Dismissals of civil service employees should only occur after ending government waste and cutting political appointees: MP Shamheed
Shamheed stated that the government has yet to implement any measures to reduce expenditures or halt non-essential projects. He further noted that no significant efforts have been made to dismiss political appointees or to curb the ongoing corruption within state-owned enterprises.
Dr. Ahmed Shamheed, the Member of Parliament for the South Hulhumalé constituency, speaking on RaajjeTV's "Fala Surukhee" programme. | Raajje MV
Dr. Ahmed Shamheed, the Member of Parliament for the South Hulhumalé constituency, has stated that civil service employees should only be dismissed under the guise of cost-cutting after the government ends its wasteful spending and removes political appointees.
Speaking on RaajjeTV’s "Fala Surukhee" program on Sunday night, Shamheed expressed that the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) opposes the government's current efforts to terminate employees. He emphasized that MDP’s stance is a pursuit of the rights of the Maldivian citizens.
Shamheed noted that the majority of those currently being dismissed from their jobs are MDP members. However, he cautioned that in the future, more citizens and even members of the ruling PNC would likely face dismissal. He assured that MDP would continue to advocate for the rights of all such individuals.
Furthermore, Shamheed criticized the government, stating that to date, no genuine measures have been taken to reduce expenditure, nor have any redundant projects been halted. He further alleged that no efforts have been made to downsize political staff or to curb the corruption occurring within state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
He highlighted that the government continues to spend millions on various monthly events that offer no tangible benefit to the public. Consequently, Shamheed argued that the government must first stop its extravagance and dismiss political appointees before targeting the jobs of ordinary employees.
The Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) has recently instructed state-owned companies to reduce their workforce by 33 percent within the next three months.
Referencing a circular issued in April this year, the PCB’s latest circular released last Sunday specified a deadline for achieving this objective. The board stated it would closely monitor the downsizing process and instructed companies to submit weekly updates on their staff numbers every Sunday.
The directive mandates that companies must reduce their staff count by 33 percent over a three-month period starting from the 13th of this month.
