Parliament Endorses Abdul Azeez for Second Term as Information Commissioner

The Parliament has endorsed former Information Commissioner Abdul Azeez Jamaal Abu-Bakur for a second term as Information Commissioner, with 47 MPs voting in favour and 11 voting against his appointment.

President Mohamed Muizzu submitted Azeez’s name to Parliament for approval as the five-year term of the current Information Commissioner, Ahmed Ahid Rasheed, is due to expire next month. Azeez currently serves as a State Minister at the Ministry of Heritage.

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Azeez was the first Information Commissioner appointed under the Right to Information Act during the administration of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. He served in the position until his term ended in July 2019. He previously represented Maavah constituency in Parliament and has worked at the Dhivehi Language Academy. He has also authored several books on the Dhivehi language.

His reappointment had drawn criticism from opposition MPs and transparency advocates, with concerns raised over the handling of cases and the conduct of hearings during his first term. Transparency International Maldives was among the organisations that expressed concerns over his nomination.

During his interview before Parliament’s Committee on Independent Institutions, Azeez defended his record, saying he believed he had performed well during his first term. He said the purpose of the Right to Information Act was to ensure people could access information and that he would seek to achieve this through dialogue with public authorities.

Azeez said he would first consult relevant agencies to facilitate the release of information requested by the public, adding that public hearings would be used as a last resort.

Ahmed Ahid Rasheed was appointed as Information Commissioner on 6 September 2021. The Office of the Information Commissioner was established on 13 July 2014 under the Right to Information Act to oversee the implementation of the public’s right to access information held by public authorities.

Parliament Endorses Jamila Ali as UK Ambassador

Parliament also endorsed former Civil Service Commission Vice-President Jamila Ali as the Maldives’ Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Jamila served as Vice-President of the Civil Service Commission from 2012 to 2015 and was the long-serving principal of Ameeniyyaa School. She previously served as the Maldives’ first Ambassador to Germany.

The post of Ambassador to the United Kingdom became vacant following the appointment of Geela Ali as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Shammoon Hameedh Endorsed for HRCM

Parliament also endorsed Shammoon Hameedh as a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM). He will replace current member Samaau Ahmed Najeeb, whose term is due to end on 3 October.

Shammoon was selected after receiving a higher score than the other candidates during the committee’s assessment. He previously served as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Heritage and as Secretary General of the HRCM.

Following today’s sitting, Parliament went into recess. MPs had previously voted to extend the current parliamentary session until 27 August to allow additional time to complete pending legislative work.

The session was originally scheduled to conclude on 15 August but was first extended until 20 August before being extended again to 27 August. This is the second extension of the current parliamentary session.