MDP lawmakers oppose pay rises for senior officials, cite MVR 40 million cost

Twelve opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs have called for the reversal of a parliamentary committee's decision to increase allowances for the Speaker of Parliament, cabinet ministers and island councillors, urging the government to prioritise public needs and reduce expenditure.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the lawmakers criticised the decision by Parliament's Finance Committee to increase the remuneration of senior officials, saying it would add MVR 40 million to state expenditure at a time of financial difficulties.

The Finance Committee approved the changes last week, including a MVR 22,000 allowance for the Speaker of Parliament, bringing the total monthly salary and allowances for the position to MVR 95,125.

The committee also decided to increase the vehicle allowance for cabinet ministers to MVR 17,000, raising their total monthly remuneration from MVR 58,500 to MVR 75,500.

Councillors would receive an additional MVR 5,000 service allowance under the decision.

The 12 MDP MPs said they had not participated in the decision and condemned it, describing the proposed increases as irresponsible given the country's economic circumstances and the financial pressures facing households.

They called on the authorities to reverse the changes, arguing that the additional MVR 40 million in expenditure could not be justified under the current fiscal conditions.

"At a time when the people of the Maldives have more pressing needs than increasing the allowances of ministers and the Speaker of Parliament, we call on the government to give priority to those needs," the statement said.

The MPs also urged the government and Parliament to work towards reducing state expenditure and easing the financial burden on the public.

The statement raised concerns about the country's fiscal position, claiming that government expenditure had exceeded revenue by MVR 4.5 billion so far this year, while public debt continued to increase.

The lawmakers also criticised the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), which holds a parliamentary supermajority, for approving amendments to several laws that they said had increased taxes imposed on the public.

They further expressed concern over the proposed increase in councillors' allowances, noting that block grants allocated to local councils were intended to finance services and meet community needs.

According to the MPs, using council funding to increase councillors' remuneration could affect the delivery of services to residents.

The statement also questioned the timing of the salary increases, pointing to unresolved matters concerning overtime payments for education and healthcare workers.

The lawmakers said Parliament had yet to conclude work on a resolution relating to overtime payments for those employees, despite the matter having been before the legislature since last year.

They argued that increasing the remuneration of senior officials while concerns affecting other public sector employees remained unresolved would raise questions among the public.

The MDP MPs said parliamentarians had a responsibility to hold the government accountable and prevent decisions that could adversely affect the public.

However, they accused the government of using the PNC's parliamentary supermajority to prevent effective oversight.

The lawmakers reiterated their call for the salary and allowance increases to be reversed and urged the government to focus on reducing expenditure and addressing the financial difficulties facing the public.