Extraordinary parliament sitting adjourned amid discord

Extraordinary sitting of the parliament called for by the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to push the government’s revenue generation bills today has been adjourned following raised tensions amongst members over priority of pending bills.

Suspending the sitting soon after it began, Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid said the chair wishes to meet with majority and minority leaders to seek common ground. He did not announce when the sitting will resume.

The session was halted over calls for points of order by MPs from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). They said the parliament cannot proceed with taxation bills without addressing social protection and subsidy bills.

MPs of the ruling PPM did not speak during today's session.

In a bid to pass some key revenue bills, PPM has asked the parliament to amend the Tourism Act to continue collecting the bed tax, which was ceased starting January 2014. The party has also proposed a bill to amendment the Goods and Services Tax Act.