MDP issues three line whip for CSC appointments

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has issued a three-line-whip on its parliamentarians for the appointment of members to the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The whip was issued to support the appointment of Broadcasting Commission Secretary General Ahmed Nasid, Maldives Medica Council Secretary General Mohamed Farushath, Fathimath Shareef whi is the former spouse of current MP for South Thinadhoo Abdulla Saneef and finally, Ibrahim Rasheed. 

A PG group member of MDP confirmed the three-line-whip to Sun. The member added that the whip was issued on Agust 24, during a meeting of the PG group. 

Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed yesterday requested a review of how the list for CSC members was formed by the Parliament’s Committee on Independent Institutions. The Committee had forwarded 13 names out of 41 applicants for the four vacant seats on the commission. Nasheed, in yesterday's Parliament session, said that there was a conflict of interest regarding an MP on the Committee with a potential candidate for the seats. He then requested the Parliament’s Ethics Committee to look into the matter which foudn no such conflict of interest.

Even though Nasheed stopped short of disclosing the name of the MP involved for the alleged conflict of interest, it was identified that MP for South Thinadhoo Abdulla Saneef was the lawmaker that Nasheed was referring to.

MP Saneef’s ex-wife was included on the list of names forwarded for the seats of the CSC. MP Saneef is also a member of the Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions which reviewed the names for the posts of the CSC.

However, the Ethics Committee of the parliament said that there was no conflict of interest in instances of former spouses. Committee members decided so after referring to the parliamentary regulations which do not define such relationships as a conflict of interests.