The Anti Defection Bill was passed today in parliament stipulating that if an MP floor crosses from the party they were elected from, then the MP must submit their own resignation.
The Anti Defection Bill was passed today in parliament stipulating that if an MP quits the party they were elected from, then the MP must submit their own resignation.
This bill was submitted by Maldivian Democratic Party's MP for Baarah constituency Ahmed Abdulla.
The special committee formed to review the bill brought major changes before sending it for vote on the parliament floor.
Together with these amendments, the bill was passed in parliament on Monday with 33 votes. Six members voted against the bill.
The Anti-Defection Bill initially stated that parliament members will lose their seats in the case of floor crossing to a party other than the one they were elected through. The most major amendment the committee brought to the bill is changing this to read that MPs, instead of losing their seats, must resign of their own volition in the case of floor crossing. Three instances which require resignation are defined in the bill.
If an MP leaves the party they were elected through and join another party, or gets registered in another party, or if an independent MP joins any political party within his term, then a resignation must be submitted within 7 days, according to the present bill.
While resignation within this timeframe in these instances is left to the discretion of the MP, the bill fails to define what action, if any, is to be taken in the case of an MP refusing to resign as per these instructions.
The second major change brought by the committee is the removal of the article stipulating the MP recall vote.
The committee report stated that the decision to remove this chapter had been reached as, with the new amendments brought to the other articles in the bill, the objectives of the bill can be reached without the need for a recall vote.
Another amendment included is that in the case of an MP being dismissed from a political party, the matter can be submitted to court within a period of seven days.
Besides MPs, the bill defines instances where resignations must be handed in by members of island councils, city councils and atoll councils.
Although the bill was passed in yesterday's sitting, some parliamentarians raised concerns that with the new amendments brought the bill, the bill no longer served its purpose.
Parliament Minority Leader Moosa Siraj said that the current bill offered no tangible results, and questioned the sincerity behind the work.
He raised questions about what the results would be in the instance an MP refused to resign.
"I don't think it is an act of sincerity to try to pass a law such as this calling for resignations just in name to fool the people," Siraj said.
An Anti Defection Bill was first submitted in the Maldives' during the 18th parliament. However, MDP withdrew the bill after the then government left office.
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