Probe sought into Heritage Minister’s alleged lie to parliament

The main opposition has sought an investigation into the alleged lies told by Minister of Dhivehi Language, Culture and Heritage Adam Naseer Ibrahim to the People’s Majlis on April 16.

The request for investigation was made by the Parliamentary Group Leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Ibrahim Nazil.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the Majlis, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, Nazil stated that he is submitting the matter to the Privileges Committee of the People's Majlis, as the Minister of Dhivehi Language, Culture and Heritage Adam Naseer Ibrahim lied during the 21st sitting of the People's Majlis for the year 2025.

Specifically, it was noted that he had lied about the Kalhuvakaru Mosque being open. Nazil said that in the minister's statement during the Majlis sitting, he claimed that the Kalhuvakaru Mosque was not locked and was open for anyone to enter, which was a deliberate distortion of the truth. Nazil said that this was false information provided to mislead the People's Majlis, and when the minister made the statement, the Kalhuvakaru Mosque had been locked and inaccessible for more than a year. After the minister made the statement, various parties criticized it on social media and publicly showed images of the locked mosque. Nazil added that the mosque was only opened later that day in the afternoon.

Further, he said that the minister spoke in the People's Majlis in a way that implied that the pillars that altered the originality of the Friday Mosque were installed by the Maldivian Democratic Party’s administration, which was an attempt to mislead the People's Majlis about the reality of the situation. Nazil said that while it is clearly known that these pillars were installed in 2016, concealing this fact from the parliament was an act by the minister to convey a different message to the public.

In addition to this, Nazil stated that the minister lied about renovating the historic mosque in Kudahuvadhoo island of Dhaalu atoll, site museums, and the National Museum. He also said that the minister showed a photo of the interior of the Malé Friday Mosque and made false claims about damage caused by chemicals and materials used in its renovation, criticizing the former administration and the Indian technical team, despite knowing that no recent interior work had been done.

Nazil said that while Article 134 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives mandates that members of the Cabinet of Ministers be accountable to the People's Majlis regarding the responsibilities and duties assigned to them, providing inaccurate information in a parliament sitting is an act contrary to a minister's responsibility of accountability.

In addition o this, according to Article 4 of Law No. 5/2013 or the Law on Privileges and Powers of the People's Majlis, any act that may undermine or hinder the privileges, dignity, or work of the People's Majlis is considered an infringement of the parliament’s privileges, as stated in Nazil's letter.

Nazil said that since being accountable to the People's Majlis means being accountable to the people, even if it is a state minister summoned to the parliament, providing false information in parliament sittings is considered to infringe upon the privileges of the parliament.

Nazil has submitted the matter to the parliament, requesting an investigation and for the Privileges Committee to take necessary measures under Article 205 of the People's Majlis Regulations.