PPM MPs will have to 'chop off fingers' to vote against speaker
Pro-government MPs would have to have their fingers chopped off to vote against speaker
MP Jaufar Dawood speaking in parliament
Pro-government parliamentarians would have to have their fingers chopped off to vote in favor of the no-confidence motion against parliament speaker Abdulla Maseeh, said MP Jaufar Dawood.
At a joint-conference held by the ruling coalition – the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) – MP Dawood said ‘no matter what the opposition insists’, the coalition still holds the majority.
Other MPs present at the conference had also assured that motion would not pass.
MP Ilham Ahmed said that PPM’s MPs voting for the motion would be like dipping their hand in ‘boiling water’.
Hoarafushi MP Mohamed Ismail said that he would ensure that the motion ‘blows up in the opposition’s face’, and garuanteed the party's intention to penalize members that support the motion.
The no-confidence motion was filed in parliament on 8th March with 26 signatures.
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Jumhooree Party (JP) have passed a three-line whip for the vote.
The six-point motion accused Maseeh of ‘refusing to ensure’ equality in parliament, disregarding the rule of law, disrespecting the system of checks and balances, disregard for procedure, and ‘subverting’ democracy.
