The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for the removal of Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, from his position.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the main opposition party stressed that it has become clear beyond doubt, from the statements of the Elections Commission and from the own admission of the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), that invalid forms were submitted to the Elections Commission in the campaign to increase the ruling party’s membership count. While PNC claimed this happened due to their inability to verify the authenticity of forms submitted by various parties, MDP has asserted that it has now been revealed that this was a deliberately planned crime.

MDP has strictly condemned the disgraceful act of Minister Ihusaan, who played a leading role in this major crime of stealing personal information of Maldivian citizens.

The main opposition party went on to state that while ministers take an oath in the name of Allah to protect the Constitution and the rights of citizens, Minister Ihusaan’s involvement in stealing personal information of Maldivian citizens who submit documents to the Maldivian government for various services is an act that violates the oath he took as a minister.

MDP’s statement reads that as evident from the photos that have now become public, the entire process of recruiting people to PNC using the staff, resources, and information of the Department of National Registration took place under the direct supervision of Minister Ihusaan.

The main opposition party has called on the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to investigate this vile act committed by Minister Ihusaan.

The party stressed that since Minister Ihusaan is in charge of overseeing the police institution, it would be impossible to conduct a fair investigation into this matter if he remains in his position. Therefore, they called on the government to remove Minister Ihusaan from his position to ensure a fair investigation into the scandal. MDP also urged the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to conduct a full investigation into the scandal, as it is an act of obtaining undue advantage using state resources.

The main opposition party also highlighted that Maldivian citizens seek services from relevant government agencies with the assurance that their personal information will not be disclosed to other parties. However, MDP noted that stealing personal information of Maldivian citizens to increase a party's membership count is an extremely uncivilized and treacherous act. As they believe this is an act that could erode public trust in the government, MDP has urged relevant government agencies to take necessary measures to ensure such incidents do not occur again.

The statement also called on EC not to register any of the forms submitted until this matter is investigated and resolved, as it has become clear that many of the forms submitted to EC for inclusion in PNC's registry are fraudulent.