Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has said that the Maldives has not seen a successful leader since 2008 and that the key to resolving this situation lies in implementing a change in the governance system.
During a rally organized by The Democrats, Speaker Nasheed initiated discussions regarding the potential shift of the Maldivian governance to a parliamentary system. Nasheed further initiated talks about the possibility of altering the composition of the parliament.
During his speech, Nasheed raised the question of whether the current composition of 87 parliamentary members should be retained or revised. He put forward the proposal by The Democrats to have 55 seats representing the atolls as a means to limit the growth in the number of parliamentary seats. Nasheed emphasized that this proposal was merely a suggestion.
He also raised concerns about the lack of power for constituents to remove their MPs and the need to improve female representation in the legislative body.
Nasheed highlighted the importance of empowering community organizations and increasing representation of communities in the legislative.
The Speaker proposed a change to the governing system, aiming to enhance the role of the legislative body and its authority to hold the executive branch accountable.
Nasheed further said that as presidential election approaches, no other political party has engaged in dialogues concerning policy reform. He also responded to claims about the lack of opposing candidates, highlighting that the emphasis should be on policy rather than individual candidates.
"Our aim here is to establish a system where there is no room for even the wrong person to commit a wrongful act," said Nasheed during his announcement that he would be joining The Democrats on Thursday.
"I have invested my entire life on this work, and I have yet to come across a right leader. It doesn't matter if they are a close ally or anyone else for that matter. What I believe now is that I no longer seek to find that right person to lead, and I don't believe we will encounter such a leader," Nasheed said.
The Parliament Speaker further emphasized that the significance lies not in whether the leader is right or wrong, but rather in the system itself.
Nasheed urged to consider the current trajectory of the nation and encouraged opening dialogues about the future of the governing system in the Maldives.