whether the parliament approves or disapproves a member,” said Nasheed.
If the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs felt guilty in taking part in “an unlawful vote”, Nasheed requested them to remain silent in the parliament chamber and not take part.
Nasheed said although there were ministers who did and did not have the consent of the parliament, the DRP’s position was unrealistic.
“Although I desire the parliament’s approval for the cabinet it is not wise to keep the whole country in limbo until a condition that was not prescribed in a law is fulfilled,’’ he added.
Parliament ground to halt several weeks ago over the issue, and has been derailed on points of order.
Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Nihan said the president’s decision would “drop the whole country into chaos.”
“He is disrespecting the constitution,’’ said Nihan, “even though he is the person who should be the most responsible for upholding the constitution.’’
Referring to the president’s position on the issue, Nihan suggested that “tomorrow a citizen might go in front of the president’s office claiming to be the president ‘because the constitution does not clearly state the details of who shall be president.'”
“If these things continue to go this way, one day the citizens may enter the president’s office and throw out the cabinet ministers themselves,” he warned. “I call on the president to respect and uphold the constitution.”
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Congratulations Minivan News your prayers have been answered.. Maldives has become the most kiberal state by appointing a porn star as a minister.. I wonder why this story is not in your headlines as u have successfully been reporting all the gay sex and sick reports of Maldives... Congratulation to adult Salem and minivannews...
Oh dear! Please, everyone respect the rule of law in the country.
Let me start by having a good laugh first.
Now the point is.
We elected the President Mohamed Nasheed, and these Majlis Members are saying it is, it’s the parliament who has to choose a Cabinet for his Excellency Mohamed Nasheed to work with, to full fill his parties promises.
And I am going to laugh some more, people, this is the kind of cabinet parliament will approve.
My dear Mr. President. If they have their way this is going to be your new cabinet.
1.Umar Naseer – Defence Minister.
2.Yamin – Minister Drug Enforcement and Thuggery.
3.Mahloom – Gender Minister.
4.Roxaina – Tourism.
5.Nihan – Silsilaa Muzaa Hira Minister.
6.Alhan – Youth. Haha.
7.Ali Waheed – Religion.
And I am still laughing,
Good luck my Dear President, Mohamed Nasheed.
MPs who think their word no matter no reason, is the word of The People; and judges who think their word however ridiculous is The Law even when uttered from a Sultan Park bench; and Ministers who preach as if they were on God TV...
now that's a modern Demockracy!
The Supreme Court ruling clearly means that the endorsement of Ministers is a ceremonial issue.
If Speaker Ablo Shahid allows the Majilis to disapprove the ministers he is the one who is leading the unconstitutional step that the DRP is hell bent on taking.
As far as I am concerned I do not give a hoot either way because any stupid idiot would know that you do not get your neighbor to decide who you get your work to get done by.
Mr President you are day by day moving away from democtratic principles. I will not be surprised if you resolve the parliamnet in your next move.
President Nasheed is absolutely wrong on this one. A cabinet minister doesn't have a portfolio until Parliament approves his appointment. Until then, he has just passed one stage of the appointment process. He doesn't have a job nor should he get paid by the State until he's approved.
Whether this is a good/fair system or not is another matter. As the Attorney General pointed out, this is very different to how the system works in America which is the closest democracy to ours in terms of the model. In America, it's the Congress who have to approve first and not the President.
Until the Constitution is amended, President Nasheed has to respect it, or else he's acting unlawfully.
The Attorney General is also making a serious mistake by siding with the President (or the President is siding with the Attorney General).
It's not true to say that a Cabinet Minister still can remain in his job until Parliament casts a vote of no confidence. There aren't any Cabinet Ministers that are lawfully appointed at the moment, since none of them have passed the second stage of their appointment, i.e. Parliament approval.
Until, they pass through the two stages, they don't have a job! If they don't have a job, they cannot be removed from one and they shouldn't be paid any salaries either.
So, what we have now is a freelance Cabinet!
Guys, let the country run first! Maldivian politicians are showing ignorance and playing like kids when all other countries across the globe is addressing with economic issues. Guys, don't you understand the real what a country stands for and what needs to be done as a country?
Anyway - the President has 3 years left until we can appoint a new parliament. Here's what he should do:
a) Send names for approval
b) Parliament will disapprove of someone
c) Appoint that person as an advisor / state minister / Special Envoy / Secretary - just don't call it a cabinet
d) Appoint no Cabinet Minister to that post
e) Run the country
But of course the thing you DRP muppets don't realise is that you are walking straight into the President's trap. Spend another 4-5 months debating this issue while the Government just keeps on doing their job as normal. I
n 3 years time - Parliament (under control of DRP) would have achieved nothing but try to stop the President deliver something good to the people - and he will go ahead and do it (look how he has not stopped government spending despite what the IMF has said). So come election time - you won't need Paul the Octopus to tell you the score - you will just lose.
President Nshedd, please don't make mockery on our constitution and fool us. Just say it you don't want see constitution and carry out your so called democracy. Now all what you say and do, does not make any sense or sanity for us common folks.The way you say thing seems majority of us even don't understand whats written in common Dhivehi language.
Nasheed has been violating the constituency repeatedly .. This wrong, we elected him for a positive change, but Im so sad that he's walking backwards.. My good advice for him is to respect the constituency and the laws passed from the parliament..
@Ziley Bee
I think before you laugh you need to have enough knowledge about how presidential systems are structured and enforced across democracies. Although Executive, Parliament and Judiciary are three distinct powers that represent a state, each one has a key responsibility to maintain the "check and balance" of one another. And this is how it is even done in the United States, which is the epitome of presidential system.
What we've seen in Maldives in these days is an executive which lacks capacity to make compromise and make mutual agreements. The demands of the opposition alliance do have logical reasons why they are opposing the government initiatives. Firstly, because the privatisation is implementing wrongly without any emphasis to the local businessmen and Maldivians have to pay a very high price due to these feeble deals. Secondly, the people lives are getting harder day by day, the costs of food and utility is soaring and their still remains the broken promises of the current incumbent MDP government. Thirdly, there are many corrupt MDP activists who have been appointed to senior posts which they are exploiting the very authority they are entitled and they are mistreating citizens of opposition with apparent impunity. And finally and most importantly, the opposition does not want to evolve any more despotism within Maldives after so many efforts of Maldivians, which MDP claims that is only them that has brought democracy to the Maldives.
A dictator in the making!
It takes lot of courage for a leader to stand against his people...
I hope Mr.Nasheed (Anni) understands.. He still have 03+05 more years to go...
Nasheed’s Cabinet is becoming the joke of the millennium.
*A convicted terrorist of November 3rd as minister of MNDF
*A dentist in Fisheries Minister
*Trade minister cannot talk
*Islamic Ministry belongs to an Islamic extremist group
*Municipalty president controls all the notorious gangs in Male
*Latest addition the porn star as tourism minister
@Relaxed. Where and how did you get that interpretation?
Are you juhas(press secretary)advisor?
I don't care who does annis or your housework. I don't care who sleeps with you or anni. And please, I beg you not to compare that with Maldivian constitution and laws.
Maldivian government is not the presidents or yours private life/ property.
Celebrant comments.
Octopus Paul unfortunately died two weeks ago.
I wonder when was this requiring majlis approval was auctioned. I am sure it is there since last government.
I don't know why they are holding this still not giving approval. In my openion it is not important. Its President's Nasheed's cabinet not oposition party's cabinet who has majority voting power in the majis.
Approval of Ministers is not a ceremonial thing any where in the world, this is a joke now. Everything President Nasheed wants to make either sarcastic or ceremonial. He is never sincere in anything, he always want polarize the issues.The economics and social fabric of the country has been destroyed deliberately by some people. Yet no politicians seems to work for the country, what a selfish crooks we have elected for these public offices.
i wonder why the mighty presidents words are not been obeyed by the MDP parliamentarians. Now the ministers are running their office without the approval of Parliament. Yesterday the his mighty says that the councilors will stay in office during the voting. What i knows about democracy is it will be run as per the majority's will. if you are so democratic why Mr dhonbe is afraid to go for a vote. Face the challenge, or hide under dhotha 'kandiki'
Mr. Nasheer, please "hiy thiri kurey". Even all the independent muassasa's are going against your "philosophies". Civil Service and Election Commission are supporting each other. Please stop issuing statements and obey the law of the land. Get your parliament members obey your ideas and let parliament vote to approve ministers. Please control your own members and show your leadership. This is so unlike you. I beg you.