Majlis endorses Thalhat and Didi

The Peoples’ Majlis has yesterday endorsed the ministerial appointments of President Mohamed Nasheed, Dr. Ibrahim Didi and Thalhat Ibrahim as Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture and Minister of Defense respectively.

Dr. Didi was endorsed as the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture with a vote of 40 members in approval of his endorsement. The members who voted in favour Dr. Didi’s approval include the Leader of the opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) Maamigili MP Gasim Ibrahim, Independent members Ahmed Shiyam (Sun Travel), Ali Mohamed, Ismail Abdul Hameed, Mohamed Zubair, Ahmed Amir and the MPs of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). 35 members from the 70 members present in yesterday’s sitting of the Majlis voted against Dr. Didi.

President’s ministerial appointment for the post of Minister of Defense, Thalhat Ibrahim was endorsed with the consent of 50 members from the 74 present while 24 members voted against his appointment. 

Meanwhile, the opposition independent coalition earlier decided to reject the ministerial appointment of Dr. Ibrahim Didi and Talhath Ibrahim in the Majlis.

In view of the President’s appointment of Dr. Didi as the Fisheries Minister and Talhath Ibrahim has the Defense Minister, Gemanafushi MP Ilham Ahmed from the opposition coalition said that the coalition decided the two ministerial appointments after the discussion among the 20 MPs of the parliamentary opposition coalition group.

Ilham said that Didishould be rejected because he has been already rejected by the Majlis when he was earlier appointment as the Fisheries Minister by President Nasheed. He said that the coalition group decided to reject Talhath because no adequate measures were taken against by the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) under his directives during the Majlis take over by the parliamentary group of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on 31 July, 2011.