Tag: MP

MDP to “surprise” public again on Saturday

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has said that a “very special rally” will be held on Saturday night at the Artificial Beach, where the party will give everyone ‘’a big surprise again.’’

The party did not give much detail about the ‘’surprise’’, but suggested that it would be similar to events such as the recent signing of opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Deputy Leader and MP Ali Waheed and DRP MP Abdu-Raheem.

Former MDP Spokesperson Ahmed Haleem said Saturday night would be “historic”.

‘’The whole Maldives will change this night,’’ Haleem said. ‘’I can’t tell you the details of this event.’’

Queried whether a high profile politician might join the party that night he confirmed that some ‘’political figures’’ are to join.

Haleem said on Saturday people “will know which political party has the most support.”

Recently DRP MP Waheed, DRP MP Abdulla Abdu-Raheem and DRP Sports Wing head Haasan Shuaju, and well known football player Ahmed Assad ‘Adubarey’ joined MDP.

President’s Spokesperson Mohamed Zuhair and MDP Parliamentary Group’s Media Coordinator Mohamed Shifaz did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.

Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid today announced that parliament’s majority leader was now ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, leader of the MDP Parliamentary group.

Currently MDP has a total oof 35 MPs, however, DRP’s former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer has predicted that “very soon MDP will lose two MPs.”

Umar claimed that MDP MP Mohamed Muthafa and MDP MP Hassan Adil would lose their seats. Both MPs have cases pending in court, the former regarding corruption, the later charges of child molestation.

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Parliament sends controversial Crime Prevention Bill back to committee, goes to recess

The controversial National Crime Prevention Bill was returned to committee during a special session of the Majlis last night, after more than 100 amendments were proposed.

Parliament voted 37 to 33 in favour of a proposal by Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ali Waheed, seconded by the opposition allied People’s Alliance (PA), and backed by some Independents, to send the bill back to committee.

The majority of MPs was of the opinion was that the addition of over 100 amendments to a bill restricting constitutional rights could not be properly considered and voted on before the end of the sitting at 12am.

Voting went along partisan lines with ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs and Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed in the minority against the DRP-PA coalition, the Jumhoree Party (JP) and the Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP).

DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf was conspicuously the only MP who abstained while leader of the People’s Alliance (PA), Abdulla Yameen, did not participate in the vote.

Waheed put forward the proposal after Speaker Abdulla Shahid informed MPs of the number of amendments to the bill, and opened the floor to a debate to decide how to proceed with the special sitting.

Shahid announced the parliamentary recess at the end of the sitting as no proposal had been made to either extend the special sitting or hold another.

MDP MPs claimed that the amendments were a filibuster tactic to avoid confronting the issue, with MP Ibrahim Rasheed suggesting as much when he said the amendments were made by those who “lacked sincerity” while MP Abdul Gafoor Moosa said that none of the amendments were submitted by MDP MPs.

As Chair of the National Security Committee, Yameen presented the committee report to the floor, explaining that a consensus was reached among committee members to restrict the rights for a limited period to empower the authorities to curb dangerous crimes.

The draft legislation contained a number of provisions that could violate or restrict constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and a mandatory 15 day detention period.

If passed into law, police would be empowered to enter private property without a court order to arrest a person suspected of any of the crimes listed in the legislation or in case evidence is being or hidden.

Moreover, a person accused of any of the crimes in clause four of the bill could meet a lawyer in private only after 96 hours after the arrest, prior to which any such meeting would have to take place in the presence of police officers.

If a suspect is arrested at the scene of a crime with related evidence either on his person or at the place, the court could interpret the silence of the accused as an admission of guilt or association with the crime.

On extension of custody or remand detention, courts must consider the criminal record of the accused along with police intelligence and grant a minimum mandatory period of 15 days of remand detention.

In addition, refusal by the accused to disclose information on finances or assets considered as evidence shall be deemed an offence punishable by up to five years in prison.

The bill includes a ‘sunset clause’, making it applicable for 18 months, but it has raised concerns in the international community regarding the compromise of constitutionally-guaranteed human rights.

Notably, the draft bill provides exemption for MPs and those working in independent commissions from searches of their homes without a court warrant.

Independent MP Nasheed, who is parliament’s focal point for the Crime Prevention Committee, reprimanded MPs for passing on their responsibility to the committee and going to recess, stating that the sunset law was not prepared in haste and that as senior officials of the state had spent the past three days working in the Majlis, MPs who were interested could have attended the committee sessions.

The President’s Member on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), Aishath Velezinee, said parliament’s focus on police powers as a means to resolve crime in the Maldives avoided them having to debating the real issue – the lack of an independent judiciary.

“My concern is that they have avoided a discussion of the issues this debate has raised regarding the establishment of an independent judiciary. They are still giving it a blind eye, and trying to fix crime without considering it,” she said. “There is no point passing laws and legislation if there is no independent judiciary to uphold it.”

She noted that members of parliament’s opposition majority had been colluding “with self-appointed leaders of the judiciary” in an effort to maintain the administration of justice that existed under the former government.

“They have simply renamed the former Ministry of Justice as ‘independent judiciary’,” she said.

Velezinee claimed that the police powers were only required “because there is no confidence in the judiciary.”

“I support absolute police power with a sunset clause in certain cases, such as when the criminal court has connections with organised crime,” she said.

The violation of constitutionally-mandated rights that this would entail has led to mutterings of concern among the international community – concern shared by many young Maldivians, one of whom told Minivan News that he was so confident that police would abuse their new powers, such as entering houses without a warrant, that he would “pack my bags and leave the Maldives for 18 months” if the bill was passed.

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Proposal to lower legal age of juveniles to 16 may contradict UN convention, warns HRCM

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has met with opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Mahlouf after he presented an amendment to the law on protection of the rights of children redefining all persons above the age of 16 to adults.

Currently the legal age of children is all persons above the age of 18.

”In yesterday’s meeting the commission discussed the challenges that we may face in protecting and upholding the rights of children,” the HRCM said in a statement. ”The commission highlighted the importance of providing many of the rights mentioned in the law on protection of the rights of children to all persons below the age of 18.”

HRCM also requested that all persons below the ago of 18 should have all the rights mentioned in the UNICEF’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Mahlouf presented an amendment to parliament to designate only persons under the age of 16 years as juveniles last week, lowering the age limit by two years.

”The purpose of changing the age is due to the significant increase in involvement of minors in crimes sinister in nature, and they cannot be sentenced to the full extent as they are considered minors,” said Mahlouf. ”Although they are considered as minors, they are sometimes very dangerous.”

Mahlouf said he has noted that children of the age 16-18 are more likely to be engaged in criminal activities because many finished their ordinary level education at the age of 16, and most of them did not prefer further studies which was leading them to the wrong path.

Speaking at a DRP rally Mahlouf said according to information he gathered to draft the bill, more than 600 young people have committed or have assisted committing assaults.

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Criminal Court extends detention of MP Adil to 15 days

The Criminal Court last night extended the detention of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP for Maradhoo Area Hassan Adhil to 15 days, following his arrest yesterday on charges of child molestation.

The Criminal Court asked police to hold Adhil in detention at a location determined by the Home Ministry, after a closed hearing to which journalists were denied access.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam confirmed that Adhil’s detention was extended and that the MP was in police custody.

Yesterday morning an arrest warrant was issued by the Criminal Court for the arrest of the former opposition-aligned Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) MP, who jumped to the ruling MDP in September last year.

Following the signing, Adhil claimed he had switched parties “not by anyone, I took this step because of the pulse of the people.”

”I believe that the government is conducting many development projects at a high speed, and I signed with MDP for the development of my area at the request of [my constituents].”

Leader of the DQP Hassan Saeed declined to comment on Adhil’s decision at the time.

Report of the investigation of the MP appeared in newspaper Haveeru last month, which based the story on a source within the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM). However HCRM President Maryam Azra denied knowledge of the investigation and the story was removed from Haveeru’s website.

MDP Chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi told Minivan News yesterday that if Adhil was found guilty “then of course the party should [take action]. The party does not condone such acts. But we should only speculate after the court has come to a verdict.”

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HRCM investigating leak of child molestation allegations against MP

President of Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Maryam Azra has said that the commission has begun an internal investigation to find out the source of a story published in local newspaper Haveeru that the commission was investigating an MP regarding child molestation.

Minivan News understands that Haveeru removed the story from its website this afternoon.

When Minivan News queried Azra as whether the commission was investigating such a case, she replied “I do not know.”

”We are trying to find out who it was that has told Haveeru so,” she said.

Haveeru had quoted an official at HRCM as saying that a child molestation case related to a MP had been filed at commission, which was investigating alongside police.
The official declined to reveal the name of the MP, said Haveeru.

Spokesperson of HRCM Ahmed Rilwan told Minivan News that he would “have check whether such a case was reported to the commission.”

”The statement given to Haveeru by whomever was not an official statement,” he said.

A police spokesperson said police had no comment on the matter.

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Criminal Court summons DRP MPs Ali Waheed and Mahlouf

The Criminal Court has ordered main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs Ali Waheed and Ahmed Mahlouf to appear before the court to face charges of obstruction of police duty.

Mahlouf told Minivan News today that the case was most likely regarding a DRP protest held outside the presidential residence Muleeage earlier this year that led to violent confrontations with riot police.

”Yesterday Ali Waheed and I received a chit from the Criminal Court saying that a hearing would be conducted on the 29th [Monday],” he received. ”It stated that the charges were ‘obstructing police duty’.”

The DRP MP for Galolhu North added that ”unlike president Mohamed Nasheed, we do not go breaking laws one after the other.”

”That night we were not obstructing police duties and we were not engaging in any unlawful activities,” he insisted. “We were exercising our right to free expression and freedom of assembly.”

Mahlouf said that he was “very pleased” that President Nasheed decided to prosecute him because ”the international community would understand how democratic Nasheed is.”

”He says he would never arrest [opposition] politicians, but he is arresting and charging young politicians and MPs in the country,” he said.

The DRP protest in January that marched to Muleeage turned violent, resulting in injuries to both police officers and demonstrators.

Following the unrest, Ali Waheed and Mahloof were summoned to police headquarters and questioned about their role in the protest.

At the time, Mahloof and Ali Waheed, also DRP Deputy Leader, exercised their right to remain silent.

Regulations currently in place on public gatherings, enforced by presidential decree under the former government, prohibits demonstrations outside certain designated areas, including Muleeage and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters.

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Speaker terminates session until MDP MP Nasheed leaves

The Speaker of the parliament Abdulla Shahid has terminated today’s session until Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed ‘Colonel’ Nasheed leaves the chamber, reports local newspaper Haveeru.

Haveeru reported that speaker ordered Nasheed to leave the chamber claiming today’s session was heated when Nasheed raised a point of order and spoke against the report of Financial Committee while it was read.

According to Haveeru, Nasheed said the Financial Committee’s report was wrong and raised his voice against it.

This triggered an uproar inside the parliament chamber, according to Haveeru. The speaker is presently waiting to restart the session when Nasheed leaves the chamber.

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MPs positive domestic violence bill will be passed

Preliminary debate today over the proposed Domestic Violence Bill has MPs optimistic it will be passed, after it is sent to a special committee to refine the particulars.

“It will most definitely be passed – there are a few things we must keep in mind but there is nothing contentious about it,” said Eva Abdulla, MP for the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

“We need to ensure it fits with international best practice, and ensure sufficient budget allocation for each step, as without sufficent budget things like the protective services mentioned in the bill become futile.”

Eva noted that the bill also needed to categorise different offenses, “as sweeping criminal offences do not fully protect the victims and can often discourage the reporting of offenses.”

“The draft bill is very good, however it only becomes meaningful if we can meet it with the necessary human and financial resources,” she added.

Opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Rozaina Adam, who presented the bill to parliament, noted that both major parties were working together on getting the bill passed, and would likely vote to send it to a special committee tomorrow.

“Some MPs are finding it hard to accept that this is about violence against women, and are trying to twist it by saying violence also occurs against men. But most accept it,” she said.

Health authorities identify domestic violence as a major problem in the country. Rozaina noted that it was difficult to obtain figures because of a lack of reporting: “a lot of women accept it as if it’s their due.”

If passed, the bill would require monitoring of domestic violence cases and the publication of figures at the end of each year.

“Right now people don’t report it, and people are reluctant to make bring very personal family issues public,” Rozaina said. “We hope that NGOs and the health sector can become more involved, rather than people having to go to the police all the time.”

Deputy Minister for Health Mariya Ali said that the Ministry received 100 cases of reported domestic violence last year, “and so far this year we are already up to 100.  It is a significant problem, and I don’t think this reflects the true prevalence,” she said, adding that more women were likely to come forward once the Ministry had completed work on a temporary shelter, hopefully by November.

“This bill will bring positive changes to the lives of women,” she added.

The DRP announced it was drafting a bill on domestic violence in April, hoping to create more comprehensive legislation for victims and perpetrators of violence in the home.

The bill would encompasses legislation on both physical and sexual violence against women and children, as well as improve how people who report these cases are dealt with, and to give more security and assistance to anyone affected by domestic violence.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s daughter and leader of the DRP’s Women’s Wing, Dhunya Maumoon, first announced the drafting of the bill.

In November last year MPs signed a declaration supporting the elimination of violence against women, recognising the problem of domestic violence facing the Maldives and undertaking to bear it in mind when legislating.

The signing marked the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a UN-led initiative to encourage countries to create and enforce laws punishing violence against women and girls, increase public awareness and strengthen collection of data on the issue.

In April 2007, a student who was the subject of a sexual assault by her teacher spoke to Minivan News about the incident and how she felt justice had betrayed her.

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MNDF denies threatening DRP MP and head of FAM

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has denied threatening to set fire to the car of DRP MP and Football Association head Ali Azim.
The media reported allegations by Azim that the MNDF had threatened him after the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) decided not to allow any of the Force’s teams to participate in their tournaments.
“It is false to say MNDF threatened him, I am totally sure that MNDF would never fall to such a low level,’’ MNDF spokesperson Major Abdul Raheem told Minivan News. “All the telephones here are easily accessible to almost all the staff, so it is possible that a staff member working here called him and made the threat.’’

He said that did not mean that it was an “official call” from the MNDF.

‘’It is very difficult to track down the person who called, but MNDF and the police are trying to figure it out,’’ Raheem said.

“Although we were all demoralised by the decision of FAM to disallow our participation in the tournaments, we would not do something like this,” he said. “We eagerly want to take part in the FAM tournaments and we are still trying for it.’’

Everything the MNDF did to regain access to the tournament would be conducted in accordance with the laws.

Azim had told local newspapers that a number belonging to the MNDF contacted his brother and threatened that his car will be set on fire.

‘’The phone call was made from an MNDF number to Mohamed Shiyaz [brother of Azim]. The caller said they had been trying to get in touch to me, and told him to tell me  they will set fire to my car,’’ Azim told the media.

Haveeru called the number and found it belonged to the MNDF’s communication department.

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