MDP MP accuses parliamentarians of ”demolishing the constitution”
08 Jun 2010, 5:47 PM
Ahmed Nazeer
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Hamza has claimed the constitution of the Maldives gives too many powers to parliamentarians, and accused them of ”demolishing” it.
MP Hamza said the constitution narrowed both presidential power and the power of the judiciary in favour of parliament.
”The powers are split into three so one power can compel another to act with responsibility,” MP Hamza said, ”but today we are seeing something different – we see the parliamentarians trying to take over the presidential powers.”
MP Hamza said the constitution very clearly stated the responsibilities of each power.
”However, the parliamentarians are trying to narrow the presidential powers,” MP Hamza said, ”for instance, some parliamentarians are trying to take the power of proposing names and appointing people for independent commissions, which actually is a power of the president.”
He said that the power of appointing people for the government’s media and Civil Service Commission (CSC) was also sought by the parliament.
He condemned a bill proposed to the parliament by Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed, which he claimed was trying to take over the power of appointing people for senior posts in the armed forces.
Deputy leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Umar Naseer said that what Hamza said was ”certainly true.”
”But he does not mean that DRP MPs, he was speaking about MDP MPs,” Umar said. ”There are such bills proposed by MDP MPs recently, but I can’t recall them immediately.”
Umar said that the presidential powers should be narrowed “because when a sword is given to a silly person, people should establish ways to manage it.”