reformhalted
Reform process halted
Ismail Rifau, Political Correspondent
Male', Maldives 20th February 2006 (www.olhuala.com) – The 69th session of the Constitutional Assembly scheduled for yesterday was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. Most of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) members of the Special Majilis did not attend in what the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) claim was a ploy to impede the reform agenda currently being implemented by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
The DRP maintains its members were intimidated by various groups of thugs believed to be backed by the MDP into staying away from the Majilis Building. Earlier, the MDP’s figurehead leader Ibrahim Ismail Ibra, had called on MDP members to “go to the houses of the DRP Majilis [parliament] members in their homes” in order to get their message across.
The DRP members affected believe that the measures implemented by the Secretary General of the Majilis are not wide-reaching enough and have called for stricter rules to ensure their safety.
The MDP’s intimidation campaign is an effort to obstruct the tabling of the petition signed by 61 DRP members urging the Speaker of the Special Majilis not to consider the MDP’s calls for the removal of the Presidential Appointees at this point in time, as it is in direct contravention of the current constitution, which has to be adhered to until the new constitution is drafted and ratified.
In a press statement the chief government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareed said “The non-inclusion of presidential appointees and cabinet ministers in the Majlis has, from the outset, been one of the headline proposals of the President’s constitutional reform agenda, but the MDP cannot ‘cherry-pick’ individual proposals in a piecemeal fashion.
“We have a complete reform package on the table, and the People’s Special Majlis [[legislature] has been convened to debate on and implement these sweeping constitutional reforms. We have three political parties who are prepared to join the Government in constructive debate on a draft constitution, but the MDP is not interested.”
The Chairman of the Maldives-British All-Party Parliamentarian Group, the Rt. Hon Lord Naseby called on Her Majesty’s government to convince the MDP to engage in talks with the government during his opening remarks to the Upper House on the 10th of this month, while reporting on the progress made since the devastating Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, and on the reform process taking place in the Maldives.
Special Majilis member, Mohamed Naeem Monaza told olhuala.com “They [the MDP] have used several tactics to delay the reform process in the past. We cannot forget the instances they walked out in protest, when they were going to be defeated on the secret ballots versus show of hands debate for the election of the Speaker [of the Special Majilis] on the 19th of July 2004.
“That was the beginning of the MDP’s delay tactics. It wasn’t long after they held the violent demonstrations in August, stabbing police officers. So one has to be concerned for the DRP members currently being threatened by MDP thugs.”
In the morning, the MDP had tried to raise a mob, an effort which was largely unsuccessful, but while some MDP 'supporters' took to the streets with placards and banners, hardcore thugs 'called' at DRP members’ houses.
Naeem says: “We duly note the point of view of the twenty people who came to the Majilis with banners calling for the expulsion of appointed members. But we can only believe that the tiny number of people here reflects how unimportant this issue is to the public.
“The MDP, with its minority in this house, may think it is a big issue. But the Maldivian people apparently do not. Frankly, if I had a point of view and only 20 people thought anything of it, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
While the twenty or so with banners and placards shifted from location to location in Male’, a more sinister group of MDP thugs led by councillor Ziyad Saljam congregated in front of the MDP office in G. Fus and proceeded to make calls on the homes of DRP members in a threatening fashion. The group was finally disbanded by police, and several individuals were taken in for questioning.
Fervent activity to raise another mob in the early evening was also unsuccessful as less than fifty turned up at the Junhooree Maidhaan. Chairman Mohamed Nasheed Annie, upon whose instructions insiders believe the activities are carried out, was said to be ‘in an agitated state’ as all efforts had ended in failure.
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Ismail Rifau, Political Correspondent
Male', Maldives 20th February 2006 (www.olhuala.com) – The 69th session of the Constitutional Assembly scheduled for yesterday was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. Most of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) members of the Special Majilis did not attend in what the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) claim was a ploy to impede the reform agenda currently being implemented by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The DRP maintains its members were intimidated by various groups of thugs believed to be backed by the MDP into staying away from the Majilis Building. Earlier, the MDP’s figurehead leader Ibrahim Ismail Ibra, had called on MDP members to “go to the houses of the DRP Majilis [parliament] members in their homes” in order to get their message across.
The DRP members affected believe that the measures implemented by the Secretary General of the Majilis are not wide-reaching enough and have called for stricter rules to ensure their safety.
The MDP’s intimidation campaign is an effort to obstruct the tabling of the petition signed by 61 DRP members urging the Speaker of the Special Majilis not to consider the MDP’s calls for the removal of the Presidential Appointees at this point in time, as it is in direct contravention of the current constitution, which has to be adhered to until the new constitution is drafted and ratified.
In a press statement the chief government spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareed said “The non-inclusion of presidential appointees and cabinet ministers in the Majlis has, from the outset, been one of the headline proposals of the President’s constitutional reform agenda, but the MDP cannot ‘cherry-pick’ individual proposals in a piecemeal fashion.
“We have a complete reform package on the table, and the People’s Special Majlis [[legislature] has been convened to debate on and implement these sweeping constitutional reforms. We have three political parties who are prepared to join the Government in constructive debate on a draft constitution, but the MDP is not interested.”
The Chairman of the Maldives-British All-Party Parliamentarian Group, the Rt. Hon Lord Naseby called on Her Majesty’s government to convince the MDP to engage in talks with the government during his opening remarks to the Upper House on the 10th of this month, while reporting on the progress made since the devastating Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, and on the reform process taking place in the Maldives.
Special Majilis member, Mohamed Naeem Monaza told olhuala.com “They [the MDP] have used several tactics to delay the reform process in the past. We cannot forget the instances they walked out in protest, when they were going to be defeated on the secret ballots versus show of hands debate for the election of the Speaker [of the Special Majilis] on the 19th of July 2004.
“That was the beginning of the MDP’s delay tactics. It wasn’t long after they held the violent demonstrations in August, stabbing police officers. So one has to be concerned for the DRP members currently being threatened by MDP thugs.”
In the morning, the MDP had tried to raise a mob, an effort which was largely unsuccessful, but while some MDP 'supporters' took to the streets with placards and banners, hardcore thugs 'called' at DRP members’ houses.
Naeem says: “We duly note the point of view of the twenty people who came to the Majilis with banners calling for the expulsion of appointed members. But we can only believe that the tiny number of people here reflects how unimportant this issue is to the public.
“The MDP, with its minority in this house, may think it is a big issue. But the Maldivian people apparently do not. Frankly, if I had a point of view and only 20 people thought anything of it, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
While the twenty or so with banners and placards shifted from location to location in Male’, a more sinister group of MDP thugs led by councillor Ziyad Saljam congregated in front of the MDP office in G. Fus and proceeded to make calls on the homes of DRP members in a threatening fashion. The group was finally disbanded by police, and several individuals were taken in for questioning.
Fervent activity to raise another mob in the early evening was also unsuccessful as less than fifty turned up at the Junhooree Maidhaan. Chairman Mohamed Nasheed Annie, upon whose instructions insiders believe the activities are carried out, was said to be ‘in an agitated state’ as all efforts had ended in failure.
Click to read full story