Tag: mp ahmed amir

Parliament approves new Elections Commission member, ambassador to Pakistan

Parliament today approved President Abdulla Yameen’s nominees for a vacant seat on the Elections Commission (EC) and the new ambassador to Pakistan.

Former Human Rights Commission of Maldives President Ahmed Saleem was approved as the ambassador to Pakistan whilst Ahmed Akram was appointed to the EC.

Saleem had also served at the foreign ministry, the Maldives High Commission in Sri Lanka, and the Maldives’ permanent mission to the UN in New York.

Both nominees were approved unanimously with 53 votes in favour. Opposition MPs did not participate in the vote.

Akram was previously the deputy secretary-general of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and is reportedly related to the wife of the party’s former chairperson, MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, who was expelled from the party last year. Akram also quit the party last year.

President Yameen nominated Akram to the EC after the five-year term of a previous member expired in November.

Today’s sitting also proceeded amidst continuing protests on the People’s Majlis floor by opposition MDP MPs over the conviction of former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Preliminary debate on an amendment submitted to the constitution by government-aligned Maldives Development Alliance MP Ahmed Amir as well as voting on the president’s nominees took place amidst the opposition MPs’ protest.

Opposition MPs used whistles and megaphones to call for the release of the opposition leader.

Amir’s amendment meanwhile – which would require a three-quarters majority of the 85-member house to be passed – proposed removing clauses b) and c) from Article 231 of the Constitution.

The clauses stipulate that local councils shall be elected for a three-year term and that chairs and deputy chairs shall be elected through secret ballot by councillors.

The MP for Dhaal Kudahuvadhoo proposed specifying both the terms and process of electing chairs and deputy chairs in the Decentralisation Act.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Majlis accepts constitutional amendment capping number of MPs

The People’s Majlis today accepted for consideration amendments to the Constitution’s Article 71, limiting the number of MPs to 85.

The change was proposed by government-aligned Maldives Development Alliance MP Ahmed Amir and accepted with 54 votes in favour and 13 against. It has now been sent to the independent institutions committee for further review.

The article currently states that two MPs must be elected “for the first five thousand residents registered for each administrative division or two members for administrative divisions with less than five thousand residents” and “where the residents registered to an administrative division exceed five thousand residents, one additional member for each group of five thousand residents in excess of the first five thousand.”

Accordingly, the number of parliamentary constituencies grew from 77 to 85 ahead of the parliamentary polls in March this year.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Parliament to review constitutional amendment regarding religion

An amendment seeking to inhibit parliament’s scope to change the constitutional guarantee of Islam as the Maldivian state religion has been accepted by the parliament.

The proposal was submitted by Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA) MP Ahmed Amir, who argued that the relevant clauses must be protected from the legislature.

“I find it very disturbing that the constitutional requirement of holy Islam staying as the religion of the state is subject to being changed just by the parliament if they so wish. And thereby, with the belief that changing it so that MPs alone cannot bring any changes to this article will bring peace to the minds of the parliamentarians, I have taken the initiative to propose this,” he said.

Following heated arguments for and against the amendment, parliament voted to accept the bill after 29 members in attendance voted for, 13 voted against, and 6 abstained.

The proposed amendment asks for Article 10 to be included as the first point in Article 262(b) of the Constitution of the Maldives.

Article 10 states that “(a) The religion of the State of the Maldives is Islam. Islam shall be the one of the basis of all the laws of the Maldives” and “(b) No law contrary to any tenet of Islam shall be enacted in the Maldives”.

Article 262 (b) states that the president must accept any constitutional amendments made by the Majlis after a public referendum.

“Even if one citizen does not want to allow other religions, it must remain so”: MP Amir

“The rhetoric that this bill calls for a public referendum where citizens are to be asked whether or not they want Islam to be here is, I believe, a further attempt to create resentment and dishearten people through misinformation,” he alleged.

“The best way that an amendment like this can be framed, even I believe, is to ensure that once it is reviewed in committee stage, it comes out in such a way that this article is made strong enough to not allow any changes to it at all as long as there is even one single citizen in the country who wishes it to remain the same, without allowing other religions,” he continued.

“Even we are aware that it is not necessary to include Islam in this, our constitution. Islam itself has given us a divine law to follow. As long as we are abiding by this divine law, there is in reality no need for it to be included in our man-made laws,” Amir said.

“However, because there is a fear that such an article in our constitution may be tampered with, we are obligated to protect it,” he stated.

“Instead of a referendum, mandate Supreme Court approval”: MP Muhthalib

Some of the MPs stated that while they supported the intentions behind its submission, they would choose to bring ‘minor changes’ to the proposed implementation.

Jumhooree Party (JP) MP Ibrahim Muhthalib stated that, “As things are in this world today, if even 50 people vote to say they want to adopt a religion other than Islam, foreign governments will back them up and soon start advocating for these people’s rights. They will then start harassing us. They will interfere with the internal matters of this country.”

“My suggestion is that instead of a public referendum, we change the amendment to read that such a change cannot be brought about unless it is passed by the parliament, then approved by the seven judges sitting on the Supreme Court bench, and after which it will still need to be ratified by the president,” he proposed.

“Then, god willing, there is no way that it can ever be changed. My wish is that the amendment is passed in such a way that neither Article 9 or 10 can ever be changed, even by any future parliament,” he said.

Article 9 concerns the qualifications for citizenship, which includes a clause stating that non-Muslims cannot become citizens of the Maldives.

Opposing the amendment

According to some other MPs, Article 10 of the Constitution cannot be amended or debated anywhere, including the parliament floor. Many added that they did not believe the article could be changed even after a public referendum.

Some MPs claimed that if the current parliament was to amend the article, there might be a time in the future when another composition of MPs decide to annul it altogether, insisting it was inadvisable to begin something that may lead to “serious unpredictable implications” in future.

MDP MP Ali Waheed was removed from the premises after he protested against the holding of a debate on the amendment, claiming “while there is life in this body, and I am sitting here in parliament, I will not allow such a debate to be carried out here.”

After initially taking up procedural points, he later stood in front of the speaker’s seat to express disapproval until the speaker ordered the Sergeant at Arms to remove him from the premises.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam elected interim leader of Maldives Development Alliance

Independent MP for Dhaalu Meedhoo, Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam, was elected interim leader of the newly-formed Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) at an inaugural convention held in Male’ last night.

According to Shiyam’s Sun Online, 362 members attended the meeting at Traders Hotel, which was authorised to proceed by the Elections Commission (EC) after it had verified the attendance registry.

Under the regulations governing political parties, at least 300 members are required to attend an inaugural convention of a newly-formed political parties, while 3,000 signatures are needed to form the party.

The tourism magnate was elected interim leader with 335 votes out of 362 ballots cast.

Independent MP for Dhaalu Kudahuvadhoo Ahmed Amir was elected as one of three interim deputy leaders, along with Ali Mauroof and Aishath Rafiyya.

In addition to the senior officials, 18 members were elected to the party’s interim council.

While orange was approved as the official colour of the party, members also passed the party’s logo, seal, manifesto and charter.

MDA becomes the 16th political party to be registered in the Maldives since 2005.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Committee approves amendment for secret ballot for second time

Parliament’s General Affairs Committee has approved for a second time an amendment proposed to the rules of procedure to conduct no-confidence motions through secret ballot.

The amendment would come into effect if it is passed by a vote at the Majlis floor.

A previous decision by the committee was declared void by the Counsellor General Fathmath Filza on the grounds that the committee meeting on October 23 where it was voted through took place in violation of the rules.

The committee meeting took place without either the chair or deputy chair in attendance.

Newspaper Haveeru reported  on Thursday that the amendment by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Shifaz was approved again at a meeting Wednesday night. The former ruling party has a voting majority on the committee.

Independent MP for Dhaalu Atoll Kudahuvadhoo and Deputy Chair of the General Affairs Committee, Ahmed Amir, told the newspaper that the amendment was approved with four votes from MDP MPs and three against.

“Although the committee’s decision was overturned earlier, the decision for a secret ballot [for no-confidence motions] will be valid this time,” Amir was quoted as saying.

MDP MP Shifaz proposed the amendment last week after MP Amir withdraw a similar amendment to the house rules to conduct no-confidence motions through secret ballot.

Shifaz’s amendment however does not apply to no-confidence motions against the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of parliament.

The MDP has submitted no-confidence motions against both Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

While a minister can be removed from his post through a simple majority of the 77 MPs in parliament, a two-thirds majority or 52 votes would be needed to impeach a sitting president.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Committee decision on secret ballot overturned

Parliament’s Counsellor General Fathmath Filza has informed the General Affairs Committee that a decision to approve an amendment to the parliamentary rules of procedure was void as the meeting where it was voted through last week took place in violation of the rules.

An anonymous member of the committee told Sun Online yesterday that the committee meeting last week took place in the absence of both the chair and deputy chair.

The issue had to be tabled in the committee’s agenda again, the anonymous MP explained.

The meeting on October 23 was presided over by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Azim while the amendment was reportedly voted through by four MPs of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The former ruling party has a majority on the General Affairs Committee.

The amendment to the rules of procedure to conduct no-confidence motions through secret ballot was proposed by MDP MP Mohamed Shifaz after a similar amendment was withdrawn by Independent MP Ahmed Amir, who is also deputy chair of the committee.

The committee’s chair is DRP MP Abdulla Abdul Raheem.

The amendment to parliament’s standing orders or rules of procedure would have to be approved in a vote at the Majlis floor to become official.

The MDP has submitted no-confidence motions against both Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

While a minister can be removed from his post through a simple majority of the 77 MPs in parliament, a two-thirds majority or 52 votes would be needed to impeach the president.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Majlis committee approves secret ballot for no-confidence votes

Parliament’s General Affairs Committee last week approved an amendment to the rules of procedure to conduct no-confidence motions through secret ballot.

The amendment was proposed by Maldivian Democratic Democratic (MDP) MP Mohamed Shifaz after a similar amendment was withdrawn by Independent MP Ahmed Amir.

The MDP-majority committee approved the amendment with four votes in favour and none against, committee chair and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP for mid-Henveiru Ali Azim told local media. Only five MPs reportedly attended the committee meeting last week.

The amendment to parliament’s standing orders or rules of procedure would have to be approved in a vote at the Majlis floor to become official.

The MDP has submitted no-confidence motions against both Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

While a minister can be removed from his post through a simple majority of the 77 MPs in parliament, a two-thirds majority or 52 votes would be needed to impeach a sitting president.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Three arrested over assault of MP Amir

Three suspects have been arrested for allegedly assaulting Independent MP Ahmed Amir last week and handing him to police semi-naked after accusing him of an extra-marital affair.

Amir was severely beaten in the early hours of Thursday morning in a house in Maafanu ward by a group claiming they found him with with a married woman. The MP is currently undergoing treatment in Sri Lanka.

Newspaper Haveeru reported that the suspects were two women and a man from the house where Amir was assaulted. According to the local daily, one of the women was the one the MP was having the alleged extra-marital affair with.

Police confirmed that the three were arrested under a court warrant and had their detention extended by the Criminal Court.

The MP for Kudahuvadhoo told police that he was on his motorcycle near Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital when a group grabbed him, took him inside a room and assaulted him.

The attackers reportedly ripped Amir’s trousers and stole his wallet and two mobile phones before turning him in to police around 5am Thursday morning. Police borrowed a jeans from the house to clothe the MP before taking him to the station for questioning.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

MP sends first proposal to amend Constitution

MP for Dhaal, Kudahuvadhoo, Ahmer Amir, sent the first proposal to Parliament to amend the Constitution, reports Miadhu.

Amir proposed to amend Article 231 (c) which stipulates local council’s term shall be of three years. He proposed to change it to a five year term, arguing that having elections every three years would be very costly.

This is the first proposal for amending the Constitution of the Maldives since it was adopted in August 2008.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)