News

Qasim: President must resign if JP slots need to be vacated

Published

3 months ago

15/03/2023

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih himself must resign if Jumhoory Party (JP)’s members in top government positions are forced to resign, states the party’s leader and Maamigili MP Qasim Ibrahim.

JP, which is part of the current coalition government, decided Tuesday it will not support President Solih for re-election.

Qasim made the comment during the parliamentary sitting Wednesday, after some of the MPs from Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the main ruling party, said that JP’s politicians in top government positions needed to resign following the decision.

In thinly-veiled criticism directed against JP, South Thinadhoo MP Abdulla Saneef said President Solih was the only leader who had accomplished so much, working with “rivals and the envious”.

Saneef said he welcomes JP’s decision, but demanded that the party’s politicians within the government resign.

“It’s their right to contest. But there must not be any people from rival parties in the President’s Cabinet and in other positions, serving the people on behalf of the government,” he said.

Responding to the criticism, Qasim questioned whether MDP had delivered on the pledges it made when it asked JP to join the coalition for the 2018 election.

He said that JP’s politicians in top positions in the government were there with the guarantee they would retain their positions until the end of term.

“If so, the honorable President must also resign. I want to say that the positions granted to Jumhoory Party didn’t come out of anyone’s inherited property.

Qasim said the 2018 coalition agreement leaves JP free to contest the upcoming presidential election independently.

He said that no government official from JP is required to resign before the end of the current presidential term.

JP members in President Solih’s cabinet include Qasim’s wife, Transport Minister Aishath Nahula.

Source(s): sun.mv

News

Nasheed touts parliamentary system as fix for delay in ministers’ response

Published

2 days ago

30/05/2023

Speaker Mohamed Nasheed stated during the parliamentary sitting Tuesday that switching to a parliamentary system is the solution to delays in response from government ministers to queries by MPs.

During Tuesday’s sitting, Thimarafushi MP Abdulla Riyaz expressed concern over the delay in getting a response from government ministers.

He said that while parliamentary regulations require ministers to respond to question from MPs within 14 days, ministers usually take two-three months to send a response.

Riyaz asked the Speaker to solve the issue.

“I called the Secretariat of the Parliament even yesterday, because of the lack of response to some of the questions I have sent. I was told the ministers hadn’t had time to send a response because they are so busy. I don’t believe the regulations states that ministers must send answers when they have the time,” he said.

Nasheed responded that he doesn’t believe the delay in response is from ministers alone, and said it would continue to be a recurrent problem so long as the Parliament doesn’t switch to a parliamentary system.

“All of you would agree that expediting this requires changing the entire system of the Parliament. This will continue to happen as long as the Parliament does not switch to a parliamentary system,” he said.

MPs are waiting for answers to 45 questions from ministers, 22 of them in writing.

Nasheed said the Parliament will not be able to clear the backlog even if 10 ministers are summoned for questioning in a single day.

Nasheed has long advocated for a parliamentary system in Maldives, something which he often finds himself at odds with other political leaders over.

Source(s): sun.mv

World

Sri Lanka to require heavy metals report for fruit imports

Published

2 days ago

30/05/2023

COLOMBO, May 30 (Xinhua) — Importers of fruit into Sri Lanka will be required to obtain a report on heavy metals starting from June 1 as part of the country’s efforts to improve food safety, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The new requirement came after a recent survey by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, which found that many imported fruit samples were contaminated with lead, the ministry said in a statement.

The heavy metals report must come from an accredited and independent laboratory from the exporting country and will be a mandatory requirement for the release of fruit consignments into the country.

Importers are advised not to import any fruit with heavy metals above the Codex levels, as they will be rejected at the port of entry, said the ministry.

The country has been working to strengthen its food safety regulations in recent years, in response to concerns about the safety of imported food.

Source(s): Xinhua

World

India launches next-gen navigational satellite

Published

2 days ago

30/05/2023

NEW DELHI, May 29 (Xinhua) — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Monday successfully launched a second-generation navigation satellite NVS-01, officials said.

The navigational satellite weighing about 2,232 kg was launched on board an expendable Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh state.

According to the ISRO, NVS-01 is the country’s first second-generation satellites envisaged for the Navigation with Indian Constellation services.

Officials said an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01 for the first time.

Source(s): Xinhua