MDP urges police to safeguard DNR to ensure national security

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s legal team has reminded the Maldives Police Service (MPS) that safeguarding the Department of National Registration (DNR) is vital for national security.

This comes at a time hundreds of citizens are being unknowingly registered to the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) through fraudulent registration forms using DNR’s database.

MDP’s legal team visited the police headquarters before noon on Wednesday to obtain information on the progress of the investigation into the case.

Providing information to journalists outside the police headquarters regarding the visit, Anas Abdul Sattar, a member of the legal team and spokesperson for the main opposition party, said that it has become clear that the political staff at DNR have no respect for the institution.

Anas was referring to the journalists' “pizza” meeting held at DNR on Tuesday. The journalists who went to said meeting directed questions about the issue of discreetly filling PNC forms inside DNR, but those in political positions left without answering, fleeing from accountability.

Anas said that after inviting journalists in advance, opening doors and such, when a question was asked, they couldn't answer and just left.

Further, he stressed that they would continue to show the same lack of respect to that institution as they have shown so far.

With this, he has requested the police institution to carry out the necessary efforts to safeguard the integrity of DNR.

Anas said that at Wednesday's meeting, the police noted that in addition to the issues raised by MDP, this matter would also be a "security breach" for passports.

The MDP spokesperson noted that they gave the team a lot of assurance, highlighting the importance and sensitivity of the institution and that the police said this is a serious matter, assuring that they are investigating it further.

Highlighting that while the Elections Commission of Maldives has announced that PNC has more than 68,000 members, Anas said that it is widely known that these figures were inflated through the submission of fraudulent forms.

Anas said that at Wednesday's meeting, MPS also said that they are working on gathering the necessary information from those who have submitted complaints.

It has been revealed that senior political figures from the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology used photos and information from DNR to forge signatures and fingerprints on forms to change party affiliations. While the government repeatedly denied this was happening, leaked photos on social media show Homeland Security and Technology Minister Ali Ihusaan inside DNR, sitting at a table filling out forms to register people to PNC. The minister was seen with his phone in hand, along with DNR’s Deputy Minister Ahmed Ali and other senior political figures.

The minister claimed he was there in response to an “invitation for pizza”. With allegations of stealing citizens' private information to increase party membership, concerns have intensified. As DNR and the Home Ministry landed in hot water, they extended an invitation to journalists on Tuesday to showcase DNR's operations. The invitation stated it was an event to show journalists DNR's operations. Journalists were taken to a room where pizza was laid out, only to be ushered out for what was said to be a “news briefing”.

The press meeting was attended by State Minister Majid, Deputy Minister Ahmed Ali, and a technical staff member. They stated that the room where the journalists were was the same room where photos of Ihusaan were allegedly taken. Journalists asked questions about why Ihusaan was there and details of what transpired. Unable to answer, the officials left the briefing. The Home Ministry's media coordinator then faced the journalists. It wasn't clarified whether the press meeting had concluded or not.

Critics are blasting the Home Ministry for a tone-deaf “pizza” invitation to journalists, pointing out that after more than a year power, this is the first such stunt, particularly suspicious given the controversial photos of Ihusaan inside the DNR meeting room. Many see it as a mockery of the public’s need for transparency.