President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the current parliament is conducting itself in violation of the oath taken by its members.
The president made his statement while addressing at a campaign rally in southern most Addu city.
President Solih said the citizens of the Maldives voted for him in the presidential election in order for him to fulfill the presidential pledges that he promised to the people of the nation. This can only be achieved by working together with the parliament, said the president.
However, the conduct of the parliament contradicts the spirit of the parliament, alleged President Solih.
The government has made several attempts to grant sweeping powers to the two presidential commissions established by the president to investigate murders and enforced disappearances and corruption. However, all three attempts had been unsuccessful due to the absence of the required quorum to ask for vote on the bills. The parliament has now made the decision not to pursue the bill further until the research done by the Committee on Independent Institutions on the bill is reviewed.
The Commissions investigating murders, enforced disappearances and corruption was established by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on the first day of Office.
The president said although the pledges remain dormant at the time being due to the lack of cooperation from the parliament, the president is fully committed to fulfilling his pledges.
The president also stressed on the importance of ensuring a parliament majority for the ruling coalition. Failure to do so would waste the citizen's money as well as delay the implementation of government goals, forewarned the president.
The parliament has made the decision not to pursue the bill granting sweeping powers to two presidential commissions established to investigate murders and enforced disappearances and corruption until the research done by the Committee on Independent Institutions on the bill is reviewed.
While the three attempts to pass the bill has been unsuccessful, voting on the bill was again scheduled for Tuesday's parliamentary sitting in a bid to pass the bill. However, before asking for vote, Speaker of the parliament Gasim Ibrahim announced that a document claiming that the conclusion inked in the committee report on the bills were different to what was agreed by the committee on independent institutions had been received. The document was signed by six members on the committee, said the Speaker.
Therefore, the bills cannot be pursued further until the matter is investigated by the parliament, said Gasim.
"I call on the Committee on Independent Institutions to review the bills again. I would like to inform that once it is concluded, we will schedule the bill and pursue it again. I am invoking article 216 )a) of the Parliament Act", said Gasim.
The quorum required to ask for vote on the bill was not fulfilled during the three attempts made to pass the bills, although the parliament majority is held by the ruling coalition.
