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| Member of Parliament for Kendhoo Constituency Mr. Ali Hussain. Photo by: Majlis Website |
Following is an exclusive interview given to Adam Mohamed of Adamington Online by the Member of Parliament for Kendhoo Constituency Mr. Ali Hussain, in a Direct Message (DM) session of Twitter. This is the first exclusive interview given to Adamington Online via a sitting member from the 18th parliament of Maldives.
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Adam Mohamed: What did you hope to achieve getting elected to the parliament of Maldives?
Mr. Ali Hussain: I hoped that I would be able to bring the necessary reforms to the judiciary and the local governance in Maldives. The other thing I wanted to change through legislative amendment is making people accountable for the sudden wealth thy accumulate in a short period of time through corruption and other illegal deals.
Adam Mohamed: How is the Supreme Court supposed to interpret the Constitution?
Mr. Ali Hussain: The Supreme Court is suppose to interpret constitution as the sacred blue print for democracy & freedom. But not as an instrument for exercising raw power of government against its subjects. Basically every judgment of the Supreme Court should be promoting democratic values.
Adam Mohamed: Is the war on drugs by the government succeeding in Maldives?
Mr. Ali Hussain: The war on drugs in Maldives is not going any where. With the increasing accusations of top government official's involvement in drug mafia along with the increase in corruption makes it a lost battle already. With a corrupt police force & when the integrity of other law enforcement agencies are in serious doubt it's foolish to think that the amount of drug circulation is going down at any time soon. Also remember that government is not concerned about the more than 500 drug addicts who are waiting on the line for rehabilitation. That means government is equally culpable & is indirectly encouraging the sale & circulation without intervening the demand for drugs.
Adam Mohamed: What should be the main purpose of a government in your opinion?
Mr. Ali Hussain: The main purpose of a government should be providing justice and safety for the people. Equal & fair distribution of the resources irrespective of the political belief or other differences of the people. It's not only courts' function to render justice even the administrative actions of the government should be just & not arbitrary.
Adam Mohamed: How should the powers of a government be separated in a democracy?
Mr. Ali Hussain: In a democracy the powers of the state should not be vested in one hand. As it is stated 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' . It's dangerous to keep the powers in one hand as that would make it impossible to make the person who has the power accountable. In order to keep the balance between authority and responsibility one needs to be make accountable for his actions and inn-actions. Also it should be kept in mind that there can't be complete separation of powers in a democracy as the accountability and scrutinizing mechanisms should be kept in place.
Note: Mr. Ali Hussain is a member of Jumhooree Party & a practicing lawyer who is currently the sitting member of the 18th Parliament for Kendhoo Constituency
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