Speaker of the Parliament and opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Abdulla Shahid cancelled all sessions of parliament this week, after this morning’s session collapsed on points of order.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson and MP Mariya Ahmed Didi said that parliament sessions had ceased since the Supreme Court issued an injunction on parliament’s endorsement of cabinet ministers last week, and accused the opposition of obstructing the parliament from debating any other matter.
“The Speaker and Deputy Speaker have tried really hard to put other items on the agenda,” she said, “but the DRP is not allowing it.”
“It’s very irresponsible, they can’t hijack an entire institution. There are so many things to be done,” Mariya said.
Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said that the Supreme Court’s injunction related “only to Majlis deliberations on the question of cabinet confirmation.”
“Parliament is best suited to determine the course of it’s [own] calendar.”
The DRP has meanwhile called the government’s filing a case in the Supreme Court as a “delaying tactic”.
MP Ahmed Mahlouf said during the party’s protests last week that it had been three months since the reappointment of Nasheed’s ministers following their dramatic mass resignation and “we want to hasten the process of approving the ministers and are pressuring the government to be faster. We do not believe these ministers are acting legally.”
The opposition favours individually approving ministers, while the government wants a ‘block’ endorsement.
Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed described these as ‘retail’ and ‘wholesale’ interpretations of the procedure. This, he said, represented a far greater divide than the current Supreme Court case over 171(i) of parliament’s rules of procedure.
“I think they are two different matters. 171(i) is the clause the government claims is unconstitutional, a clause which tasks ministers to appear before committee and answer questions regarding their sector [under oath],” Nasheed said.
“Parliament can freeze that issue until it is decided in the Supreme Court, and even while this matter is in court other business can continue. But the DRP’s argument is that matters cannot be debated without ministers present – and approved. Not a response to the Supreme Court’s injunction per se, rather they feel the government has filed the matter in the Supreme Court as a delaying tactic.”
The Supreme court today granted minority opposition party People’s Alliance (PA), headed by the former President’s brother in law Abdulla Yameen, access to the proceedings.
The political divide, he said, “is a far greater problem that will not be solved by a court decision.”
“The government, backed by MDP, want a block vote. DRP wants to dismiss six ministers. Those are the two extremes. 171(i) is minor.”
Unlike the recent deadlock over the interim period and the appointment of a Supreme Court, that was ultimately resolved by the two parties holding peace talks outside the chamber, Nasheed said the position was so polarised and both parties had so far to fall that it was unlikely any compromise would be easily negotiated.
“Parliament is now deadlocked. The main parties control 65 of the 77 seats. Even one person standing can disrupt the chamber,” he said.
The current situation is symptomatic of the heavily partisan politics in the Maldives. Nasheed’s ministers briefly resigned in the middle of this year claiming that the opposition-majority parliament was obstructing them from performing their constitutional duties. The former ministers then led several rallies, while the police investigated several MPs for corruption and treason over vote-buying allegations.
The symbolic stunt brought international attention to the political deadlock between the executive and the legislature, and led to a number of appeals for the President to respect the law and ‘play by the rules’. At the same time, plunging public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary or its oversight body, the Judicial Services Commission, meant the executive had no third arm of government in which to resolve its disagreement. Less than two weeks later, all ministers were reappointed.
Parliament’s endorsement of the ‘resigned’ cabinet now appears to be the price the executive is paying for increasing the political heat in June. Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair has said that endorsing ministers individually would effectively amount to a series of no-confidence motions – theoretically, a “retail” interpretation of the procedure would allow the DRP to use its majority to dismiss cabinet in its entirety, except for Nasheed and the Vice President Mohamed Waheed.
The cross-party cooperation that finally achieved the appointment of a Supreme Court on conclusion of the constitution’s interim period suggested collaboration was not impossible, and drew widespread praise – even if much of the debate took place in secret peace talks outside the chamber.
Yesterday, UN Resident Coordinator Andrew Cox described many of the issues created by the spat between the executive and the legislature as “avoidable”, observing that political parties in the Maldives “have opposed each other and blocked key legislation as a matter of principle, even if there is no substantive disagreement.”
The UN and the international community, had, he said, “watched with concern as short term political interests have threatened to put the nation’s long-term interests at risk.”
Today, MP Nasheed noted that despite a great many bills remaining to be passed, five of parliament’s functions were now on hold with seemingly little chance of resuming until either side capitulated.
“Ultimately it is the country that is suffering,” he said.
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