PNC lawmakers rally behind Ihusaan, vote to uphold confidence in line with whip

Lawmakers representing the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) have voted to uphold confidence in the Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, on the no-confidence motion submitted to the People's Majlis against the minister.

The no-confidence motion against Minister Ihusaan was submitted to the People’s Majlis on January 17.

The motion, signed by 12 lawmakers representing the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), stated that it was submitted under Article 101(a) of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives due to the home minister’s actions which clearly violate of the Constitution and laws in carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to members of the Cabinet under Article 132 of the Constitution and in exercising the powers vested in him as a member of the Cabinet, as well as engaging in actions prohibited for Cabinet members under Article 136(b) of the Constitution.

When the motion was put to a vote, 63 lawmakers representing PNC voted against the no-confidence motion in line with the party whip issued by the PNC parliamentary group.

11 lawmakers representing MDP voted in favor of the no-confidence motion.

While responding, Ihusaan was removed from the chamber after being named for making statements contrary to the facts he was presenting. As such, he did not have the opportunity to participate in the vote.

The no-confidence motion submitted by MDP highlighted that the Minister of Homeland Security and Technology is responsible for the Department of National Registration (DNR) which maintains personal information of Maldivian citizens, Maldives Immigration which maintains travel records of Maldivian citizens, and the Communications Authority of Maldives which regulates companies providing phone and internet services.

The motion stated that Ali Ihusaan, as the minister overseeing the Maldives Police Service (MPS), has committed acts in violation of the Constitution and laws, including criminal acts.

Further, the motion highlighted that if he remains in the position, there is a clear possibility he could obstruct the criminal investigation against him.

Therefore, the motion stated that his continued tenure in the position is believed to be detrimental to the rights of Maldivian citizens and could threaten the security and safety of the Maldives.

The motion stated that in the one year and two months since Minister Ihusaan took office as Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, he has done many things that a Cabinet member should not have done and violated the Constitution and laws.

In addition to this, the motion noted that while an online expat system had been established by a Maldivian company for Maldives Immigration to manage foreign workers in the Maldives, that system was terminated and a contract worth MVR 460 million annually was awarded to a Malaysian company called Bestinet, which faces major corruption allegations and has been "blacklisted", to handle all matters related to foreigners in the Maldives.

Providing further details, the motion stated that Minister Ihusaan had claimed this agreement was necessary because there was a possibility of having to pay USD 13.7 million in damages to Bestinet if the agreement made with the 2013-2018 government was not implemented. However, the motion noted that no legally binding agreement was made between the 2013-2018 government and Bestinet, and no complaint or lawsuit has been filed so far regarding the damages Bestinet claims it is owed.

The motion stated that while the work could have been done more cost-effectively through the Maldivian company that developed the system, handing over the operation of the Maldives expat system to Bestinet without considering this is acting against the state's interests and diminishing potential benefits to the state, which constitutes a criminal offense under Section 517 of the Maldives Penal Code.

Further, the motion stated that Ihusaan is not acting properly in his capacity as the minister responsible for the police service, which is established under Article 236 of the Constitution and has the power to investigate all criminal cases in the Maldives.

It stated that he has repeatedly exerted political influence over ongoing investigations, obstructed investigations into criminal acts by government-affiliated individuals, and hindered the police service from carrying out its responsibilities as stipulated in the Constitution and laws.

The motion also stated that personal information of several citizens was used without their consent to submit a large number of invalid forms to the Elections Commission in the name of increasing membership for the government-run party, which is known to have come from DNR information containing personal data of all Maldivian citizens. The motion noted that DNR is also under the supervision of Ali Ihusaan.

At Tuesday's parliamentary sitting, Minister Ihusaan confessed to filling forms at DNR and using its meeting room. Ihusaan said some form-filling work was done in a DNR meeting room in the evening. He said when the filled forms were brought, the witness section was left blank, and the work of putting fingerprints, signatures and filling in details in the witness section of those forms was carried out there.