Parliament has dismissed the emergency motion filed by opposition South Galolhu MP regarding the non-disclosure of the number of people appointed to political posts and the salaries paid by state owned companies.
The parliament has dismissed an emergency motion filed regarding the non-disclosure of the number of people appointed to political posts and the salaries paid by state owned companies.
The motion was filed by opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem. A majority of 56 members voted against accepting and debating the motion, while 11 MPs voted in favor.
This marks the first time that the ruling party People's National Congress (PNC), which holds a supermajority in the current 20th parliament session, has rejected an emergency motion filed by MDP.
Speaking on the motion, Meekail stated that the powers given to the President under Article 115(g) of the Constitution are being used to appoint people to political positions beyond the requirements of government agencies and without any limitations.
He further said that state owned companies are hiring more people than necessary, leading to increased expenditures on salaries and operational difficulties.
However, the parliament's Committee on Public Accounts has requested the Minister of Finance to disclose the official number of political appointees.
"It undermines the duty of the parliament to monitor and hold accountable the actions of the government," he said.
He also highlighted that despite requests from the press and the public under the Right to Information Act, the government has not disclosed the number of political positions.
He called on the government to stop hindering the right to information and to mandate the disclosure of the number of political appointees and salaries expenses by SOEs.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had previously pledged not to increase the number of political posts in his government beyond 700.
In light of the current economic and financial challenges facing the country, President Muizzu decided against appointments to senior political positions to reduce operational costs. The President's Office previously indicated that the government would disclose the number of political appointees as well.
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