Committee passes anti-defection bill

The Parliament’s Whole House Committee on Wednesday afternoon passed legislature submitted by the government seeking to have anti-defection provisions written into the Constitution to prevent floor crossing.

Article 73 (c) of the Constitution declares circumstances where lawmakers will lose their seats.

• If a lawmaker with a proven debt fails to repay it in accordance with the court ruling
• If a lawmaker is serving a term of over 12 months for a criminal conviction
• If it has not been three years since a lawmaker sentenced to over 12 months for a criminal conviction has either finished serving the sentence or had the sentence commuted
• If a lawmaker is a judge in a court of law

The bill, sponsored by Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid, declares three more circumstances where lawmakers will lose their seat. That is:

• If a lawmaker resigns from or is dismissed or expelled from the party they were elected on behalf of
• If a lawmaker switches parties or is dismissed or expelled from a party
• If an independent lawmaker joins a party

The bill was presented to the Parliament on Wednesday morning, and then forwarded to the Whole House Committee, which began its review at 12:30 pm.

The committee took the vote on the bill at around 02:30 pm.  Technical issues delayed voting, before Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla decided to have each lawmaker verbally enter their vote.

The bill passed with a majority vote of 75-13.

During the committee stage, South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem, a lawmaker from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), had submitted two amendments to the bill.

The first amendment called for a recall vote before deciding whether lawmakers who are expelled from their parties will lose their seat. It stipulated that the vote will be required if a certain percentage of eligible voters submit a petition to the Parliament seeking to oust their parliamentary representatives – 15 percent for constituencies in Male’ and other cities, and 20 percent for other constituencies.

But the amendment was rejected with a majority vote of 68-12.

Meekail also proposed extensive consultation with stakeholders before passing the bill. But the proposal was rejected with a vote of 69-11.

A second sitting has been scheduled for 05:30 pm Wednesday in order to take a floor vote on the bill.

Meekail and other MDP lawmakers have expressed concern over the move by the PNC – which holds a supermajority in the Parliament – to rush the passage of the bill without proper review or discourse.

Protestors from the MDP had gathered outside the Parliament building to demonstrate against the bill. Clashes had erupted earlier in the afternoon, when MDP protestors were confronted by pro-government protestors, including senior government officials. Some of them were seen shoving MDP protestors.

The police intervened to separate the two groups and push them back.