Bill on banning alcohol accepted by Parliament

The bill on amendments to Prohibited Items Act, to regulate a blanket prohibition on pork and alcohol in the Maldives, has been accepted by the Parliament.

The bill was submitted to by Thulhaadhoo MP Nazim Rashad.

Equal number of MPs voted to accept as well as reject the bill for debate at the Parliament, at which point Speaker Abdullah Shahid voted in favour of accepting the bill.

Exactly 24 MPs voted to accept as well as reject the bill, while 11 MPs abstained.

The bill, following Parliament acceptance, has been sent to the National Security Committee for assessment.

Nazim Rashad expressed happiness over the fact that no MP had opposed the amendment proposed by him. He said that the 77 MPs of the Parliament are willing and ready to serve Islam.

Maafannu-hulhangu MP Abdul Raheem Abdullah said that former Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Abdul Majeed Abdul Baaree had said that the policies currently followed by the Maldives in relation to alcohol are acceptable, and that the former Minister had advised that the profits made from selling alcohol at resorts should be used to construct harbours and sewage systems for the people of Maldives.

Abdul Raheem said that alcohol is explicitly banned in Islam, which means there is no room for people to create laws and regulations about alcohol.

MP of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Shifag Mufeed said that the Parliament needs a person with a Masters Degree in Islamic Figh, in order to ensure that legislations align with Islamic principles.

He noted that the Parliament would be easily educated on such issues if religious scholar the late Dr Afrasheem Ali was alive and serving the Parliament.