Meekail: Nasheed and Fayyaz’s constitutional proposals are ‘top-down’ without consultation

South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem has criticized the constitutional changes proposed by former President Mohamed Nasheed and former MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail, describing them as “top-down” reforms made without consultation with party members.

Nasheed and Fayyaz held a joint press conference on Sunday to announce sweeping proposals under the banner of “Great Change,” including reforms to the Constitution, the system of government, Parliament, and the economy. Responding on Tuesday, Meekail, who is contesting for the post of permanent chairman of MDP, stressed that the party’s tradition has always been to shape policy from the bottom up, through consultation with ordinary members.

“These are top-down proposals without consulting the party’s National Assembly and general members,” Meekail said. “Such major decisions should be taken after consultation with ordinary members and the National Assembly.”

Nasheed has also entered the race for permanent chairman and announced his endorsement of Fayyaz for the 2028 presidential election. While welcoming Nasheed’s candidacy, Meekail emphasized that the role of chairman must remain neutral. “The responsibility of a chairman in charge of running the party is to be solely for the party, not relying on a particular person’s interests,” he said, adding that under his leadership, the MDP would be run with equal opportunities and broad consultation.

Meekail further stated that a chairman should give equal opportunity to all candidates to contest the presidential election rather than protect the interests of one individual. He expressed hope that both Nasheed and Fayyaz would remain within the party regardless of the outcome of the chairmanship race. “I will remain with the party whether I succeed or fail. I want to win the 2028 presidential election. I will bring all the leaders in the party together and do everything I can to defeat President Muizzu in 2028,” he said.

Fayyaz and Nasheed’s proposals include:

• Separating the roles of head of state and head of government, with the head of government accountable to Parliament and the head of state remaining politically neutral.

• Establishing an oversight commission to monitor independent institutions.

• Introducing a system to remove judges by public vote.

• Maintaining the current number of MPs while increasing opportunities for women.

• Granting citizens the power to remove members of Parliament.

Fayyaz clarified that the proposals are not intended to introduce a parliamentary system. However, former Chief Justice Dr Ahmed Abdullah Didi criticized the initiative, saying it reflects an attempt by an opposition faction to gain power. “This shows the current government has once again wielded the Constitution as a tool to control state powers and institutions and remain in office, and that an opposition faction is now attempting, in a similarly covert way, to use it to gain power,” he said.