Responding to his no-confidence motion today in the parliament related to the recent decision of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on delimiting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the country, Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath has said that whims and imaginations of the Speaker and Parliamentarians cannot be counted as valid legal interpretations.
The motion was tabled in the parliament by opposition MPs accusing Riffath of relinquishing the highest national interests of the country in the case of the delimitation of the border between Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago.
Speaking in the parliament Riffath also said that it is widely accepted that political views often diverge unlike the Law which is (written) in black and white and its interpretations are limited within set procedures and principles.
In his defense he referred to article 101 of the constitution and its subclause ‘a’ and said “… a no-confidence motion against a cabinet minister cannot be introduced at the parliament without a clear statement on the reason for doing so. Unfounded ideas of the Speaker and thirteen MPs on my conduct with regards to my advocacy towards gaining a greater portion of the sea in the southern EEZ, do not reflect the spirit of the constitution”. He further said that interpreting the Law is not the business of anybody and everybody, but it is the duty of the courts.
Riffath told the parliament that he put the nation’s interest first at ITLOS. Also he said that previous governments had failed to fight for the rights of the people in the case unlike the present government.
Riffath labeled the previous governments of not being decisive in the case as utter negligence. He further described it – the indecisiveness, as shameful.
“I have not been decorated with gold medals, given state titles or dignification by the government of Mauritius. Neither did I open an escrow account to deposit dollars”, Riffath told the Majlis.
According to Riffath, in the letter sent to Prime Minister of Mauritius on the matter, President Solih mentioned that the Maldivian government’s stand on the delimitation of the sea between Chagos Archipelago - Mauritius claims that the British Indian Ocean Territory is a part of the country, and the Maldives remained unchanged. He also said that the ruling given by ITLOS was not based on the above letter.
In the verdict issued by ITLOS, the overlapping area of 92,563 square kilometers were divided between the two countries – Maldives getting 47,232 square kilometers and Mauritius 45,331 square kilometers of the sea respectively. Riffath considers this verdict of ITLOS a win for the Maldives and said so in the parliament today.
The motion was tabled in the parliament by opposition MPs accusing Riffath of relinquishing the highest national interests of the country in the case of the delimitation of the border between Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago.
Speaking in the parliament Riffath also said that it is widely accepted that political views often diverge unlike the Law which is (written) in black and white and its interpretations are limited within set procedures and principles.
In his defense he referred to article 101 of the constitution and its subclause ‘a’ and said “… a no-confidence motion against a cabinet minister cannot be introduced at the parliament without a clear statement on the reason for doing so. Unfounded ideas of the Speaker and thirteen MPs on my conduct with regards to my advocacy towards gaining a greater portion of the sea in the southern EEZ, do not reflect the spirit of the constitution”. He further said that interpreting the Law is not the business of anybody and everybody, but it is the duty of the courts.
Riffath told the parliament that he put the nation’s interest first at ITLOS. Also he said that previous governments had failed to fight for the rights of the people in the case unlike the present government.
Riffath labeled the previous governments of not being decisive in the case as utter negligence. He further described it – the indecisiveness, as shameful.
“I have not been decorated with gold medals, given state titles or dignification by the government of Mauritius. Neither did I open an escrow account to deposit dollars”, Riffath told the Majlis.
According to Riffath, in the letter sent to Prime Minister of Mauritius on the matter, President Solih mentioned that the Maldivian government’s stand on the delimitation of the sea between Chagos Archipelago - Mauritius claims that the British Indian Ocean Territory is a part of the country, and the Maldives remained unchanged. He also said that the ruling given by ITLOS was not based on the above letter.
In the verdict issued by ITLOS, the overlapping area of 92,563 square kilometers were divided between the two countries – Maldives getting 47,232 square kilometers and Mauritius 45,331 square kilometers of the sea respectively. Riffath considers this verdict of ITLOS a win for the Maldives and said so in the parliament today.
