Unbearable hypocrisy of our lawmakers as independence day arrives

With Independence Day fast approaching, official preparations for the national festivities are moving into high gear.

Glowing decorative lights are being put up all around to project an image of collective pride and jubilation.

But as the country prepares to mark the conclusion of its 61st year of sovereignty and step into its 62nd, serious doubts are emerging about how the citizens really feel.

True independence means being liberated from suppression, it is the capacity for individuals, communities or an entire country to exercise self-determination within an established framework, completely free from outside force.

However, at present, the typical citizen experiences no such liberty.

Unchecked inflation and crumbling public services

The cost of basic living is climbing out of control, and financial analysts warn that this upward trajectory will persist without any relief in sight.

A main driver behind this crisis is the price of the U.S. Dollar, which sits near MVR 22 despite explicit assurances from the president that the currency would stabilize.

As a direct result, basic utilities like water and electricity are shooting up alongside the prices of everyday goods.

Even after accounting for Ramadan discounts, utility costs have spiked to unprecedented heights compared to prior months.

Simultaneously, the public healthcare system is in utter disarray.

Everyday citizens are reduced to begging for medical aid, while chronic shortages of essential prescribed drugs inflict severe emotional agony on parents and households.

Mass layoffs destroying local livelihoods

Adding to these existing hardships, a fresh crisis has surfaced in the form of a three-month deadline requiring a 33 percent slash to the workforce.

This policy is being aggressively carried out without any regard for individual suffering. Vast numbers of workers are being thrown out of their jobs.

People who abandoned their traditional ways of earning a living, such as fishing, to take up employment at state enterprises like Fenaka are now having their positions terminated.

Even individuals who originally obtained jobs as a reward for supporting parliamentary candidates are watching their contracts get canceled, leaving them completely unable to provide for their dependents or go back to their former lines of work.

Death of checks and balances

This grim state of affairs is the direct outcome of all three branches of government merging into a single power structure.

The authorities who were constitutionally charged with holding the executive branch in check have effectively surrendered their watchdog responsibilities.

By giving up their autonomy to the executive, the checks and balances traditionally held by the judiciary and the legislature have been totally compromised.

A rubber-stamp Majlis bound by fear

The current People’s Majlis bears full responsibility for creating this environment.

Instead of fulfilling its duty to enforce government accountability, the legislature shifted its allegiance.

The legislative super-majority effectively surrendered the independent judgment of individual lawmakers over to the disciplinary committees of their respective political parties.

Statutory revisions were passed guaranteeing that if a representative is booted out of their party, they automatically forfeit their seat in Parliament.

Operating under this continuous threat, members belonging to the ruling PNC, who command the super-majority, are utterly unable to speak out or stand up for their constituents whenever doing so contradicts the government line.

Their political freedom is completely choked by the terror of losing their jobs.

Silence as constituents suffer

Because of this dynamic, lawmakers remain entirely silent even when official promises go broken or when the people who elected them face severe adversity.

Making even the smallest sign of rebellion could instantly end a politician's career.

Consequently, they stand by helplessly as the very citizens who actively campaigned for them are stripped of their livelihoods.

Forced loyalty in a fear-driven society

As a result of these parliamentary surrenders, the day-to-day freedom of the average citizen has been severely restricted.

Personal liberty has taken a backseat to the overwhelming fear of losing one's job, seeing one's family displaced, or facing legal retaliation.

People feel forced to display public loyalty to the administration, sign up as ruling party members, and keep their distance from opposition politics.

Showing up to government political rallies feels like a mandatory obligation rather than a voluntary choice.

So, while the label of independence technically remains, any real freedom to participate in independent political life has been thoroughly dismantled.

Looming confrontation with betrayed voters

In the final analysis, this reality was created by the PNC lawmakers themselves, who willingly handed their constitutional powers and oversight authority over to the executive.

The question that remains is simple: what face will these politicians show to the public on Independence Day? How will they have the audacity to visit the communities they represent? How can they claim to advocate for the rights of the very voters who fought to get them elected?

While these lawmakers continue to enjoy bloated salaries, financial stability, and high-end overseas medical care for their own families, they will eventually have to confront the stark reality of the people they represent.

When a voter who was given a job in exchange for their support is subsequently fired, what excuse will the representative offer? What face will they show to their neighbors?

And above all, what will they possibly say when they come back begging for the public's vote in the next election?