The General Committee of the People’s Majlis on Monday decided to allocate a total of one and a half hours for debate and response on the no-confidence motion submitted by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to remove the Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, from his position.

The no-confidence motion against Ihusaan was submitted by MDP on January 17.

The two main reasons cited by the main opposition party for submitting the no-confidence motion against Minister Ihusaan to the parliament include allegations that Ihusaan was at the forefront of misusing public information held by the Department of National Registration (DNR) under the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, to fill out fraudulent forms and submit them to the Elections Commission to recruit members for the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), as well as allegations of corruption in the process of issuing quotas for bringing in foreign workers.

A meeting of the Parliament's General Committee was held to determine the time allocation for the matter. At the meeting, PNC MP for Holhudhoo constituency, Abdul Sattar, proposed to allocate one and a half hours for the work on the issue. This includes one hour for Minister Ihusaan to respond, and 30 minutes for parties to debate on this matter.

The proposal submitted by the PNC lawmaker was backed by PNC MP for Alifushi constituency, Abdul Latheef Abdul Rahman. The proposal was passed with the support of nine out of ten members. The member who voted against was Ameen Faisal, the MDP representative for Kanditheemu constituency in the committee.

When put to vote, MP Ameen expressed concerns about the proposal, stating that according to the regulations, the minister should be given 30 minutes, but the proposal allocates one hour for the minister, which means he gets an additional 30 minutes. He also noted that this would reduce the time available for the 93 members of the parliament, which is a concern.

He further stated that the opposition party, which submitted the case, would also have a lot to say on this matter, and that the proposal would significantly reduce the time allocated to MDP. He also pointed out that as the proposal stands, it increases the time for the minister to defend himself.

Ameen further said that the parliamentary majority is held by the ruling party PNC, so things will be decided as that party wants. However, he said that while he respects that decision, it is still a concern.

Defending this proposal, the committee chair and PNC’s Deputy PG Leader Mohamed Shahid, who was presiding over the meeting, said that he believes the highest priority should be given to the minister, as this is a no-confidence motion with very serious allegations against him.