Parliament's deputy speaker still taking MDP slot during Committee meetings: MP Mahloof

Spokesperson for the Joint Opposition, MP Ahmed Mahloof has said that deputy speaker Moosa Manik had spoken as a representative of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) during Thursday's session of the Parliament's Committee on National Security.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday evening, the Galolhu-South constituency MP noted that the deputy speaker had joined the Committee session on an MDP slot, and that he had spoken as a representative of the opposition party.

Mahloof noted that the main point being made by the prosecution during the trials of the four former ruling party MPs who were stripped of their parliamentary seats "is that they had represented the ruling party in Parliament until they were expelled from the party for a second time".

"However, during [Thursday's committee meeting MP Manik, who is currently a representative of the ruling party, had participated in the meeting on the MDP slot," added Mahloof.

Hulhu-Heneviru constituency MP Manik signed to the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on 11th July 2017, two days prior to the Supreme Court's controversial Anti-Defection ruling. He was removed from MDP in December 2014, after violating the party's whip lines numerous times.

MP Mahloof, who left the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) back in 2015, said that he had to work under a PPM slot for six months after leaving the party "because of the Elections Commission's failure to remove [him] from the -party's register".

"There is no way to remove yourself from a party, this is what is happening to the other members as well," he added.

Mahloof said that he hopes that the Supreme Court is fair in their ruling in the cases of the disqualified lawmakers.

Noting that the Supreme Court has been acting more like PPM's secretary general, Mahloof said that "this is embarrassing".

Also speaking at the conference, MP Mahloof expressed concern over the state's decision to confiscate the passports of a number of senior opposition members, emphasizing that Jumhooree Party leader and Maamigilli constituency MP Qasim Ibrahim has been deprived the right to health by not allowing him to travel abroad for medical treatment.

MP Mahloof's passport has been seized as well. He was released in June, after serving two consecutive sentences on obstruction charges.