MDP plans nationwide protest

The ruling Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) national council has passed a resolution to stage nationwide protests against opposition MPs seeking a no-confidence motion against the foreign minister.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Madaveli MP Mohamed Nazim, who proposed the resolution, said the purpose of the demonstrations would be to let people know how parliament was attempting to thwart and hamper the government.

“We brought freedom to this country with a lot of hard work and with the sacrifice of a lot of people,” he said. “And with the new government barely 11 months old, they are trying to remove a cabinet minister without a justifiable reason.”

He added DRP’s actions in parliament threatened the separation of the powers as the party was attempting to exert undue influence over the executive.

Nazim’s resolution was passed with the unanimous consent of all members in attendance at the 75th MDP national council meeting.

Yesterday, the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party-People’s Alliance (DRP-PA) coalition submitted a motion of no-confidence against Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed.

Nazim said DRP proposed the motion to serve political ends and Shaheed had not done anything to warrant such a vote. “They should give a specific reason when they do something like this,” he said.

No problem

Gemafushi MP Ilham Ahmed of the DRP told Minivan News today he had no problem with MDP taking to the streets.

“MDP will continue to work like the MDP and DRP will work like DRP,” he said. “So it’s not a problem.”

Ilham denied the opposition was trying to impede the government in parliament.

While the government submitted poorly drafted legislation with serious flaws, he said, DRP voted to sent it to committee and improve it.  

“We could have just thrown it out,” he said, adding the government pulled out a bill yesterday after opposition heavily criticised it.

In a system of checks and balances, he said, parliament had to exercise oversight over the executive.

“The Majlis is there to hold the government accountable,” he said. “If we don’t do it, the government can do anything else.”

Nazim said the main reason offered by DRP for submitting the motion was Shaheed’s role in the government’s decision to establish ties with Israel, but DRP seemed to have forgotten that parliament had to approve agreements or treaties with other countries.

“A 100 per cent Muslim country should not have relations with Israel,” said Ilham. “It is something he did to directly challenge Islam.”

He added Shaheed’s remarks on the matter were inconsistent, as it was not clear whether ties had been officially established or whether an agreement had been signed.

Shaheed’s claim that the former government had diplomatic relations with Israel did not make sense, said Ilham, as there would be no need to establish them again.

Personal attack

Nazim pointed to the fact that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a telephone conversation with President Mohamed Nasheed, asked the Maldives to advocate on their behalf in the conflict.

It showed that the Palestinians themselves had no objection to the Maldives pursuing diplomatic relations with Israel, he said.

Further, there were more than one million Israeli citizens were also Muslims, he said, and if DRP objected to Israel they should also be against getting assistance from the US or the UK, which strongly backs the Jewish state.

“This is just a personal attack on Dr Shaheed because he joined MDP,” he said.

The foreign minister, formerly a member of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party, signed up to MDP on 5 October.

Shaheed, who was always a member of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) as well as foreign minister in the previous government, has been a vocal critic of the party since his resignation from the cabinet last year.

But, said Ilham, the party had no personal animosity towards Shaheed, although his decisions have made him a “failed politician”.

“You will see that he will be removed with a large majority,” he said.

A statement on the MDP website yesterday calls on all its members to participate in the protest against DRP’s attempts to “intimidate” a minister by misusing the powers of parliament and to protect the first democratically elected government.

-MinivanNews-