Fayyaz said that there is a need for public consultation before making procedural changes to the state, such as reducing the number of councilors and MPs, but actions that can be taken needs to be prioritized such as reducing the number of political posts.
Reducing the number of political appointees should be the first step in cutting government expenditure, said Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson and former Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail today.
In a post on social media platform X, Fayyaz emphasized the need for broad public consultation before making procedural changes to the state, such as reducing the number of councilors and MPs. However, he said that actions which can be taken immediately should be prioritized instead.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced last night a plan to reduce the number of councilors and MPs to cut government expenditure, a move which Fayyaz strongly criticized.
“While ministers claim that financial stability is good, asking the public to face the reality and 'take bitter medicine' even if the financial and economic situation is doing well will cause the public, investors, and financiers to lose confidence, potentially harming the country's economy,” Fayyaz said.
“The government should explain how it will make the due payments to businesses and students abroad,” he added, expressing skepticism about the sincerity behind the proposed changes.
Earlier today, an emergency motion submitted by MDP in parliament, alleging that the government had stopped sending funds to students studying abroad at government expense, was dismissed.
Fayyaz called for transparency from the government to gain public trust, criticizing the administration for not disclosing information as promised. “How many political appointees have been reduced as promised before cutting the number of island councilors? These are not difficult details to disclose, and the government should know this information. If not, it is even more worrying,” he said."
The parliament had also dismissed an emergency motion filed by MDP last week regarding the non-disclosure of the number of people appointed to political posts and the salaries paid by state owned companies.
MDP said that SEO's are hiring more people than necessary, leading to increased expenditures on salaries and operational difficulties.
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