Hacked  By  r4dBlack

MALE: President Mohamed Nasheed has said parliament failed to pass any bills in its first session because the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) was focused on approving state benefits for its leader, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

In his weekly radio address, the president said the task of parliament was formulating laws, but no legislation was passed in the last three months.

"The goal of the opposition DRP had become using the whole Majlis to complete one bill that deals with just one thing," he said, referring to the bill on privileges and protection for former presidents.

While he believed former presidents deserved state benefits as well as honour and dignity, Nasheed said, he disagreed with a provision in the bill that would prevent ex-presidents from being taken to court.

Article nine of the draft legislation stipulates parliamentary approval before former presidents could be taken to court.

“It this bill is passed in its current form, it will give room for Maldivian rulers to become dictatorial again,” he said.

Nasheed further said the government had been unable to carry out essential undertakings due to lack of legislation.

When the constitutional deadline for local elections elapsed, he continued, parliament had failed to pass the bills on decentralised administration and local elections.

Not us

Speaking at a press conference today, DRP MP for Gemanafushi, Ilham Ahmed, said it was not opposition MPs who were responsible for wasting parliament’s time.

The president “challenged” and defied parliament by repeatedly submitting rejected nominees, he said, and the government pulled out the bill on reducing import duties while it was at committee stage.

“Look at the Majlis attendance and the work that has been done,” he said. “You have the opportunity to hear all committees, so come and watch to see which party takes points of orders to waste the Majlis’ time.”

Ibrahim “Mavota” Shareef, DRP special envoy, said parliamentary sittings were not properly utilised due to the behaviour of MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Whenever MDP MPs were unhappy with proceedings, he said, they resorted to filibuster tactics and disrupted sittings.

The ruling party did not know how to accept the will of the majority, he continued, which has led to social divisions and strife.

He added the president was exhibiting similar behaviour. “Instead of serving as the president of the country, he’s being the president for MDP, for its members and for the party.”

Shareef further said the government proposed “crude” bills without any research, leading to long debates and hard work at the committee stage.

He added MDP MPs often disrupted committee meetings by “overturning chairs and tables” and inviting its activists.

Siege

Speaking at a press conference last week, Hulhu-Henveiru MP “Reeko” Moosa Manik, MDP parliamentary group leader, said a lot of work was done at parliament and most MPs never left before 6pm.

The current parliament was the first to come from a multi-party election, Moosa said, and it would take time to adjust.

"When we first came in, DRP's aim was to hinder the government," he said. "But at some point they must have known that no matter how hard they make it for the government, the government has to deliver to the people."

He added the government withstood DRP's attempts to undermine it through parliament, including summoning officials to committees.

Further, he said, DRP’s efforts to pass no-confidence votes on the auditor general and government ministers failed.

"So one party was trying to topple the government and take over the next day," he said. "They didn't succeed. And God willing, it won't happen in the next five years. We won’t let them do it through Majlis."

He added it remained to be seen in the next session whether they were ready to pass legislation.

Moosa said most of the committees were controlled by the opposition and it was up to the chairman to speed up reviews of bills to send it back to the floor. MDP had chairpersons on only two committees, he said.