Openion
By inequity. Friday, 20. April 2007, 20:52:25
Honourable Hooligans?
It is now more than two-and-half years since the incumbent People’s Special Majlis (the legislative body) was convened for the purpose of rewriting a new constitution in the Maldives. The new constitution was to allow multiparty democracy for the first time in the Maldives.
Following President Maumoon Abdul’s announcement to introduce ‘sweeping political reform’ in the Maldives, when the Special Majlis was convened in 2004 the assumption was that the legislatures would be able to finish their work within a year. But it took more than a year to adopt rules governing how to conduct business within the legislative body itself. And now, the integral part of adopting a new constitution is far from being finished.
The government has announced a roadmap aimed at finishing the work of the legislatures but there are genuine concerns whether the new constitution could be adopted before the end of the President’s current term ends in 2008.
The oppositions are blaming the government saying the President has not been honest when he announced the reform agenda. But the government says that they want to adopt the new constitution as soon as possible.
It is no doubt that the government, which also heads the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), has a clear majority in the Special Majlis. And therefore, when the opposition’s claim that the legislatures work has actually been dragged by the government it certainly carries some weight. But in an interview earlier this year, when Maldivian ambassador to UK, Hassan Sabir, issued a stark warning that the country could face chaos unless a multiparty election was held in 2008, he may have actually echoed the government’s position. Hypothetically, the government would want to stretch the whole work of adopting a new constitution until 2008 to avoid an early election and also to win back some of the ground that they have probably lost since the current political process started. But maybe not beyond that because then it would create a whole array of challenges for President Gayoom and his government, both domestically and internationally.
However, the oppositions in Maldives, lead by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), could become the real beneficiary if the reform agenda becomes a failure. In theory, MDP too would want to see political reform in Maldives but there are serious doubts whether they would want see these changes taking place under President Gayyoom. Right from the beginning, MDP’s core manifesto has been to drive the President from power. They have always said that President Gayyoom is not an honest man and he should resign immediate. In the past two years, they have tried to stir popular uprisings with the hope of forcing the government to resign. But when none of this was achieved, they began more sinister tactics of disrupting the parliamentary sessions.
DRP may hold a majority in the Special Malis, but the MPs affiliated with the MDP have been responsible for the abrupt end of several of the parliamentary sessions. Some of them are quite notorious for their menacing habit of regularly disrupting the Speaker or the other MPs, leading to the end of the session prematurely. A lot of them are also wannabe politicians and now they seem to grow bolder with each session. Earlier this year, the MPs form Meemu atoll had cursed the Deputy Speaker of the House during one of the session, causing several MPs to walk out in protest.
In the past, whenever a session of the Special Majlis had to be canceled due to poor turn of the members, MPs affiliated with the government were faced with harsh criticism. One of these MPs recently explained his position, saying that it was futile to attend a parliamentary session as long as hooligans were allowed to hijack the sittings. The same MPs also expressed frustration at the Speaker, saying that he has been doing nothing while a small band of people sabotaged the parliament sessions. And according him, the Speaker has full authority to forcefully eject those MPs who disrupt and disobey during a parliamentary session.
With a little over one year left before the incumbent government’s term expires in 2008, perhaps, the best way for the government of President Gayoom to show their commitment for the reform agenda is to allow the Special Majlis to function properly— even if requires ejecting those honourable hooligans from building.
It is now more than two-and-half years since the incumbent People’s Special Majlis (the legislative body) was convened for the purpose of rewriting a new constitution in the Maldives. The new constitution was to allow multiparty democracy for the first time in the Maldives.
Following President Maumoon Abdul’s announcement to introduce ‘sweeping political reform’ in the Maldives, when the Special Majlis was convened in 2004 the assumption was that the legislatures would be able to finish their work within a year. But it took more than a year to adopt rules governing how to conduct business within the legislative body itself. And now, the integral part of adopting a new constitution is far from being finished.
The government has announced a roadmap aimed at finishing the work of the legislatures but there are genuine concerns whether the new constitution could be adopted before the end of the President’s current term ends in 2008.
The oppositions are blaming the government saying the President has not been honest when he announced the reform agenda. But the government says that they want to adopt the new constitution as soon as possible.
It is no doubt that the government, which also heads the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), has a clear majority in the Special Majlis. And therefore, when the opposition’s claim that the legislatures work has actually been dragged by the government it certainly carries some weight. But in an interview earlier this year, when Maldivian ambassador to UK, Hassan Sabir, issued a stark warning that the country could face chaos unless a multiparty election was held in 2008, he may have actually echoed the government’s position. Hypothetically, the government would want to stretch the whole work of adopting a new constitution until 2008 to avoid an early election and also to win back some of the ground that they have probably lost since the current political process started. But maybe not beyond that because then it would create a whole array of challenges for President Gayoom and his government, both domestically and internationally.
However, the oppositions in Maldives, lead by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), could become the real beneficiary if the reform agenda becomes a failure. In theory, MDP too would want to see political reform in Maldives but there are serious doubts whether they would want see these changes taking place under President Gayyoom. Right from the beginning, MDP’s core manifesto has been to drive the President from power. They have always said that President Gayyoom is not an honest man and he should resign immediate. In the past two years, they have tried to stir popular uprisings with the hope of forcing the government to resign. But when none of this was achieved, they began more sinister tactics of disrupting the parliamentary sessions.
DRP may hold a majority in the Special Malis, but the MPs affiliated with the MDP have been responsible for the abrupt end of several of the parliamentary sessions. Some of them are quite notorious for their menacing habit of regularly disrupting the Speaker or the other MPs, leading to the end of the session prematurely. A lot of them are also wannabe politicians and now they seem to grow bolder with each session. Earlier this year, the MPs form Meemu atoll had cursed the Deputy Speaker of the House during one of the session, causing several MPs to walk out in protest.
In the past, whenever a session of the Special Majlis had to be canceled due to poor turn of the members, MPs affiliated with the government were faced with harsh criticism. One of these MPs recently explained his position, saying that it was futile to attend a parliamentary session as long as hooligans were allowed to hijack the sittings. The same MPs also expressed frustration at the Speaker, saying that he has been doing nothing while a small band of people sabotaged the parliament sessions. And according him, the Speaker has full authority to forcefully eject those MPs who disrupt and disobey during a parliamentary session.
With a little over one year left before the incumbent government’s term expires in 2008, perhaps, the best way for the government of President Gayoom to show their commitment for the reform agenda is to allow the Special Majlis to function properly— even if requires ejecting those honourable hooligans from building.
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