- Called to maintain Party principles
- Will not act outside of Party laws
- Can conduct discussions only if principles are met
PPM Vice President Abdu Raheem Abdullah has stated that the Council will not attend any Council meetings that included Dhiggaru Constituency MP Faris Maumoon and former Executive Coordinator of Gender Ministry Aminath Nadira.
Speaking to press after exiting the hastily convened PPM Council meeting, Abdu Raheem said PPM prided itself on its democratic values and therefore, differences of opinion was inevitable. He said he will still prioritize on discussions to resolve the issues.
However, he said that both Faris and Nadira were dismissed members of the Party and as such, Council meetings cannot be held with the two of them present. Abdu Raheem said this negated the basics of the Party laws. He said he had left the meeting as he did not believe that any meetings with the two present could be legal or valid, adding that he will, above all, seek to uphold Party values.
“We’re ready even now to go ahead with discussions. However, even if we go tomorrow, the Council meetings will be held without Faris and Nadira. We want to discuss the situation, find a solution,” Abdu Raheem said.
Parliamentary Group Leader and Vilimale’ Constituency MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik said the Group had unanimously voted to submit Faris’ case to the Ethics Committee for review, as this was the second time Faris had voted against the three-line whip. He said Faris had been cautioned before as well. Nihan added the Committee meeting was held as per the regulations, with the required quorum. He added the meeting minutes will show the main discussion points and vote results.
“We’ve not worked outside the Party procedures. In the PG meeting, members voted and the issue reached the Committee, which had worked according to their set procedures and arrived at their verdict. So it is a valid measure. I do not believe that a Member who had been issued a verdict can sit in the Council session,” Nihan said.
Council Member Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) said most of the Council Members had acted on the powers granted within the Party laws. He added that any decision taken against any Party member had been taken within the Party laws as well.
