Transparency calls for action against MPs who do not attend parliament sittings

Transparency Maldives has called for action against members of parliament who fail to regularly attend parliament sittings by creating a mechanism through which to hold them accountable for such failures.

Transparency Maldives posted a series of tweets on Thursday detailing the MPs who were absent the most for the previous session of parliament conducted in 2020. They noted that the MPs with the poorest attendance held leadership positions within their parties, and went on to publicize a list of 10 MPs with the poorest attendance for parliament sittings in the year 2020.

Transparency Maldives further highlighted that opposition party leaders had the poorest attendance record for the previous session of parliament, and that this was a clear indication of their failure to represent their constituencies and fulfill their responsibility in holding the government accountable as part of the parliament's minority.

Transparency Maldives detailed that as elected officials, the failure of MPs to attend sittings of parliament implied a disregard of their duties to parliament, and by extension, the people.

In addition to this, Transparency Maldives identified the Standing Order of the 19th People's Majlis as the loophole which enabled MPs to remain absent from so many sittings of parliament. As of now, the Standing Order of the 19th People's Majlis allows for members of parliament to take unlimited days of leave with no repercussions.

Transparency Maldives also revealed that this allowed inactive members of parliament to receive significant salaries and benefits at the end of every month despite their absences.

Transparency Maldives has called on the People's Majlis to amend the Standing Order of the 19th People's Majlis to include monetary sanctions on MPs who abuse their leave privileges in order to hold them accountable.

The member of parliament with the most absent days and leaves recorded for the previous session of parliament is MP for the Meedhoo constituency Ahmed Siyam (Sun Siyam), who has been a member of parliament since the 19th People's Majlis. MP Siyam had not attended 97 sittings of parliament for the previous session. The MP with the second-most absent days and leaves recorded for the previous session of parliament is Jumhooree Party leader, ruling-coalition contributor and MP for the Maamigili constituency Gasim Ibrahim. The third member on the list with the most absent days and leaves recorded for the previous session of parliament is MP for the Eydhafushi constituency and leader of the parliament's minority group Ahmed Saleem, a member of the Progressive Party of Maldives.