Tag: MDP

Opposition’s vote to increase city councillors economic sabotage, claims government

The government has hit out at opposition parliamentarians it alleges have actively sought to sabotage its attempts to reduce the state budget by voting for amendments that will double the number of city councillors currently serving in the country.

The criticisms were made after amendments to the country’s Decentralisation Act were passed yesterday in the Majlis, doubling the number of people elected to each city council.  The amendments have served to create eleven additional seats on Male’ City Council, which will increase to 22 representatives, while Addu City Council will have 12 elected councillors as a result.

Opposition politicians claim that the amendments have been made to try and bring more equity to the representation of city council members when compared to their island and atoll counterparts also appointed during the country’s first local council elections in February.

According to Haveeru, the amendments forwarded by South Hithadhoo MP Hassan Latheef were passed by 36 votes in favour, while 33 votes went against the bill – reportedly mainly from Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members loyal to the government.

Back in February’s local council elections, where one councillor was appointed to each city constituency, results showed that the MDP had taken the majority of city seats despite losing out on an overall seat majority to the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) who claimed significantly more island and atoll councils.

Considering this vote, Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair told Minivan News today that aside from capitalising on the availability of the additional city council seats in the country, he believed opposition parties favoured the bill in order to sabotage cost cutting measures.

“From the outset [of the decentralisation process], the government has been of the position that the total number of councillors should be kept down as much as possible,” he said. “We at the beginning suggested that the total number of councillors should be no more than 220, yet opposition parties like the DRP wanted more.”

According to Zuhair, as part of its pledge to limit numbers, the government established seven national offices in an attempt to coordinate national developments within a decentralised Maldives and support the efforts of those elected to oversee projects in their constituencies.

Although Zuhair did not object to the councillors themselves, he claimed continued increases in their numbers represented a significant budgetary issue, particularly after parliament had agreed upon the final number of representatives before February’s elections.

“The government is actively working to reduce civil service wages as it is being constantly asked by groups such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We have offered to pay people to leave their jobs, yet all this is being undone,” Zuhair claimed. “The DRP hopes to capitilise on the formation of eleven more seats from city councils, where it is not really represented [after losing the city seats in the local council election].”

DRP Spokesperson Ibrahim ‘Mavota’ Shareef rejected Zuhair’s allegations, claiming opposition support for the amendments to the number of city councillors was to make “a fairer and more equitable system” in comparison to the number of elected members on island councils. Shareef added that the vote did not necessarily represent an attempt to set back budgetary reform.

“The addition of these councilors will not be a strain on the [state] budget. The president has himself clearly stated that he has no intention to reduce the civil service bill, rather he will try to generate income through taxes,” he said. “The possible expansion of the state budget is a concern. But we do not believe the government has sufficient plans to reduce it.”

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MDP sets afternoon deadline for parliamentary group leader applications

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has set a deadline of this afternoon for accepting applications for the role of its parliamentary group leader.

According to Haveeru, the party has given potential candidates until 2.30pm today to register their interest in the role ahead of an election scheduled for Wednesday.

The MDP’s previous Parliamentary Group Leader, ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, resigned from his post after being selected as the party’s acting chairperson for a year during its 91st national council meeting held at Bandos Island Resort over the weekend.

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No issues inside MDP leadership, says Dr Didi

Ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Leader Dr Ibrahim Didi has dismissed speculation that there were internal issues within the party, following a decision by the the party’s national council to appoint ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik as the acting Chairperson for one year.

Local media reported that Dr Didi had expressed concern that the appointment was inconsistent with the party’s charter.

The MDP’s website today quoted Dr Didi as saying that having different thoughts on a subject was not an issue, and it had been the MDP that introduced freedom of expression to the Maldives.

‘’The MDP is a party that knows how to tolerate different opinions and a party that knows how to work together even with different opinions,’’ Dr Didi said. ‘’We are in the spirit to work together, hopefully we will solve any problems we face.’’

He also thanked Moosa for accepting the position of acting Chairperson.

Speaking to different media outlets Dr Didi said that the party’s charter stated that if the post of chairperson becomes vacant, the post will temporarily be handed over to deputy chairperson.

He also told the media that he would seek legal advice over the matter and that it was questionable whether the national council could make such a decision when the charter stated otherwise.

‘’There are no issues between me and Dr Didi, the National Council and me or the National Council between Dr Didi,’’ said MDP acting Chairperson and former Parliamentary Group’s Leader and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

Moosa said that as the MDP was a democratic party its members were free to express their own opinions, and offered assurances that the MDP would never become factionalised.

The MDP was not a party that focused around one single person, he added.

The MDP has meanwhile announced interested candidates to send letters to the party’s secretariat, following the resignation of Moosa from his former post as Parliamentary Group Leader.

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MDP National Council appoints ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik as acting chairperson

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has appointed the party’s Parliamentary Group leader MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik as the party’s acting chairperson for a year, replacing Mariya Ahhmed Didi.

Mariya had previously resigned from the role in anticipation of being appointed Parliament’s representative on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), however she was last week beaten to the post by Jumhoree Party (JP) leader and local business tycoon, Gasim Ibrahim.

The MDP said that 97 out of 99 council members present voted in favor of appointing Moosa as the acting chairperson, during the party’s 91st national council meeting held at Bandos Island Resort.

The council meeting started yesterday and was initially chaired by the party’s newly-elected Deputy Leader and MP Alhan Fahmy, until the decision to appoint Moosa as the acting Chairperson was made.

Following the decision of the national council, Moosa announced his resignation from his position as the leader of the parliamentary group.

The MDP council discussed the payment of a salary for the party’s deputy chairperson, but resolved not to pay any person at an elected post.

Full details of the national council meeting were not provided and no media outlet was invited to attend the meeting.

Deputy Leader of MDP and MP Alhan Fahmy told Minivan News that the national council meeting “concluded successfully”.

‘’All went accordingly to the party’s charter and rules,’’ Alhan said. ‘’There are no internal issues within the party or the leadership regarding any decisions made.’’

Local media have reported that MDP leader, former fisheries minister Dr Ibrahim Didi, was unhappy with the decision made by the national council to appoint Moosa as the acting Chairperson for one year.

Online newspaper Sun Online reported Didi as claiming that the decision violated the party’s charter and regulations and that he would seek legal advice to clarify whether it was possible.

Alhan however said that he has no information about the remarks made by Dr Didi, and MDP Parliamentary Group’s Media Coordinator MP Mohamed Shifaz did not respond to Minivan News.

President Mohamed Nasheed also attended the national council meeting.

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MDP files no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker of the Parliament

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs have filed a no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker of Parliament and People’s Alliance (PA) MP, Ahmed Nazim.

MDP Parliamentary Group’s Spokesperson MP Mohamed Shifaz confirmed that MDP had filed the motion today.

‘’We have finished all the documentation work and today we handed it to the parliament,’’ said Shifaz.

Shifaz said the party there were many issues with Deputy Speaker Nazim.

‘’First of all, he has many legal cases filed against him in the courts, and there are many issues regarding his integrity,’’ Shifaz said. ‘’Most of the MPs believe that he has to be dismissed. If that happens, it will benefit the work the government is doing to ensure the independence of the judiciary.’’

Shifaz accused Nazim of deliberately delaying work sent to the parliamentary committees in which he has influence.

In retaliation, the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) filed no-confidence motions against Home Minister Hassan Afeed and Finance Minister Ahmed Inaz.

Shifaz claimed that although the opposition filed no-confidence motions against the cabinet ministers, they would not be able to get the numbers required to dismiss them.

”They are dreaming if they think they can dismiss any of the ministers,” he claims..

DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf meanwhile said that if parliamentarians continued working like this, the parliament would prove dysfunctional.

‘’We can’t work like this. One day MDP will file a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, the next day the opposition will file a no-confidence motion against a cabinet minister and if it continues like this, parliament’s responsibilities will be left undone,’’ said Mahlouf. ‘’I have decided to speak with the political parties myself to let them know that it is not right.’’

Mahlouf acknowledged that during the recent protests over the economy, some MPs including Mahlouf himself had signed a no-confidence motion against Finance Minister Inaz.

Nazim did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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Mohamed Imtiyaz appointed as acting Chairperson of MDP

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has issued a statement announcing that following the resignation of the party’s Chairperson MP Mariya Didi, all her responsibilities were handed to the Deputy Chairperson Mohamed Imtiyaz.

Mariya had resigned from her post to stand as a candidate for the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) as the member representing the parliament, after DRP MP Dr Afrashim Ali was removed for misconduct.

Leader of MDP, former fisheries minister Dr Ibrahim Didi, said Mariya’s resignation was a great sacrifice to establish an independent judiciary in the Maldives.

Speaking to the press today, Didi said that within the next two months the new Chairperson of the party would be appointed after 60 days of campaigning, as granted by the party’s charter.

Maryia was not appointed as the member from the parliament to JSC, after the post was narrowly secured by Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader and MP ‘Buruma’ Gasim Ibrahim.

36 MPs voted in favor of appointing Mariya to the JSC, while 38 voted in favor of appointing Gasim to the commission from the parliament.

Mariya congratulated MP Gasim and said she hoped he would carry out his responsibilities as a member of the JSC with sincerity for the benefit of the citizens and the best interests of the nation.

She also thanked all the MPs that voted for her.

Today’s parliament session ended after MDP MPs left the parliament chamber.

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan said that it has become a major issue that MPs were leaving the parliament, forcing the speaker to cancel the session.

”I think MPs have to seriously think about this now,” Nihan said. ”It has become a major issue.”

Nihan said that after MDP ”bought” former DRP MP Ali Waheed, he had been “very inactive” in parliament.

”Nowadays he just roams around the parliament singing songs and often goes to the tea room. He hasn’t been doing any work at all,” Nihan said. ”However, Gasim’s appointment to the JSC is a great victory for the citizens in this delicate situation.”

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Criminal Court orders MDP MP Adil be held in detention until trial concludes

The Criminal Court today granted the Prosecutor General (PG) permission to hold Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hassan Adil in detention until his trial reaches conclusion.

The court has said that permission was granted upon a request made by the PG’s office today during the first hearing of the trial.

Police have alleged that Adil sexually abused a 13 year-old girl belonging to a family with whom he was close friends.

The Criminal Court said the court warrant to hold Adil under detention until the trial end was issued according to article 28 of Child Sex Offenders Special Provisions Act.

The Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Adil in April. His detention was subsequently extended, and then later reduced to house arrest.

Police concluded the investigation of Adil in May and forwarded the case to the PG.

As the trial concerns to a child, the Criminal Court has decided to conduct the trial closed to the public and journalists.

Article 73[c]2 of the constitution states that a member of the parliament will be disqualified if found guilty of a criminal offence that involves a prison sentence of more than twelve months.

Adil was formerly a member of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) prior to joining the MDP last year.

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Prosecutor General requests police investigate ‘Reeko’ Moosa comments

Police have confirmed receiving a request by the Prosecutor General’s (PG) Office to investigate the nature of comments allegedly made by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Parliamentary Group Leader and MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that law enforcement officials had been asked to investigate unspecified comments made by Moosa reportedly regarding the country’s judiciary and its decision making. Shiyam added that media would be updated on the exact details of the investigation at a later date, while Moosa was himself unavailable for comment by Minivan News at the time of going to press.

Just last month, the Maldives High Court issued a statement condemning comments attributed to the MDP Parliamentary Group Leader over its decision to order the release of former chief prison warden ‘Isthafa’ Ibrahim Mohamed Manik following his arrest in a torture inquiry.

The High Court accused Moosa of falsely stating that the court had ruled that Manik was innocent, in an attempt to mislead the public.  The court hit back claiming it had only ruled on a case claiming that a court warrant to extend Manik’s detention issued by Maafushi Court in Kaafu Atoll, Maafushi, was unlawful.

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MDP’s ”surprise” postponed due to bad weather

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said the party’s ”surprise” for the public was postponed due to bad weather and because some “important person”s were currently not present in the Maldives.

The MDP last week declared that it would “surprise” the public with further high profile defections to the party.

The party said its Activities Committee would decide when the special rally was to be held.

Last Thursday MDP’s former Spokesperson Ahmed Haleem told Minivan News that some well-known politicians were to join the party during the rally.  Rumours circulated in local media included that Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid would be joining the party. Shahid is reportedly currently in Malaysia.

Former Legal Reform Minister Mohamed Nasheed, currently an independent MP, was also reported to have been considering joining the MDP, however Nasheed dismissed the speculation.

MDP supporters have meanwhile suggested that Jumhoory Party (JP) Leader ‘Buruma’ Gasim Ibrahim was also to join MDP because he was intent on becoming the Speaker of the Parliament once again, which he could achieve by joining MDP if the party wins a majority in parliament.

Gasim was present at a press conference given by President Mohamed Nasheed last Thursday at the President’s Office.

The opposition has heavily criticised the MDP for postponing the rally saying that it rally was cancelled because the person supposedly joining the party had changed their mind.

DRP MP Ahmed Nihan and MP Ahmed Mahlouf did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

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