MPs Denounce Petition to Cancel Their Health Insurance as 'Headline-Grabbing Stunt'

A petition submitted to the People’s Majlis calling for the cancellation of the health insurance provided to Members of Parliament has been met with strong opposition from ruling party MPs, who have dismissed it as a politically motivated attempt to create division and make headlines. During parliamentary debate on Tuesday, MPs from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) argued that the current insurance system is less costly and less burdensome on the state. MP for Thimarafushi constituency Ahmed Riyaz said that if the public does not receive a benefit that MPs receive, that is not a problem, but exaggerating the benefits MPs receive is a serious issue. Riyaz claimed that the petition was not submitted because MPs actually enjoy vast privileges, but rather to manufacture conflict. “The petition submitted claiming that MPs receive huge benefits is an effort by certain people to create strife and discord between MPs and the public. Those who submitted the petition did so not because MPs are actually given benefits, but to make a news headline,” Riyaz said. He added that the benefits ordinary citizens receive through the Aasandha national health insurance scheme are greater and easier to access than the insurance provided to MPs. Riyaz noted that when he sought medical treatment in India under the MP insurance scheme, half of the bills were not reimbursed. MP for Nilandhoo constituency Hassan Mufeed Abdul Qadir also spoke against the petition, saying it was a politically orchestrated scheme intended to create political discord, with certain parties operating behind the scenes to stir up division. The petition, which is being debated across two sitting days, has drawn sharp exchanges between MPs as the public and lawmakers.