Muizzu’s second year marked by wasteful spending on poetry and cat ministries: Amru
Citing a recent World Bank report, former STO Managing Director Amru has urged the government to implement immediate austerity measures to curb state spending. He highlighted the unnecessary expenditure resulting from an increasing number of political appointees and ministries, warning that failure to address these fiscal inefficiencies would lead to significant hardships for the public. Amru emphasized the critical importance of adhering to the World Bank’s recommendations to ensure long-term economic stability.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu during a meeting held with his Cabinet of Ministers. | Presidents Office
Former Managing Director of STO, Hussain Amru, has criticized President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration, stating that as the government approaches its second year, it has focused on wasteful spending by establishing ministries for tasks as trivial as writing poetry and managing cats.
Speaking on a RaajjeTV talk show, Amru referenced the "Maldives Development Update" report recently published by the World Bank. He emphasized that, as highlighted in the report, it is essential to reduce expenditures in order to boost revenue.
Highlighting that President Muizzu’s administration is characterized by wasteful spending, Amr stated that the government must reduce its monthly expenditures, as recommended in the World Bank report.
Amru emphasized the need to eliminate wasteful spending, specifically highlighting expenditures on political appointees, the official residence of the President (Mulee'aage), government ministries, and various state-owned enterprises. He further noted that despite being two years into its term, the government has failed to deliver meaningful progress for the nation or its citizens. Instead, he criticized the administration for incurring unnecessary costs, such as establishing a ministry and allocating funds for activities like poetry composition and feline welfare.
As you are aware, over the past year, ministries were established for tasks as trivial as composing poetry and managing stray cats. Another ministry was created under the pretext of overseeing local councils. We repeatedly advised against these actions at the time, especially as each ministry was staffed with 70 to 80 political appointees. In contrast, during the previous MDP administration, Fisheries and Agriculture functioned as a single ministry. That entire ministry was managed by exactly 14 political appointees. However, upon taking office, President Muizzu separated Agriculture and Fisheries into two distinct ministries, with each now employing 70 political appointees.Husain Amru, former Managing Director of STO
Amru stated that unless the government halts wasteful spending and reduces the number of political appointees, the nation and its citizens will face severe hardships and distress. He further urged the government to adhere to the recommendations issued by the World Bank.
