The administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who pledged to end the "top heavy" government after coming to power, has more than 258 state ministers and deputy ministers to date, information from the President's Office website has revealed.
In the past, the name, address and ministry of political appointees were published on the President's Office website after appointments. However, the President's Office has not disclosed any such information recently.
When the question was raised at press conferences, information about the number of political posts was not provided and journalists were told that it would be shared later.
But Adhadhu has gathered information from the President's Office website and made calculations. These figures do not include some officials as no government agency has revealed their appointments.
The current government has 95 state ministers and 163 deputy ministers. Expenditure from the state budget on their salaries is included below. In addition to these, there are 23 appointees at ministerial rank aside from cabinet ministers.
95 state ministers
- Salary - MVR 47,000
- Monthly expenditure on salaries - MVR 4,465,000
- Annual expenditure on salaries - MVR 53,580,000
The state ministers include Maldives National University (MNU) Vice Chancellor Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam and Islamic University Vice Chancellor Dr. Ali Zahir. A chancellor was appointed to the national university at ministerial rank.
163 deputy ministers
- Salary - MVR 35,000
- Monthly expenditure on salaries - MVR 5,705,000
- Annual expenditure on salaries - MVR 68,460,000
The Local Government Ministry has the highest number of state ministers with eight state ministers. The Homeland Security Ministry has the most deputy ministers with 15 appointees.
Information about some posts were not updated on the President's Office website when these calculations were made. The resumes of state minister and deputy minister appointees who have been reporting to work are absent from the President's Office website.
303 political appointees, MVR 156 million as remuneration
President Muizzu's cabinet has 22 ministers without counting himself and the Vice President, in addition to whom he has so far appointed 23 officials at the ministerial rank. Two of them were appointed without pay as Advisors to the President on trade and tourism.
Ministerial rank appointees earn MVR 66,000 as salary and allowances. Their wage bill is therefore MVR 2,838,000 a month and MVR 34,056,000 a year.
Therefore, MVR 13,008,000 a month and MVR 156,096,000 a year would be spent from the state budget to pay salaries for the 303 political appointees listed in the President's Office website.
Paying salaries for these 303 officials would cost MVR 780,480,000 during President Muizzu's five-year term.
In addition to these posts, the government has also created posts called Senior Political Director and Political Director. However, the government has not disclosed the names of the appointees or details of their salaries and benefits.
Adhadhu requested this information some weeks ago. But after the deadline set in the law to comply with right to information requests passed, the President's Office invoked a provision in the law to extend the period.
President Muizzu assumed office with a pledge to limit the number of political posts - including posts at ministries, the President's Office, President's residence and Vice President's residence - to no more than 700. The figure would include administrative staff, it was said at the time.
The opposition says the number of political appointees has now exceeded that figure but the government denies this. The truth would become clear when the government discloses the information. The current figures show that this is a "top heavy" government.
