Yesterday MPs rejected the resolution presented by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to refer to the Supreme Court on the controversial provinces issue.
35 MPs voted for the resolution while 38 MPs voted against the resolution.
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party Vice President and MP Ali Waheed said that he doubted the accuracy of the resolution, claiming that it was presented “to mislead the people.”
”MP Ahmed Sameer (who presented the resolution) has told so many lies standing near the podium,” Waheed said. ”Maybe he wanted to make a record for the first ever issue taken to the Supreme Court.”
The provinces section was removed from the decentralisation bill on the vote of the DRP, Dhivehi Qaumy Party (DQP), Peoples Alliance (PA), Jumhoory Party and several Independent MPs.
”I never knew that people voted to divide the country into seven provinces,” he said.
Waheed said even if the issue was taken to the Supreme Court, they were also unable to divide the country.
”It can only be done by the vote of 77 MPs,” he said.
Independent MP Ibrahim Muthalib said he was concerned that if the issue was taken to the Supreme Court, it would set a precedent and many decisions would be made by the Supreme Court.
”We are losing our dignity on our own,” he said.
MDP MP Mohamed ‘Colonel’ Nasheed said that the issue was not a constitutional issue, and was rather a political issue.
”Dividing the country into provinces were in both the MDP and DRP manifestos,” Nasheed said. ”To fulfill the pledges of MDP, it’s one path we have to go down.”
He said that it would be more beneficial if there were seven ‘Males’, instead of one.
”What is really going on is that some DRP MPs and vice presidents had told me that if the issue was taken to the Supreme Court, it would rule that it is lawful,” he said. ”They asked me how they will save face in front of the people if that was the case.”
He called on the DRP MPs to take the issue to the Supreme Court if they were confident on the matter.
”If the Supreme Court rules it is unconstitutional we will also be supporting DRP MPs,” he said.
DRP MP Ahmed Mahloof said the purpose of MDP presenting the resolution was to mislead the people.
‘The ‘DRP manifesto do not say it the party will divide the country into provinces,” he said, ”it says it would make four cities like Male’.”
Jumhooree Party MP Gasim ‘Buruma’ Ibrahim said it was not necessary to pass the resolution and take it to the Supreme Court.
”We should take this out of the parliament floor and continue our work making laws,” he said.
DRP MP Ahmed Nihan said that before taking the issue to the Supreme Court people should define the meaning of MDP’s pledges they made to the people.
”They pledged to provide houses for people made homeless by the Tsunami within one year,” he said. ”We should ask them what they meant by ‘one year’ and ‘providing houses’.”
MDP Parliamentary group leader Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik recently said that the MDP parliamentary group would put forward a no-confidence motion against the speaker of the parliament.
However, newspaper ‘Miadhu’ reported that DRP MP Rozaina Adam had claimed there were MDP MPs who would not vote for the no-confidence motion.
Rozaina told Minivan News that she did not wish to speak about the matter.
Reeko said that the parliamentary group would be deciding the matter after the decentralisation bill.
”We do not want to speak about it yet,” he said.
MDP Secretary General Ahmed Shah, Spokesperson Ahmed Haleem and Chairperson Mariya Didi did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
DRP Vice President Umar Naseer said Reeko had promised to draft the no-confidence motion against the speaker not with the intention of doing it, ”but just to charge their activists.”
MDP can only get 27 votes even if the no-confidence motion was forwarded, he said: ”MDP can’t shoot goals in parliament.”
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Very regrettable. A good example of how political conflict can undermine development itself. Sad....
Shows how the opposition is undermining the country's development for their political gains. It is obvious that 7 provinces are more practical than innumerable small atolls where the geographical area and population will be so small that it will not be economically viable to decentralize. Every body knows this, and this shows how selfish some politicians and parliamentarians are!
agree with Baazu, but no plan is good or worth anything unless it is implemented and executed within and with "good governance". One need not do as one saw fit or appropriate in doing so. The government has definitely messed up the whole concept and ideal of the "provincial system" with the appointments made through the 'back door' by bending to the whims of the party activist. Be this an experience to the government in such ambitous future plans and policies. Abide by the norms of "democracy" and not "MOBOCRACY".
Like it or not. democracy or Mobocracy Majority Rules