Minister of Legal Affairs at President's Office Azima Shakoor has stated the Maldivian Constitution is at its nascent stage and the way it is drafted would bring the State to a deadlock. Speaking on a programme aired on Sri Lankan Ada Derana TV, Legal Affairs Minister Azima Shakoor noted various challenges have been faced in governing the country since the introduction of democracy in 2008.
Briefing on the current events in the Maldives, the legal Affairs Minister said the current political situation was created when the opposition coalition attempted to topple the constitutionally elected government by illegal means. The Minister cited the attempt involved deep rooted corruption in the judicial sector. Minister Azima Shakoor noted that President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had tried all means of communication with the judicial sector but that it remained ignorant, which lead to the declaration of the State of Emergency to deescalate the situation.
Continuing on, the Minister said the Maldivian Constitution is at its nascent stage and the way it is drafted would bring the State to a deadlock. Azima further stated the administration is putting forth major efforts to fill these shortcomings and maintain peace and harmony to the nation. She said it is unfair to judge the nascent democracy with the well-developed democracies in other foreign countries.
“With the study of people who have studies the Maldivian Constitution agree that it is drafted in such a way that it can easily bring the State into a dead lock. As we see over and over again, as ambassador said we are judges by people with better versions of democracy, better court systems and our court system is so young,” Azima Shakoor said.
Furthermore, the Legal Affairs Minister emphasised the administration gives utmost priority to resolve the current political situation in the country and further highlighted that discussions with relevant authorities are proceeding at a fast pace.
In addition to Minister Azima, former Chair of Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Robert Van Lierop and Professor Eugene Tan of Singapore Management University were on the panel to discuss about the current Maldivian situation and Geo Politics in the region.
Speaking on the programme Professor Eugene Tan said that Maldives currently follows a presidential system in which the legislature is able to put some influence in the agenda of the government. In this regard, Professor Eugene Tan highlighted that a check and balance system is a crucial part of a constitution but it is also important to allow a president to conduct his electoral mandate.
“Let me be clear, I think it is important for any constitution to have adequate system of checks and balances but I think it is important for the constitution to allow the government, in this case to be able to carry out the electoral mandate given by the people,” Professor Eugene Tan said.
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom declared State of Emergency in Maldives on February 5 for a 15-day period, which was later extended for another 30 days. While at various instances it has been speculated that Maldives is under the radar of foreign influence, but the administration has refuted all these claims by stating that Maldives maintains a friendly and cordial relations with all foreign nations.