Adhadhu has learnt that the total number of political appointees remains unchanged even after the merger of government ministries.
Four ministries have recently been merged into two. The Ministry of Housing and Planning and the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure were merged on December 26 while the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change were merged on February 1.
With these decisions, the number of ministries in President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's administration has come down to 20.
Adhadhu understands that the political staff in the dissolved ministries have now been transferred to the newly created ministries. This means only the salary and allowances of the minister will be deducted from the salary expenditure.
Number of political employees in four ministries as of October
- Housing Ministry - 43 political employees
- Construction Ministry - 43 political employees
- Environment Ministry - 56 political employees
- Tourism Ministry - 35 political employees
According to these figures, the newly formed Ministry of Housing and Construction has a total of 85 political employees. The Ministry of Tourism and Environment has a total of 90 political employees.
Attempts to get an official response from the government have not been successful so far. Chief spokesperson Heena Waleed did not respond to calls or text messages.
The Muizzu administration treats the number of political employees and their details as a big secret. Despite being in office for 15 months, the total number of political appointees has not been announced.
All details, including the names and positions of the 248 political employees who were announced to be sacked as a cost-cutting measure late last year, are also kept confidential. However, the President's Office repeatedly says it will provide the information.
