Majlis gives approval to Thalhath and Didi

The People’s Majlis has today given its approval to two cabinet appointments made by the President. Two ministers approved today are Thalhath Ibrahim Didi and Dr. Ibrahim Didi, for Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture respectively.

Out of 75 present and voting members, 50 voted in favor of giving approval to Thalhath, while 24 members voted against him. When the approval of Dr. Didi was asked for, there were 76 members in the floor of whom 40 voted yes and 35 members voted their disapproval of Dr. Didi.

People’s Majlis Standing Committee on Government Accountability’s report on the two appointments prepared for today’s session was presented, and the report recommended approval for Thalhath to take the office of Defence Minister. However the report suggested disapproval for Dr. Didi. Opposition members stated that neither of these two appointments was meritorious enough to be taken into the cabinet.

Divehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) member Ali Arif, representing Vaikaradhoo Constituency, stated that as the Majlis had previously declined to give approval to Dr. Didi for the office of Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, the Majlis should do the same again. He also called upon President Mohamed Nasheed to abstain from challenging the authority of the Majlis by re-sending rejected names for cabinet posts again and again.

Abdul Raheem Abdullah, member of the People’s Alliance and MP for Fonadhoo Constituency said that his party had decided to reject Dr. Didi for two reasons. One reason, he stated, was that President Nasheed had sent Didi’s name for approval into the cabinet not a year after he was rejected for the same cabinet portfolio only to disregard the dignity, authority and esteem of the Majlis. Second reason, according to Abdul Raheem was that Dr. Didi had accepted his appointment to cabinet by the President in outright disregard of his own statements during his campaign for ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidency.

During MDP presidential elections, Dr. Didi used the statement “much services can only be rendered by a person who has much time” as his slogan. He was referring to the fact that he did not hold any offices in the government and could do a full-time job as President of MDP unlike his contender Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, who ran for MDP presidency while holding the office of the President’s Special Envoy. Using the slogan and promising that he would give all his time to MDP as president, Dr. Didi was elected to the position.