Citizens have to intervene if court orders are not followed: Dhiyana Saeed

Former Attorney General and SAARC Secretary General Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed has said that if the government fails to comply with orders issued by the courts, citizens have to intervene to find a solution.

Speaking at a Press Conference held by a lawyers group at VTV, the SAARC Secretary General appointed by President Nasheed said that the government cannot choose to follow certain Acts of the Constitution and ignore others, and that if the government fails to obey court orders, the people of the country have to find a solution to this problem.

“These are not issues which can be picked and chosen. We will follow a certain Act, but a certain other Act is not for us – not even the government has the right to say this. The Constitution and regulations are not rules that should be followed only when we feel like it. They must be followed at all times,” Dhiyana said.

Dhiyana, who acted as Attorney General in the beginning of this regime but was removed from the post due to opinion differences with the President, said that whether a person is acting in violation of the law or not is a decision made by court Judges, and that it is a very serious problem if orders issued by the courts are not being followed.

She further said that the Parliament needs to commence efforts on behalf of Maldivian citizens, to solve this issue.

Lawyer Aishath Aazima Shakoor said that the Supreme Court should take steps against the security forces’ failure to comply with the court’s order to release Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

She further said that the arrest of Judge Abdulla has caused fear among Judges to carry out their responsibilities independently, and that efforts to sustain an autonomous judicial system will continue.