News Desk
MALÉ — As the People’s Majlis nears its centenary, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Saleem has moved to quell criticism regarding the legislative body’s recent inactivity, asserting that the majority of the nation’s foundational laws are already in place.
Presiding over today’s session, the PNC lawmaker for Eydhafushi, widely known as “Redwave Saleem,” rejected claims from opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members that the legislature has been left with an empty agenda.
Addressing the chamber, Saleem argued that after nearly 100 years of parliamentary history, the country has reached a stage where constant, rapid-fire lawmaking is neither expected nor possible.
“This is the 20th Majlis, and we are nearing our 100th year. The major laws required for the Maldives have effectively been completed,” Saleem said. “We cannot expect the government to send new bills to the Majlis every single day.”
Saleem suggested that future legislative activity would be limited to minor amendments and the occasional reimagining of existing statutes under new titles, rather than the substantive nation-building legislation that characterised earlier eras of the Majlis.
The remarks come as the opposition has taken to social media to highlight what it describes as a lack of substantive parliamentary output under the current administration. Critics argue that the absence of a robust legislative agenda is symptomatic of a government failing to address pressing policy issues, effectively stalling the work of the country’s highest deliberative body.
While Saleem acknowledged that both opposition and independent members retain the constitutional right to propose their own bills, his comments underscore a prevailing view among the government leadership that the legislative heavy lifting is largely behind them.
The Deputy Speaker’s stance has reignited the debate over the evolving role of the Majlis. As the institution prepares to mark its centenary, the discourse is increasingly split between those who view the Parliament as a finished project and those who maintain that its mandate for oversight, reform, and executive accountability is more critical than ever.
