Govt: Against increasing salaries, MDP working to incite hatred

The government, on Wednesday, revealing the parliament’s Public Accounts Committee passed the increment to the salaries of top government officials without consulting with the government, has accused main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of trying to incite hatred among the public towards the government.

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, on Tuesday, passed to increase the salaries of the president, the vice president, cabinet ministers and parliamentarians; a decision which was met with public outrage.

Commenting on the matter, the government’s Chief Spokesperson Mohamed Shaheeb, in a post on X on Wednesday, said the Committee had not decided on the increment at the request of the president.

Emphasizing that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is completely against a such change, Shaheem described the decision by the MDP-dominated Committee at such a time as an attempt to incite hatred among the public towards the government.

The increments the Committee passed on Tuesday are as follows;

• The salaries of parliamentarians, including allowances, from MVR 82,500 to MVR 100,000
• The salary of the president from MVR 100,000 to MVR 120,000
• The salary of the vice president from MVR 75,000 to MVR 93,000
• The salary of cabinet ministers from MVR 66,000 to MVR 74,000

The decision to increase the salaries of top government officials and parliamentarians, which is already high from the onset, drew immense public outrage.

North Kulhudhuffushi MP Yasir Abdul Latheef, a member of the Committee and MDP, said the increment was is intended to come into force next year as part of pay harmonization, adding that the Committee was completing matters for implementation next year before the parliament breaks for recess.