Parliament of the Maldives has passed the no-confidence motion against Minister of Communication, Science and Technology Mohamed Maleeh Jamal, removing him from office.
The no-confidence motion against Minister Maleeh was submitted to the Parliament last month by the Parliamentary Group (PG) Leader of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ali Azim. Following deliberations on the motion on March 1, the motion was passed by the Parliament with votes from 59 parliamentarians. Only one parliamentarian voted against the motion.
The decision to initiate the no-confidence motion against Maleeh was passed by the MDP PG on November 22 last year. The no-confidence motion was initiated by Parliamentarian Meekail Ahmed Naseem, citing Maleeh’s failure to fulfill his responsibilities in formulating the regulations mandated under the Telecommunication Act.
The letter by Parliamentarian Meekail Ahmed Naseem to the MDP PG noted the Communication Authority of Maldives (CAM) has not formulated any of the regulations required under the Telecommunication Act in the past two years. Noting the responsibility lies on the ministry tasked with overseeing CAM, Parliamentarian Meekail said Maleeh’s failure to carry out his responsibilities has hindered the efforts to regulate the telecommunication sector of the Maldives.
However, Maleeh denied these claims, stating all the said regulations have been formed in the past two years. He claimed the no-confidence motion was launched after he spoke out in a TV programme against the Parliament.
Maleeh is the first minister of the current administration to be removed by a no-confidence vote. He is however the fifth minister of the current administration to leave office, following the resignations of Health Minister Abdulla Ameen, Housing Minister Aminath Athifa and Gender Minister Shidhatha Shareef, and the dismissal of Tourism Minister Ali Waheed by the President.