Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ali Azim has stated the party will not support the no-confidence motion launched against Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla.
A no-confidence motion was initiated against Home Minister Imran by the opposition coalition, following insensitive comments made by the minister regarding a rape case which is under investigation. The motion was signed by 11 parliamentarians, surpassing the minimum of 10 signatures needed to launch a no-confidence motion against a minister.
Speaking on the motion, MDP’s PG Leader Ali Azim claimed the no-confidence motion was launched by the opposition to show that the government has no support. Noting MDP is part of the ruling coalition, Azim said MDP will continue to stand by the government and rebuff any attempts to weaken the government.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed announced that the no-confidence motion against Home Minister Imran will be placed on the parliamentary agenda, as per the parliamentary regulations. He revealed the home minister has also been given the 14-day notice which is required to be provided before deliberations on the no-confidence motion begin, as specified in Article 101 of the Constitution of the Maldives.
Home Minister Imran has been heavily criticised for comments made during a radio programme regarding the rape of a Kenyan woman inside a safari near Hulhumale’. The minister described the case as petty and trivial, remarking it is not as serious as it was initially claimed to be. He said the case cannot even be classified as a rape and the incident was so trivial it could happen anywhere.
While the minister played down the seriousness of the incident, the case is still under investigation by Maldives Police Service (MPS).