PNC PG leader fears MDP might stage protests during Friday sermons if assembly law is repealed

Parliamentary Group Leader of the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) and MP for Inguraidhoo constituency Ibrahim Falah, has claimed that repealing the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Act could lead the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to stage protests during Friday prayer times, even near the mosque podium.

Speaking during Wednesday’s parliamentary debate on the bill to repeal the Act, Falah argued that MDP is seeking its removal because the public no longer responds to their calls for gatherings, insisting that no citizens remain who would assemble at the party’s request. He pointed to the PNC gathering held on November 14, characterizing it as the largest political assembly ever recorded and claiming MDP members were “feverish” with frustration over it.

Falah maintained that assemblies should be confined to designated areas, asserting that other citizens also have rights that must be respected. He warned that without the current law, MDP might protest in schools, hold gatherings during Friday prayers, and raise their voices near the mosque podium. He further accused MDP of acting without regard for the public interest and stated that citizens do not support the repeal.

His stance contrasts with the actions of the ruling party during the Covid-19 pandemic, when its members held large rallies in violation of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) restrictions intended to curb the spread of the virus. At one such rally, a protestor even spat phlegm on a police officer.

Falah also praised the current administration, asserting that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s government has granted the freedom of peaceful assembly to its fullest extent. Yet, despite this claim, the government has summoned numerous individuals to the police, taken their statements, and even detained them for participating in assemblies.

Although Falah now opposes repealing the law, President Muizzu’s manifesto includes a pledge to expand the right to assemble.

Article 19.11 states that assembly is a fundamental right and that the freedom to assemble will be broadened in accordance with the standards of developed nations and in a manner that does not contradict Islamic principles.

The repeal of the Act also appears in the current government’s legislative agenda. However, while the government has not initiated the repeal, members of Muizzu’s party have spoken against it after MDP submitted a bill seeking its removal.