President Muizzu against salary hike for himself and Cabinet

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that he does not endorse the remuneration hike for himself, the Vice President, and Cabinet Ministers.

The Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, which consists of a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) majority, announced decisions to increase the salaries of the top officials in the executive and legislative branches, including the President, Vice President, Cabinet Ministers, and Members of Parliament (MPs).

However, the decision has since attracted widespread public criticism owing to the economically vulnerable condition of the Maldives.

In response, President's Office Spokesperson Mohamed Shaheeb informed the parliament committee's decision was not a result of the President's directive, adding that President Muizzu was against the idea of a salary hike.

Shaheeb further said that the parliament's decision to increase salaries without seeking counsel from relevant authorities was aimed at inciting hatred towards the current government.

"We strongly believe the committee, which consists of MDP majority, made such an impulsive decision right now without the counsel of the most senior executive official in an attempt to incite hatred towards this administration," Shaheeb said.

The committee unanimously agreed for a salary bump of MVR 120,000 per month for the President from the previous monthly salary of MVR 100,000.

Under the revised salary structure, the Vice President would receive a monthly pay of MVR 93,000 instead of the previous MVR 75,000.

Salaries for ministers would increase from MVR 66,000 to MVR 72,000 per month under the revision, while the salary of parliament MPs is expected to increase to MVR 80,000 while the MPs who sit in parliamentary committees would receive an additional allowance of MVR 20,000, bringing their total take home pay to MVR 100,000.

The Parliament Speaker would receive MVR 90,000 and the Deputy Speaker would receive MVR 88,000 according to the amendment.

Additionally, the committee decided a salary of MVR 91,000 for the Chief Justice, MVR 74,000 for the Governor, the Auditor General, and the Prosecutor General.

Despite the decision to increase the salaries of the President and the Vice President, the committee has decided to advise a constitutional amendment to formalize this change, as their salaries are stipulated in the Constitution.