The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group has raised concerns over the passage of bills without adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders and experts during parliament’s second session of the year.
Speaking at a press briefing at the parliamentary office on Thursday, MDP parliamentary group spokesperson and Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir said the government frequently sends bills to committees without sufficient debate on the parliamentary floor.
He alleged that committee proceedings were being conducted according to the government’s direction.
“The first reading is heard in the morning and the preliminary debate is held in the afternoon or after the tea break. The debate is referred to the committee without the presence of relevant experts or consultation. Only what the attorney general or the government wants is decided during the committee stage and then it is finished,” Mauroof said.
He said bills were being processed in a way that raised questions over whether they had been passed after completing the due processes.
MP Mauroof said the country’s deteriorating economic situation was the biggest concern, adding that the Maldives’ difficult economic and financial position was widely known.
MDP parliamentary group deputy leader and Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad (Fittey) also attended the press briefing.
MP Ziyad said the manner in which parliament has conducted its work during the current session was “extraordinary”, alleging that MPs from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), which holds a supermajority, were reluctant to debate bills.
He attributed this to changes to the law allowing MPs to lose their parliamentary seats if they leave the political party under which they were elected.
“We are seeing a new way of doing things today as we debate in that limited opportunity. A bill is [passed], you know, a year after the Road Transport Bill was in parliament, one night, on a public holiday night, a committee was held and it was passed,” Ziyad said.
He alleged that the committee added a chapter to the bill before passing it, leaving MPs without an adequate opportunity to debate the changes.
