Nazim: Delays in summoning ministers to Parliament as MPs, ministers overseas

Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, on Tuesday, has attributed the delays in summoning cabinet ministers to the Parliament to the fact that both ministers and lawmakers proposing the question are overseas.

A resolution was submitted to the Parliament on Tuesday over the delays in summoning ministers to the Parliament to answer questions.

The resolution, which emphasizes the failure to summon ministers to Parliament and the cancellation of parliamentary sittings without any explanation, was submitted by South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Lawmakers debated on the resolution during Tuesday’s sitting.

Before commencing the debate, Deputy Speaker Nazim, who was presiding over the sitting, attributed the delays in summoning cabinet ministers to the Parliament to the fact that both ministers and lawmakers proposing the question are overseas.

“What I wish to emphasize regarding the questioning of ministers is that once a question has been forwarded to a minister and the legally mandated notice has been served, the minister should be present in the Maldives and able to attend the Parliament,” he said.

“Moreover, the lawmaker who submitted the question should also be available to attend the Parliament,” he added.

Nazim detailed that efforts were made to schedule a ministerial questioning session for Tuesday’s sitting; however, it could not proceed as the lawmaker who submitted the question was overseas. He did not disclose any further details about the question or the lawmaker, aside from noting that the lawmaker was overseas on an official visit.

The ministerial questioning session planned for tomorrow’s session cannot be held for the same reason, he added.

“We proceed with scheduling [the questions] when the minister and the lawmaker who posed the question are both present the Maldives,” he said.

Nazim further said that the cabinet ministers to whom questions have been directed—and whose 14-day legal notice period has already lapsed—are also currently overseas on official visits.

In his resolution, Meekail emphasized that it is the constitutional duty of Parliament to hold the government accountable and oversee its actions. Nevertheless, he highlighted the failure of ministers, to whom questions have been directed, to appear before Parliament even after the 14-day legal notice period had passed.

Meekail also accused Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla of intentionally delaying the summoning of ministers to Parliament and canceling parliamentary sittings without providing any explanation.

As such, he said lawmakers have been obstructed from holding the government accountable.

Notably, the majority of last week’s parliamentary sittings had been cancelled. According to some lawmakers, the sittings were cancelled as there was no pending work.