Shujau: Reducing human involvement will decrease opportunities for corruption

Baarah MP, Vice President of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) Ibrahim Shujau, on Monday, stated that the government's proposed ‘Maldives 2.0’ or digital transformation bill is intended to eliminate systemic corruption, adding that reducing human involvement in administrative processes would significantly decrease opportunities for acts of corruption

Shujau addressed concerns raised by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa (Gapo) while debating on the government-backed bill sponsored by Gadhdhdoo MP Mohamed Ali.

Ghafoor had alleged that the legislation was an attempt by the government to introduce electronic voting (e-voting) as a means of manipulating election outcomes.

Rejecting the allegation, Shujau said the bill contains no provisions related to e-voting.

"There is absolutely no mention of e-voting in any part of this legislation; these are false claims," Shujau said.

"Those who benefit from loopholes in the current system will find this move distressing. This pivotal Digital Transformation Bill is primarily aimed at bringing an end to the corruption culture within the country," he added.

Shujau, who previously served as a councilor representing the Hulhumalé constituency, said the groundwork for digital transformation and the digitization of public services was established during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s tenure as Mayor of Malé City.

He also noted that storage technologies commonly used a decade ago, including CDs and flash drives, are gradually becoming outdated.

"Honorable Speaker, it is essential to reduce human involvement within the procurement system. By doing so, we directly reduce the opportunities for corruption," he stated.

Shujau expressed confidence that the proposed legislation would contribute to eliminating corruption in the Maldives.

According to the government, the Digital Transformation Bill seeks to establish a secure, reliable, and sustainable digital governance framework for public services. It also proposes the creation of a dedicated agency, ‘Maldives Digital Service’, to oversee and coordinate the implementation of the ‘Maldives 2.0’ initiative.