Former Minister Criticises Gov’t Over Spending on Political Appointees

Former Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer claimed that the current administration spends over MVR 700 million each month on over 2,000 political appointees. 

This statement was made during a press conference yesterday held by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which focused on the country’s deteriorating economic conditions.

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Ameer criticised the government’s management of the economy, attributing the fiscal vulnerabilities to its incompetence. He accused the administration of trying to obscure the truth behind its failures and highlighted that the previous government managed to settle its debts despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which had significantly slowed state income.

During his presentation, Ameer pointed out that the current administration’s recurrent expenditures were escalating despite limited revenue sources. He cited the increase in political positions and their remunerations as a major factor in this expenditure growth. He further alleged that the remuneration and expenditure of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) had risen since the new administration took office, with payrolls of SOEs observing at least a 15 percent surge.

Ameer provided specific figures for various SOEs:

• Fenaka Corporation: MVR 74 million by the end of 2023, now MVR 84 million
• RDC: MVR 22 million by the end of 2023, now MVR 28 million
• WAMCO: MVR 21 million by the end of 2023, now MVR 31 million
• STELCO: MVR 40 million by the end of 2023, now MVR 44 million
• MTCC: MVR 60 million by the end of 2023, now MVR 65 million

Although President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu previously promised to cap political positions at 700, the significant increase in political appointees has drawn criticism from both the opposition and the public. The administration has faced further scrutiny for not disclosing the exact number of political appointees, despite repeated demands from the parliament.