Allegations made about the demarcation of the country's southern exclusive economic zone (EEZ) are very serious and warrant a parliamentary inquiry, parliamentary group leader of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Mohamed Aslam said on Wednesday night.
Appearing on the 'Raajje Miadhu' program of PSM News, the Hithadhoo Uthuru MP said the truth about serious allegations made by the opposition must be established.
"Considering what various people are saying about the issue, a good and thorough inquiry needs to be conducted on this. It is alleged that Maldivian territory has been sold. Some people are alleging very crudely. We need to see the truth of it," Aslam said.
If officials have been negligent in the boundary dispute, parliament must investigate and take action against them, he said.
"We have to look into it in great detail if there are people who were negligent over this. I believe those negligent must be found. I believe that we must establish the truth in detail. The 241 committee is a very appropriate forum for such an effort," Aslam said.
If parliament's security services committee was to conduct an inquiry, Aslam said it must do so thoroughly and consider every aspect of the case.
"The 241 committee should look into it and find out why and where the problem lies. What is the territory that the law says the Maldives has sovereignty over? What is the territory over which we have sovereign rights? How is this happening, why did it become necessary to delimit concerning the sovereign territory? Who went to [the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea]? How long do we have the right for petitioning ITLOS?" he asked.
Aslam's remarks about identifying officials negligent in the boundary dispute come after attorney general Ibrahim Riffath accused previous administrations and former attorneys general of neglect while defending himself in parliament against a no-confidence motion.
"No previous government dared to make a decision on behalf of Maldivians. I note that what was done, unintentionally or not, was to have been extremely negligent," Riffath said. "The negligence of former attorneys general in the southern EEZ case has been extreme as well. I note this with shame."
The opposition alleges that the government forfeited a part of Maldivian territory when ITLOS determined a maritime boundary between the Maldives and the Chagos archipelago, which was deemed to belong to Mauritius.
