Two bills proposed to Majlis and debate continued after eviction of three MPs with military force

Today’s sitting of the People’s Majlis continued during the afternoon to see the introduction two bills and debate on them, after three MPs belonging to the Z Faction of Divehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) were dragged out of the Majlis chamber by the Maldivian military forces. Three members belonging to Z Faction of the main opposition were forcibly evicted from the Majlis chamber by the military after they refused the Deputy Speaker’s order to leave the chamber for trying to disrupt the session.

Two bills introduced in the afternoon-session were bill on amendments to Export Import Act, and bill on Tax on Trade Profit. The session began at 1 o’clock at noon, and continued until 3:30 in the afternoon. Bill on amendments to the Export Import Act were introduced on behalf of the government by Ibrahim Rasheed, MP for Maafannu Dhekunu, Malé constituency.

As soon as debate on the bill started, members belonging to the Z Faction of the DRP and some other MPs began taking points of order in an effort to interrupt the continuation of the debate. Ahmed Hussein Manik, MP for Vilimaafannu, Malé constituency and one of the most prominent leaders of the Z Faction stood before the Majlis Secretariat and said that Majlis could not be continued without correcting the illegal decision with regards to Standing Committees of the Majlis. Ahmed Abdul Muhsin, representing Nilandhoo constituency, and Riyaz Rasheed, representing Vilufushi constituency, followed him, and tried to interrupt the session.

Deputy Speaker who presided over the session called Nihan off the chamber only 45 minutes into the session, and unlike his colleagues Mahloof, Ilham and Arif during the morning session, Nihan left the chamber when he was asked by the Deputy Speaker to leave. Before leaving, Nihan stated that while MPs had a duty to peacefully leave the chamber when their names were called, the military could not be allowed into the chamber.

The second bill introduced into the Majlis floor was bill on tax on trade profit, and it was introduced to the Majlis on behalf of the government by Abdullah Abdu al-Raheem, MP for Maafannu Hulhangu, Malé constituency, who had recently ditched DRP and joined the ruling Maldivian Democractic Party.

Of the two bills introduced today, opposition members in general supported the bill on amending the Export Import Act, though they did not support the other. After debate on the two bills were ended for the day, and the session closed at 3:30 pm, MDP Parliamentary Group exited from the Chamber to applaud from MDP supporters gathered around the Majlis building. PG members met with their supporters, and headed straight to Mulee’aage, Presidential Residence, and according to reports, President Nasheed met with them at Mulee’aage.

The extreme scenario in the Majlis began with yesterday’s sitting of the Majlis, in which some opposition members tried to disrupt the session saying that the ruling MDP and its allies had been breaking all rules in order to achieve their agendas, and that they would resist continuation of the Majlis unless all rules were properly observed. The main complaint of the Z Faction of opposition DRP has been that an impromptu meeting was called last week by informing members via sms just two hours before the meeting, in order to settle the long-disputed issue of Majlis Standing Committee composition. Z Faction had warned following the incident that they would disrupt Majlis sessions if the “wrong” was not corrected, and they have kept their word by interrupting a number of Majlis sessions since.