An amendment has been filed where petitions are to be repeatedly submitted to the Parliament.

As per Article 272(c) of the Standing Orders of the Parliament, Funadhoo Constituency MP Mohamed Mamdhooh seeks to repeal Article 275-1(f), with it being sent for debate and for a decision to be reached by the relevant Permanent Committee.

The amendment seeks to remove the clause regarding "a petition cannot seek action or be reintroduced when another petition has been previously submitted to the Parliament and is ongoing", with debate for the amendment having been put on the agenda for a committee meeting at 12:00 pm today.

The number of people who signed a petition submitted via the Parliament's e-Petition portal opposing an amendment proposed to the Decentralization Act to allow land under council jurisdiction to be taken back by the state has risen above 2,100. With this, the petition has become a special petition that mandates debate on the floor of the Parliament. This is the first petition to receive this number of signatures.

Being a special petition, it must be brought to the government's attention, and the issue of this petition must be placed on the agenda and debated in one of the upcoming three sittings.

While this petition has been submitted, a petition against it was filed yesterday, with signatures being accumulated. As the Standing Orders currently are however, the petition cannot be filed.

The initial petition was submitted calling for the withdrawal of the amendment being brought to the law, proposed by independent member for Thulhaadhoo constituency Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru, allowing land and lagoons within council jurisdiction to be taken by the state for development projects by a decision of the Cabinet.

The petition submitted by Midhuam Saud states that this amendment strips away the authority of councilors directly elected by the vote of the citizens, transferring those powers to the Cabinet. Furthermore, as this bill facilitates taking action against councilors claiming they do not cooperate with government decisions, it was highlighted as something completely contrary to the spirit of the decentralization system.

The opposing petition states that the initial petition was submitted for political reasons and that the amendment would facilitate development.