A country’s development depends on the willingness of its younger generation to serve its people, Housing Minister Dr Abdulla Muththalib has said.
Speaking at the Maldives National University (MNU) graduation ceremony on Thursday, Minister Muththalib said the country’s future depended on the contribution of young people, stressing the importance of sincerity and dedication in public service.
He said some government employees treated their jobs merely as office work, rather than recognising their responsibility to serve the public.
“We sometimes see staff working from 8am to 2pm just for the sake of doing a job in the office environment. There are times when they have to go out at different times. However, we notice that these employees have little spirit of service,” he said.
Minister Muththalib said public servants should ensure that their work was completed even if it required staying beyond official working hours, adding that services should be delivered to the public with sincerity and in a timely manner.
He acknowledged that younger generations were increasingly willing to serve the government and the public, saying there were young people with a stronger commitment to public service than previous generations.
Addressing concerns over civil servants’ salaries, Minister Muththalib said employees deserved fair compensation but salary increases depended on the state's financial capacity.
He said the Maldives generated around MVR 40 billion in revenue, which was matched by recurrent expenditure, limiting the government's ability to increase salaries.
“Demanding salaries is a good thing. However, they are not serving the government. They are serving the people. Therefore, the spirit of serving the public is very important,” he said.
Minister Muththalib also shared his own experience, saying he graduated from CHSE in 2004 with A-level qualifications before pursuing four years of studies in the UK under a President’s Scholarship. He said he returned to the Maldives to serve the country in return for the public investment in his education.
He said completing his PhD in civil engineering overseas had opened up other career opportunities, but he had never considered living permanently elsewhere.
Emphasizing the importance of contributing to the country's future, he said the younger generation's children and grandchildren would grow up in the Maldives and should therefore be committed to its development.
He urged to focus on productive contributions rather than spending their time arguing on social media.
