Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has said that a parliamentary system would enable better accountability of cabinet ministers.
At Tuesday's Parliament sitting, Thimarafushi MP Abdulla Riyaz expressed concern over the prolonged time taken by cabinet ministers to respond to inquiries from MPs. He noted that although the Parliament rules state that cabinet ministers must respond to any inquiry by the Parliament within 14 days, the actual period often extends to over three months, which delays the work of MPs. He further noted that while the Parliament's second session would conclude next month, it is critical that answers to inquiries are received before that so that MPs' work would not be hindered.
'I called the Parliament Secretariat even yesterday, as I am still awaiting responses to some questions I have previously sent. I was told the [Finance] Minister has been unable to respond due to his busy schedule," Riyaz said.
In response to Riyaz's concerns, Nasheed, a staunch advocate for transitioning the Maldives' presidential system to a parliamentary system, said such challenges would continue to be faced if a parliamentary system of governance is not adopted in the Maldives.
“This issue will continue to happen without a shift to a parliamentary system,” Nasheed said.
Nasheed said the current backlog could not be cleared even if ten ministers were produced before the parliament every day, underscoring the current situation at hand.
