Faisal Slams Allowance Hikes for Speaker, Ministers as 'Major Criticism' on Maldivian People

Former Maldivian Democratic Party chairperson Faisal Ismail has strongly criticised the People's Majlis Finance Committee's decision to increase allowances for the Speaker of the People's Majlis and ministers, describing it as a major criticism against the Maldivian people. The Finance Committee on Wednesday approved raising the car allowance for ministers to 17,000 rufiyaa and the allowance for the Speaker of the People's Majlis to 95,000 rufiyaa, along with major changes to councillors' allowances. Writing on X, Faisal said: "While there is no work being done by the Parliament and no result has been brought to the government/public, today they decided to increase the salaries of the ministers and the speaker." He added that such a parliament has not been seen before. At a time when many people are facing difficulties due to rising prices, Faisal questioned whether such a decision should be made now. The increase has also drawn public criticism and opposition political reactions, particularly as the government has been laying off employees from its companies and institutions citing economic difficulties.