State dignitary and former Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Zahir (Seena Zahir) has stated that the citizens of this nation had never had secured rights.
He made the statement speaking in the finals of the Human Rights Quiz 2016, held this afternoon in Seneco Hall organized by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives.
Zahir said that even with the first Constitution, human rights had been specified in the Constitution. He added that human rights were a part of every constitution passed since then.
Zahir added that the current Constitution had specified many human rights but had revoked many rights. He noted the current constitution deprived individuals above the age of 65 on contesting for Presidency, adding that this was an infringement on the rights of that individual. Zahir remarked that he did not have any intentions for contesting the Presidency, adding that the right to elect cannot be taken away from the public.
“Tomorrow they can change the Constitution to say that 18 year olds can rule, to facilitate opportunities for them. But do they have experience? They may be educated, but they have no experience,” he said.
Zahir noted that giving flats to rulers of institutions was not ethical, but he had always supported incentivizing the institutions “If an individual is given an incentive, he will remember that person. It is human nature,” he said.
He also said that it was an issue that the MPs from the ruling party were readily passing the bills submitted to the Parliament, deploring the current status of women.
Citizens never had secured rights: Seena Zahir
