Maldives opposition has claimed their work will continue to get justice for the dozen deposed lawmakers who have been according ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) become officially evicted from their parliament seats.
On Tuesday the Maldives Supreme Court had upheld the parliament's contentiously approved anti-defection law which has legally rendered the 12 floor-crossing lawmakers officially dismissed from parliament designations.
In a press conference at prime opposition camp, Kunoozu the lawmaker of Maduvvari constituency Mohamed Ameeth had declared the dozen lawmakers had not been deposed despite the top-court's ruling.
Supreme Court on Tuesday declared that members who had floor-crossed or were officially sacked from any political party after July 13, 2017 would be officially deposed from their parliament designation adding the law's effectiveness being backdated was not illegitimate.
Ameeth stressed the opposition would not give up on their cause for seeking justice for the 12 lawmakers who were wrongfully unseated from the parliament, adding they will continue their efforts despite the obvious challenges posed by ruling party or the state.
The parliamentary group leader of Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had also expressed similar sentiments and said the anti-defection law was not associated to the 12 defecting lawmakers.
Though ruling party leadership claims the anti-defection law was in fact proposed to lock-down parliament floor-crossing to ensure lawmaker-integrity, the contentious vote to approve the bill despite the constitutionally mandated quorum falling short places doubts about the actual motive.
Many believe the move was a strategical ploy to gain parliament majority as 12 lawmakers originally from the ruling party had defected to the opposition after the 'loud' fallout during the no-confidence motion against parliament Speaker Abdullah Maseeh.
However the Maldives United Opposition - the opposition party coalition - do not accept the new anti-defection law and states the dozen lawmakers have not been evicted of their seats.
The opposition parties reason this stating the defecting lawmakers had taken the decision before the court-mandated law effective date of July 13. The now deposed lawmakers had presented their letters of reverting membership from PPM to the electoral watchdog days before the said date, according to opposition.
Ruling party claims the members were officially terminated as party members after July 13, which is the court-mandated date of effectiveness for the anti-defection law.
The situation came to a temporary halt when Supreme Court on February 1 ordered the annulment of the anti-defection law thus reinstating the 12 lawmakers. However the specifications of the top-court order citing the anti-defection law annulment was later suspended in a move to suppress an opposition surge to claim for parliament majority.
Following this Attorney General Mohamed Anil filed a constitutional dispute case at Supreme Court to revert the top-court's annulment order. The hearings of the said case had commenced and is currently ongoing.
