Parliament has approved an amendment to its rules of procedure requiring members to decide whether to accept a resolution before debating it. Resolutions that are rejected at this stage will be dismissed without debate.

The amendment was proposed by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannaan and passed with minor wording changes recommended by Parliament’s General Committee. The committee said the revisions did not alter the substance of the proposal.

The committee’s report was passed by 56 votes, with 11 members voting against it out of the 67 MPs who participated in the vote.

All 11 opposing votes came from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

During today’s parliament sitting, opposition MPs raised concerns about the change.

Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem said Parliament’s role was to hold the government accountable and oversee its actions. He argued that the rules of procedure served specific purposes by setting out different processes for bills, issues and resolutions submitted to Parliament.

Hulhumale' South MP Dr Ahmed Shamheed said MPs should have the opportunity to raise issues of public concern in Parliament, adding that denying this opportunity was an authoritarian characteristic.

“This is not a new Parliament. This is the 20th Parliament. It has always been like this,” Shamheed said.

Responding to the criticism, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla said parliamentary procedures should evolve in line with practices in legislatures around the world.

“In some parliaments, instead of debating the bill as it comes, it goes to committees. Some bills are studied in committees and some bills are sent back,” he said.

Speaker Abdul Raheem said he was considering changes to bring Parliament’s procedures in line with international practices.

Under the previous rules, Parliament decided whether to accept a resolution after debating it. However, the Speaker determined whether a resolution could be submitted to Parliament in the first place.