Abdul Raheem defends amendment to parliamentary regulations aimed at weakening public petitions
23 އޯގަސްޓު 2026 | އާދީއްތަ 11:01The Speaker of the Parliament has stated that a recent amendment to the parliamentary regulations allowing multiple petitions to be submitted on the same issue is intended to broaden public participation. However, the opposition alleges that this move is a calculated attempt by the government to undermine and obstruct petitions filed against the administration. The amendment was passed by the Parliament with a majority of 56 votes.
Speaker of the People's Majlis and Member of Parliament for the Fonadhoo constituency, Abdul Raheem Abdulla. | rayyithunge majlis
Speaker of the People's Majlis and MP for the Fonadhoo constituency, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, has defended a recent amendment to the parliamentary regulations that allows for the submission of multiple petitions regarding a single issue.
Speaking at Sunday's parliamentary sitting, Abdul Raheem stated that the recent amendments to the regulations governing the submission of petitions to the People's Majlis do not solely benefit the PNC, but rather expand opportunities for all parties.
Noting that previous regulations allowed only a single party to submit a petition on a specific issue, Abdul Raheem stated that the People’s Majlis is working to broaden opportunities for public participation as much as possible.
As the honorable member is aware, the debate that just took place was regarding a petition submitted by the public. While participating in that very debate, you claimed to oppose debating the petition itself. I believe this is a significant attempt to mislead the public.Abdul Raheem Abdulla
Member of Parliament for the Funadhoo constituency, Mohamed Mamdhooh Yunus, has proposed an amendment to repeal Article 257-1 (h) of the Parliament's Standing Orders. The provision he seeks to abolish currently stipulates that a petition cannot be submitted to Parliament if it requests action on a matter that is already the subject of an ongoing petition previously submitted to the house.
The General Purpose Committee has approved the amendment proposed by the PNC supermajority. Following this, the motion to amend the parliamentary rules of procedure was put to a vote during the Majlis floor session, where it passed with a majority of 56 members. Nine members voted against the amendment.
Many observers believe this is a calculated move by the government to undermine the power of public petitions. By introducing competing petitions on the same subject, the government aims to create "chaos" within the Parliament, effectively sabotaging these efforts and silencing the voice of the people.
With this change, the government will now have a significant opportunity to "block" any future anti-government petitions by immediately submitting a counter-petition on the same subject.
