In this week´s radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed discussed the government´s position in the debate about the endorsement of the cabinet by the People´s Majlis.
President Nasheed said parliament refusing to approve a minister appointed to the cabinet will not amount to the minister´s dismissal from office.
Referring to the the Article 129 and Article 131 of the constitution, the President said the constitution stipulated the conditions under which a minister could be removed from office.
Therefore, he said, members appointed to the cabinet would remain in office whether the Majlis approved or disapproved a member.
The President said he believed, as a matter of principle, the parliament should take a block vote in approving the cabinet.
However, he said it was not in the national interest to have parliament in deadlock disputing over the way in which the vote should be taken to endorse the cabinet.
Speaking in this regard, the President urged the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) members in the parliament to refrain from voting and remain silent if they felt they were acting against the laws and regulations by participating in a vote taken to individually approve each member appointed to the cabinet.
Although he desired the Majlis approval for the cabinet, the President said it was not wise to have the whole country in limbo until a condition that was not prescribed in a law was fulfilled.
