Parliament Speaker Rejects Urgent Debate on Salary Hikes for Top Officials

The Speaker of the People's Majlis, Abdul Raheem Abdullah, has ruled against taking up an urgent motion concerning the recent decision to raise salaries for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and members of the Cabinet. The decision was made during a parliamentary session on Tuesday. Last week, the parliamentary Finance Committee approved a significant salary increase for the Speaker, from MVR 73,125 to MVR 95,125 per month. The Deputy Speaker's salary would remain at MVR 91,000, while members of parliament would receive MVR 82,500, which includes a committee allowance. Additionally, the committee approved raising the salary of members of the Cabinet of Ministers from MVR 58,500 to MVR 75,500. Kendhoo constituency MP Maaroof Zakir submitted the urgent motion, arguing that the salary increases were unjust at a time when the Maldivian economy is struggling and the government has imposed austerity measures on the public. He said the raises set a bad precedent and would be unacceptable to the people. However, Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdullah ruled that the matter was not suitable for urgent debate under parliamentary procedures, and therefore the motion was not accepted.