Public backlash after Majlis goes into recess after passing nine bills
According to Majlis rules of procedure, the first session of parliament ends on May 15 every year
A sitting of the People's Majlis
Public criticism has been directed at lawmakers at the People's Majlis for going on recess after passing only nine bills during this year's first session.
After hastily passing several bills on Thursday, the People's Majlis has gone into a two-week recess. Announcing the end of the first session and the start of the recess on Thursday, Speaker of Parliament Abdul Raheem Abdulla stated that 32 sittings were held and nine bills were passed during the first session.
Abdul Raheem mentioned that these included important amendments such as the amendment to the Maldives Immigration Act and the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act. He also emphasized that 77 percent of the work submitted to parliament was completed during the session.
According to the statistics published by the Parliament Secretariat, a total of 19 bills were worked on during the session. This included nine bills carried over from the previous session and 10 newly submitted bills. Of the 10 bills that have not been passed yet, nine are in committee stage while one is on the floor.
During the session, work was done on important bills such as the Attorney General's Office Bill, the Gangs Bill, amendments to the Decentralization Act, as well as the bill to amend the Immigration Act to ban Israeli passports and the Generational Ban on Tobacco Bill. However, the public has criticized that the bills were not adequately researched while being worked on. In addition to this, the public has expressed concern over committee meetings being held late at night to make decisions, and some bills being passed according to the government's wishes without considering the opinions of experts in the respective fields.
During the session, 38 tasks submitted by the government were worked on, of which 37 have been completed by the parliament. Also, out of nine tasks submitted by the Speaker, seven have been completed.
The public has also criticized the lack of progress in questioning members of the president’s Cabinet of Ministers during the recently wrapped up session. Out of 48 questions asked by lawmakers, including questions carried over from the previous session, only 34 were answered. Therefore, 14 questions remained unanswered on the floor. Lawmakers have also expressed concern over the delay in questioning ministers and the breakdown of communication.
According to Majlis rules of procedure, the first session of parliament ends on May 15 every year. The second session begins on the first day of June.
