Speaker Abdul Raheem Rejects Urgent Motion on Salary Increase

Speaker of the People's Majlis Abdul Raheem Abdullah has rejected an urgent motion submitted by MDP MP Maaroof Zakir regarding the recent decision by the parliament's Finance Committee to increase the salaries of the Speaker and Cabinet ministers. The motion, submitted by the Ken'du constituency MP, argued that the salary hike was unjust given the current economic crisis, the high cost of living, and delayed salary standardization for health and education workers. It also highlighted that the government has overspent by 4.5 billion rufiyaa this year and pointed out the Ministry of Finance's instructions to the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) to reduce staff in state-owned companies by 33%. In rejecting the motion, Speaker Abdul Raheem stated that the purpose of an urgent motion is not for discussing matters that are yet to be formally scheduled, and returned the motion. The Finance Committee's decision is estimated to add 40 million rufiyaa annually to state expenditure. The main opposition MDP has called on the committee to reverse the decision. According to the committee, the Speaker's salary would rise to 95,125 rufiyaa through an increase in allowances from the current 73,125 rufiyaa. The Deputy Speaker currently receives 91,000 rufiyaa, while MPs receive 82,500 rufiyaa.