Day: January 5, 2011

Mahloof cautious, but happy, over civil service salary reinstatement

Newly reinstated civil service salary rates that revoke wage cuts introduced back in 2009 should be affordable under the latest state budget, even amidst pressure to reduce the nation’s spending, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Ahmed Mahloof has claimed.

Mahloof, who has been outspoken over some of the amendments passed into the 2011 state budget, said that he was “very happy” that the government had moved to revoke a 15 per cent reduction in civil servant salaries that were approved as part of the final budget within parliament.

The MP said he believed that the additional levels of expenditure could be well managed within the budget, especially if the government cut down on the number of political appointees it employed.

“We have been managing these wage levels for a long time, I don’t see there should be any difficulty in maintaining them,” Mahloof said. “However, the government could cut the number of appointees to reduce the budget further.”

Following the decision to reinstate the wages of civil servants and political appointees to similar level before respective cuts of 15 per cent and 20 per cent were made back in 2009, the government estimates that expected revenue for the year will ensure the salaries are sustainable.

The government has come under considerable pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce the country’s budgetary deficit, which it has aimed to cut to about 16 per cent in its finance plans for 2011 from a figure of 26.5 per cent announced by President Mohamed Nasheed in November.

However, Mahloof told Minivan News that he was “deeply concerned” about how long the government would consider retaining the wages for after upcoming council elections had been concluded in February.

“I am really happy about the salaries reinstatement, but I see this as a political stunt,” he said. “The president has increased the salaries of the civil service before; the last time ahead of parliamentary elections. We will have to see if they remain in place and for how long.”

The passing of the budget has not been without controversy over the last week, leading to protests involving NGOs, political activists and civil service workers on Male’s streets over proposed amendments to increase the wages and privileges afforded to MPs.

According to Mahloof, the civil servant wage rises had been the result of recommendations forwarded by opposition members.

The DRP MP claimed he would now be turning his attention to addressing concerns over the affordability of possible rises in the salary of his peers in the Majlis that have proved unpopular amongst demonstrators outside of parliament last week.

“Amendments have also be sent concerning the proposed Rf20,000 wage increases,” added Mahloof.

Despite Mahloof’s concerns over the length of government commitment to the salary levels, acting Finance Minister Mahmood Razee said the reinstatement of civil service wages had been an important commitment for government that had not previously been affordable.

“We have had to match our expenditure to revenue,” the acting Finance Minister said. “We are working with the civil service closely on our plans.”

However, in considering other budget recommendations passed by parliamentary majority, such as increasing the salaries and privileges afforded to MPs, Razee said that they would “certainly have to be reviewed” in terms of affordability within the current projected budget of about Rf12.6bn.

“I will be saying the same to the president,” he added.

Razee had previously said that presidential approval would still be required for any amendments to be passed relating to salaries within the Majlis.

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Alhan Fahmy questions impact of Gayoom’s political return

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Alhan Fahmy has heavily criticised former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s return to the Maldives, claiming the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) honorary leader’s sole motivation to re-enter the country’s political landscape is to keep alive his family’s leadership legacy.

Fahmy claimed that he believed Gayoom’s presence will not ultimately help the cause of the DRP.

”No matter how many candidates from the DRP run for the local council elections, the party cannot win these elections,” Alhan claimed. “The DRP cannot also win the presidential elections for the coming 500 years.”

Representatives for the DRP were not available for comment when contacted by Minivan News in regards to Fahmy’s comments. However, DRP Deputy Leader Ibrahim Shareef said earlier this week that the assistance of Gayoom during the local council elections would be welcomed, though he added that the party’s leadership had not at the time been informed of his exact plans.

“He [Gayoom] is our honorary leader and enormously popular right now,” Shareef said. “While we will appreciate his help during campaigning, we have not been informed of his plans right now.”

Gayoom last year publicly announced that he was leaving the field of politics and would not get involved in such affairs anymore.

However, he has since promised DRP members, including former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer, that he would return to help with campaigning in local council elections, though Gayoom stopped short of confirming any future presidential ambitions.

Fahmy, who was himself a former DRP MP elected to parliament on the party’s ticket, was dismissed from DRP after he voted against the party in a no confidence motion concerning Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed back in 2009.

Fahmy has also criticised the religious Adhaalath Party, claiming it was attempting to topple the government by using the religion as a political weapon.

Recently, Adhaalath Party member and former State Islamic Minister, Sheikh Ahmed Shaheem Ali Saeed, resigned from his post over concerns he held about government policy in relation to Islam.

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Elections Commission removes Umar Naseer from DRP’s membership

Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq has confirmed that Umar Naseer, former Deputy Leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), has now been removed from the opposition party’s membership list, calling his dismissal an “internal dispute”.

”The DRP office requested the commission to remove his name from the party’s membership saying that they have dismissed him,” said Thaufeeq. ”So we removed his name accordingly in respect to the party’s wishes.”

Thaufeeq said that both DRP and Naseer have been informed of the commission’s decision.

”We also considered the letter sent to us by Naseer and we have responded to it,” he said. ”The issue with Umar and the DRP is really an internal issue, it is not the part of the commission to get in to such matters.”

Thaufeeq said that according to the DRP’s charter, anyone declining the decision of a disciplinary committee should turn to the party’s appeal committee.   “We informed Mr Naseer that this is the way to resolve his issue,” he added.

Umar Naseer was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

The DRP last week asked the Elections Commission to remove Naseer’s name from its membership list after the party’s disciplinary committee voted to dismiss him the previous month, leading to a growing war of words between the former deputy and current leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

The former deputy leader alleged that Thasmeen was purposely attempting to dismiss him after the DRP council voted narrowly to move ahead with a disciplinary hearing.

Tensions have risen within the party between supporters loyal to both Thasmeen and Naseer, leading to some MPs, including the dismissed deputy, flying out to Malaysia to meet with former president and DRP honorary leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Gayoom returned to the Maldives last week in order to try and “reinstate unity” in the DRP along with assisting its local council elections campaign.

Gayoom described the ongoing war of words within the DRP as ‘disputes’ rather than the formation of faction.

Umar Naseer was formerly the leader of Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), which he later abolished after the presidential elections, despite opposition from the party’s deputy leader and some supporters.  Afterwards Umar joined DRP and got elected as a deputy leader during the last DRP congress.

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Court action may postpone Addu Atoll city council elections

Planned elections to appoint a city council to serve Addu Attoll will be postponed if court action taken by some MPs to revoke the decision to treat the region a single city is successful, Haveeru has reported.

President Mohamed Nasheed has said that if the Civil Court moves to reverse the decision announced back in October to make Addu Atoll’s islands individual wards of a single city, elections would be postponed, according to the paper.

The Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) reportedly filed the case over concerns that the president may not be authorised to award city status to Addu on the grounds that the atoll may not appease the requirements outlined under the country’s Decentralisation Act.

However, Nasheed has said that the Addu city decision was made after consultation with government and opposition parties.

“I didn’t decide to give city status to Addu after waking up one morning,” he was quoted as saying in Haveeru.

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