Home minister admits political work at DNR in combative impeachment defence

  

Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan appeared in parliament to defend himself against a no-confidence motion filed by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party. 

The impeachment exercise was largely symbolic and theatrical. Reflecting the ruling party’s 75-seat supermajority in the 93-member house, where the MDP only has a dozen MPs, the motion was soundly defeated in a 64-11 vote.

Early on during Ihusan’s defiant and confrontational defence, MDP MP Meekail Naseem raised consecutive points of order to object to the home minister’s rhetoric, prompting Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla to order the expulsion of the opposition lawmaker from the chamber.

Here’s a breakdown of Ihusan’s defence on the three main allegations raised by the MDP:

Charge: Ihusan awarded expatriate worker management system contract to Malaysia's Bestinet company at a disadvantageous cost to the state. 

Background: The 15-year agreement was signed during former president Abdulla Yameen's administration in 2015. It was halted by the former MDP government in 2019. When the current administration took office, Bestinet demanded US$ 13.7 million in compensation, leading to a new implementation agreement.

Defence: Ihusan presented a detailed timeline purporting to show that the previous administration's failure to resolve the dispute, potentially costing the state millions in lost revenue. The new system would generate MVR 1.3 billion (US$ 84 million ) annually in work permit fees compared to MVR  700 million from the previous system, he said, announcing his intention to file a case with the Anti-Corruption Commission against former government officials.

Quote: "These individuals claim the state lost MVR 400 million. I'm saying the state would gain hundreds of millions in additional profit."

Charge: Ihusan obstructed criminal investigations and repeatedly interfered with police duties to protect political allies.

Defence: "If I were exerting political influence over the police, all the leaders of the previous government would now be in jail. They remain free precisely because I don't exert such influence. We do not exert political influence. We don't even need to."

Charge: Ihusan misused or allowed a breach of the Department of National Registration’s identity card database to fraudulently fill out membership forms for the ruling Progressive National Congress and registered hundreds of people without their knowledge or consent. 

Background: Photos leaked on social media showed Ihusan was present when DNR political staff filled out forms and cropped ID card photos.

Defence: Ihusan admitted that political appointees under his direction used a DNR meeting room after working hours to process PNC membership forms, including fingerprinting and pasting photos.  

Ihusan confirmed instructing about 50 political appointees at the home ministry to each complete 15 membership forms. But the forms processed at DNR were legitimate, he insisted. The staff had been completing witness sections on forms that lacked the information, he claimed.

He admitted visiting the DNR meeting room twice. It was not a secret operation, he said, noting that the leaked photos had been shared in a messaging group or group chat with about 50 people. If the DNR database had been misused, the home ministry staff would have submitted far more than 1,700 membership forms, he said.

Ihusan attempted to shift focus to similar alleged practices under the MDP government, accusing the former ruling party of fraudulently registering 520 people while in power. Staff have now been instructed to ensure that political party activities are not carried out at government premises, he said.

Quote: "I acknowledge that even if it's not legally an offense, political employees conducting political work inside a government institution is not appropriate, especially in an institution like DNR that has public trust. Such activities could undermine public confidence and raise questions."

Following Tuesday's vote, MDP condemned Ihusan's “illegal and irresponsible” remarks and accused him of refusing to properly respond to the allegations. The main opposition party seized on his admission of using political appointees and DNR resources to fill PNC membership forms.

“This party is deeply concerned that a minister who does not consider it a criminal offense to provide false evidence on hundreds of forms that he personally oversaw filling out is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the country's internal affairs and investigative agencies,” the MDP said in a statement.

During his defense, Ihusan also displayed a photo of former First Lady Fazna Ahmed with what appeared to be a voter list and alleged that the document contained illegally accessed DNR data. 

Accusing Ihusan of attempting to cover up "the biggest personal identity theft in Maldivian history," Meekail immediately rebuked the claim. The photo was taken during the 2024 MDP primary campaign and showed legitimate party membership lists collected through door-to-door campaigning, he said. Amid calls for Ihusan’s resignation for making a false allegation to deflect from his own alleged misconduct, the former first lady responded on social media.