MP for Dhiggaru constituency Ikram Hassan has proposed a bill to the parliament that calls for the establishment of an independent institution to collect, analyze, and publish statistics.
The parliament today is debating over the bill proposed on behalf of the government. The bill also states once the bill is approved and enacted as a law, an independent institution under the name of ‘Maldives Bureau of Statistics’ would be established.
The bill proposes that all the human resources, equipment, and funding are now given to the ‘National Bureau of Statistics’ under the planning ministry would be moved to the new institution.
The bill also states that an individual under the title of ‘Chief Statistician’ should head the institution. It added that the person should be appointed as how top officials are now appointed to other independent institutions.
This would mean that the parliament would select an individual from the shortlisted candidates sent by the President’s Office for the designation and that the individuals salary and allowances would also be set by the legislative house.
The Bill also proposes that a Statistical Council should be formed within the Bureau and that ‘Chief Statistician’ as well as representatives from the National University, state institutions that produce statistics and other state institutions.
The Bill also states that the council should be established within one month of the bill being ratified.
As the debate on the bill continued on the floor of the parliament today, MPs of the ruling MDP opposed the idea of forming another independent institution and stated that state spending would increase by such an institution.a
