Committee passes to reduce salary of president of Privatisation Board

The Parliament Committee on Public Accounts has decided to reduce the salary of the president of the Privatisation Board.

The Privatisation Board was established under the Privatisation Act, which deals with the procedures for privatisation, co-privatisation, evaluation and monitoring of State businesses.

The committee has passed to establish MVR 37,500 as the monthly salary and allowance for the president of the seven-member Privatisation Board. This is made up of salary of MVR 25,500 and living allowance of MVR 12,000.

The committee also passed to establish MVR 35,500 as the monthly salary and allowance for the vice president of the Board, which is made up of salary of MVR 23,500 and living allowance of MVR 12,000.

President Dr Mohamed Waheed had proposed a monthly salary and allowance of MVR 47,000 for the president of the Privatisation Board, made up of salary of MVR 32,000 and living allowance of MVR 15,000; and a monthly salary and allowance of MVR 35,500 for the vice president of the Privatisation Board, made up of salary of MVR 20,500 and living allowance of MVR 15,000.

The committee supported the president’s proposition of MVR 8,000 as monthly allowance for the five part-time officials of the Privatisation Board.

The Privatisation Act states in Article 8 that the salaries and allowances of the members of the Privatisation Board would be decided by the president based on the advice of the parliament.

The Public Accounts Committee said that their decisions regarding the salaries and allowances of the members of the Privatisation Board would be sent to the parliament floor for voting next week.

The president submitted the motion regarding the determination of salaries and allowances of the members of the Privatisation Board to the parliament in April 2013.

The Privatisation Act states that the seven members appointed to the Privatisation Board must be approved by the parliament.

The members appointed to the Privatisation Board by the president are Director of Nalahiya Hotel Mohamed Amjad, Abdullah Shafeeu, Hassan Ibrahim, Ali Faris, Deputy Solicitor General Ahmed Usham, Ahmed Afrah and Mohamed Yasir.