- Cabinet ministers accuse opposition parliament members of subverting constitution by “hijacking” executive powers -
The cabinet resigned this afternoon, protesting the behaviour of opposition MPs who they said were “hijacking” the powers of the executive and making it impossible for the cabinet Ministers to discharge their constitutional duties and deliver the government’s election manifesto.
At a press conference held at the President’s Office shortly after the end of the weekly cabinet meeting, the President, flanked by the Vice President and the cabinet, announced the Ministers’ decision to resign.
“The Majlis is preventing the cabinet ministers from performing their legal obligations. Majlis members are behaving against the spirit and the letter of the Constitution,” said the President.
The President added that he would investigate the reasons why the Majlis is preventing cabinet ministers from performing their duties.
The President and the Vice President have not resigned from office.
Speaking after the press conference, cabinet members said that the People’s Majlis, in which opposition parties hold a small majority of seats, was becoming increasingly “dictatorial,” issuing numerous edicts to prevent ministers from carrying out their duties.
“Every passing week, there is another attempt by opposition MPs to wrestle more control from the executive. They are making the country ungovernable,” said Attorney General Husnu Suood.
“Opposition MPs are obstructing the business of government. They have awarded themselves powers to appoint members to independent institutions, when this is clearly a prerogative of the President. They have declared that the government cannot raise any loans from abroad or rent any government or state asset without their say-so. And they are threatening Ministers with no confidence motions on spurious grounds,” said Finance Minister Ali Hashim.
“The opposition MPs are operating a ‘scorched Earth’ policy, trying to stop the government from doing any work to help the people. We have told the President that we cannot continue to work like this,” stated Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed.
The Maldives has a Presidential system of government, with a separation of powers between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, guaranteed under a Constitution that was enacted in 2008.
The President and Vice President are elected directly by the people in a popular vote. President Nasheed and Vice President Waheed were elected in October 2008. They are due for re-election in 2013.
The Majlis, or parliament, has 77 directly elected members. The new parliament was sworn into office in May 2009. The opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party, which is aligned to the People’s Alliance party, have 34 seats in the Majlis and the support of a number of independent MPs.
