Deputy Parliament Speaker Moosa Manik was on Wednesday removed from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s parliamentary group.

Parliament Speaker Abdulla Maseeh announced at the parliament session that he has been informed of MP Manik’s omission from the party’s registry, and therefore will not be counted as an MDP parliamentarian.

Speaker Maseeh had proceeded to do a roll call, which places current parliamentary representatives at: 48 MPs from the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), 21 from MDP, six from the Jumhooree Party (JP), six from the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), one representative from the Adhaalath Party (AP), and two independent MPs. MP Manik would now fall under the lattermost distinction.

MP Manik has had an erratic past with the MDP, and the veteran member was expelled for a violating a party whip. He had been a member since 2005.

Further, he said the 13 years of commitment was repaid with false-heartedness and that he would speak out about MDP’s ‘wickedness’.