HRCM member appointment: Shammoon secures highest marks

Shammoon Hameed secured the highest score in the parliamentary committee’s assessment of candidates for appointment as a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM).

The details were disclosed in a report by the Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights and Gender publicized on August 20^th following its review of the prospective candidates.

Under the scoring criteria used for appointments to independent institutions and statutory positions, educational qualifications and their relevance to the position carry the highest weighting, with a maximum of 20 marks. Relevant professional experience carries the second-highest weighting, at 15 marks. The assessment is based on a total of 100 marks, while the remaining categories carry weightings ranging from 10 to 15 marks.

According to the committee’s report, Shammoon Hameed, H. Meenaz, ranked first with a score of 92 percent, while Samau Ahmed Najeeb, Asayge, GDh. Thinadhoo, ranked second with 86%. Samau is currently serving as a member of the HRCM.

Shammoon Hameed has previously held several senior government positions, including Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Heritage and Secretary General of the HRCM, a position he held for seven years. His higher education background is in music. Samau, meanwhile, holds an advanced degree in human rights and is currently serving as an HRCM member.

During the debate on the report in the Parliament, Vaikaradhoo MP Hussain Ziyad raised concerns about what he characterized as a lack of fairness in the scoring process.

Ziyad said that although both candidates are capable, there appeared to be an inconsistency in the assessment of educational relevance, noting that the top-ranked candidate holds a Master’s degree in music, while the candidate who placed second holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights Law from the University of London.

"It is regrettable that when evaluating educational relevance for this specific role, music was scored equally to, or higher than, human rights law," Ziyad remarked, while also criticizing what he described as a practice of awarding higher marks to candidates listed first by the President's Office.

In response, PNC Parliamentary Group Leader, Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah maintained that both candidates are highly qualified for the position.

He noted that while 20 marks are allocated for relevant educational qualifications, the overall score is determined through a broader assessment covering several categories. Falah added that it is entirely plausible and logical for the final ranking to be affected by the marks awarded across the four or five other areas of assessment.