Opposition coalition moves to boycott Parliament

Opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC) have moved to boycott the Parliament session tomorrow.

A statement issued by the opposition coalition read that the Parliament was no longer seen as a place where the legal duties of opposition MPs can be carried out safely. This was the reason why opposition MPs will not be taking part in tomorrow’s session.

A parliamentary session has been planned for 9:00 tomorrow. The opposition coalition noted reasons in its statement for boycotting the session. 

One was the events of the session held on June 2, 1:30 where MP Shiyam of PPM was forcefully removed by MDP MPs after the Speaker announced his name three times while in violation of Article 65 of Parliament regulations.

The opposition said that the injuries suffered by the MP and the fact that the session was carried on without opposition MPs that went to check on MP Shiyam were also a part of this reason. Opposition MPs were locked out of the session and lost their right to vote and speak on the matter at hand, read the statement.

The statement also cited the violations by the Speaker regarding the failure to stop the events of the night when regulation and laws regarding the powers of the Parliament clearly stated that it was the responsibility of the Speaker.

The opposition also said that the Speaker had not only failed to carry out his duties but had acted in complete violation of the integrity and respect owed to the Parliament.

The safety and security of the MPs were also not fully arranged by the state security forces, which resulted in the violence by MDP MPs on the night, read the statement which also noted that this was a violation of Article (239) and (106) of the Constitution. 

Due to the stated reasons above, the statement read that opposition MPs would not be taking part in the sessions. The statement also read that opposition MPs would not attend tomorrow’s session since MP Shiyam’s condition had deteriorated and a criminal investigation was being conducted regarding the matter.

A decision on whether to participate in future sessions by the joint-parties will be made and soon issued, read the statement.