State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) executives have begun pressuring employees to join the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), using threats of dismissal to coerce political affiliation.
An SOE employee told Adhadhu that his manager contacted him with instructions to join the PNC as soon as possible. According to the employee, the manager warned that failure to register with the party would result in the loss of his job.
"The manager called me and told me to join the PNC. They are calling all the employees. They are also saying that if we don't join the party, we will lose our jobs," the employee said.
The employee further said that he has no desire to be affiliated with any political party and described the forced recruitment as a deeply concerning matter.
The PNC is currently engaged in a massive recruitment drive. These efforts have already been marred by allegations that state resources are being utilized to fraudulently register individuals into the party without their consent.
While the PNC has set an ambitious target of reaching 100,000 members, it has yet to achieve this goal. As of June 30, official records showed the party had 67,579 members, while the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) stood at 55,399 members during the same period.
The reports of forced recruitment come amid a wave of terminations across various SOEs. Observers note that a significant number of those being dismissed are employees not affiliated with the PNC, a trend that has sparked protests in several islands.
During a press conference on Monday, President Mohamed Muizzu said that more than 6,000 employees would be terminated as part of efforts to streamline and reform the operations of SOEs.
The opposition MDP had previously claimed that the government plans to axe 14,733 SOE employees, a move they estimate will negatively impact more than 50,000 people.
A circular issued by the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) stated that the 33 percent reduction in staff is being implemented under a policy to right-size company workforces to levels appropriate for their operations.
Citing a circular issued on April 18, the PCB has now instructed all state-owned companies to achieve these downsizing targets within three months, effective from July 13.
The PCB has decided to closely monitor how companies implement these decisions. According to the circular, companies are required to submit weekly updates every Sunday detailing changes to their workforce size.
