News Desk
MALE’ — Ahmed Nazim resigned as Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis on Sunday morning, hours before a session scheduled to remove him, and used his resignation letter to say, clearly and at length, that none of it was deserved.
“I have discharged the duties and responsibilities of the office of Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis lawfully, with honesty, and with integrity,” he wrote in a press statement issued on his behalf. “Under no circumstances have I shirked my official responsibilities or hesitated to perform the duties of my office.”
Nazim went through every allegation, denied each one without exception, and then explained why he was resigning anyway.
“While I have never obstructed any member from fulfilling their duty or responsibility, I have facilitated matters and paved the way to the fullest extent permitted by laws and regulations to enable members to carry out their duties and responsibilities.”
On fairness, he was equally direct. “I have performed my duties and responsibilities lawfully, with equality and fairness, without any discrimination among members. While I have never acted contrary to the law and regulations in adherence to any specific political ideology, I have worked within the boundaries of the law and regulations to ensure equal opportunities for all members.”
The resolution the PNC submitted against him, he said, contained no evidence and no proof. No member had ever filed a formal complaint against him. No specific act or omission had been cited. The accusations existed in the document.
“In accordance with the Parliamentary Privileges and Powers Act and the Regulations of the Parliament, I have always worked as the Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis to impartially, equally, and fairly protect and safeguard the rights and privileges of all members, and to uphold the rule of law in the Maldives.”
Then came the sentence that did the real work.
“Since members of the ruling party’s parliamentary group have signed and submitted a motion to remove me, I believe that even if the reasons stated therein are not true, it is a civilised approach in accordance with democratic principles to respond to the call when almost everyone who voted for an elected position desires that person to step down.”
He was not conceding the argument. He was conceding the arithmetic.
Nazim was elected Deputy Speaker on 28 May 2024 with 80 votes, defeating MDP MP Ahmed Didi who received 12. He had held the same post during the 17th Parliament and was removed then too. The PNC holds 76 of the 93 seats in parliament.
He closed with an assurance to the public.
“I will always remain a servant of the people in working to uphold the rule of law in the Maldivian state and to secure a happy and prosperous life for the citizens.”
The parliamentary session scheduled for Sunday will now proceed without the vote that prompted it. Nazim remains the member for Dhiggaru constituency. That seat, and what the PNC decides to do about it, is the next question. It has not been answered yet.
