The opposition coalition on Sunday responded to the government’s bold move to amend the parliament’s rules of procedure and raise the number of signatures required to file a censure motion against the speaker and his deputy from 15 to 42.
The government controlled parliamentary general committee on Sunday night held an impromptu sit-down and passed an amendment to section 175 of the parliament’s rules of procedure which previously stated that only 15 lawmaker signatures are required to submit a censure motion to the parliament against its speaker.
The government lawmakers had voted to increase this number to 42 – which is the minimum number of votes needed for a motion to pass in the parliament.
After the parliament’s general committee passed the motion, the leaders of the new opposition coalition, main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) chief lawmaker Hinnavaru MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, ousted ruling Progressive Party of Maldives’s (PPM) leader and former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son and Dhiggaru MP Faris Maumoon, and former government coalition partner Jumhoory Party’s (JP) deputy leader and Kinbidhoo MP Abdulla Riyaz held a press conference to respond to the new amendment.
MP Solih told the press that the move by the government lawmakers was unlawful and that the amendment should not have been voted on at all.
“The amendment that was approved by the pro-government lawmakers in today’s general committee meeting is in contravention of the law. They cannot possibly go forth with this decision and put it on the parliament’s agenda,” MP Solih reiterated.
Further, MP Solih claimed that Maldives is plummeting in to an autocratic rule and that the parliament plays a crucial role in ensuring that it does not happen.
MP Faris also expressed his discontent over the government lawmakers blatantly changing the parliament’s regulations to fit their “personal agendas” and assured that the opposition will still go forward in submitting the censure motion against the parliament speaker.
“We didn’t submit the censure motion to stall parliament’s work – we submitted the motion to maintain stability in the parliament chambers,” MP Faris explained.
MP Riyaz claimed that the pro-government lawmakers are trying to bar their own lawmakers who want to defect and vote in favour of the censure motion and echoed MP Solih’s sentiments about Maldives becoming more and more of an autocratic state.
The country has plunged into fresh political strife after the main opposition leaders penned a historic treaty against the government.
United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have become the latest to join the chorus of international scrutiny Maldives has been facing since the failed censure motion against Maseeh.
But the backlash from the failed attempt to unseat the speaker has led to several key opposition figures being questioned by police over various allegations while opposition Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim was arrested on Thursday.
The business magnate had been taken into custody over recent allegations of bribing fellow lawmakers and making incitements to overthrow the government.
He has since been remanded for six days.
Most of the island nation's international partners have all echoed the call to find political common-ground among the ruling parties and the opposition.
