Shamheed: Muizzu Abused Article 115 to Appoint Record Number of Political Staff
28 ޖުލައި 2026 | އަންގާރަ 11:57MP Dr. Shamheed has criticized the government for the alleged misuse of Article 115 of the Constitution to appoint political appointees, leading to billions in state expenditure. He noted that while the administration is dismissing ordinary employees under the guise of cost-cutting measures, it continues to expand the number of political staff while keeping the official figures undisclosed.
Dr. Ahmed Shamheed, Member of Parliament for the Hulhumalé South constituency. | People's Majlis
Dr. Ahmed Shamheed, the Member of Parliament for the South Hulhumalé constituency, has asserted that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration has appointed the highest number of redundant political staff under Article 115 of the Constitution, resulting in significant state expenditure.
Speaking at Tuesday's parliamentary sitting, Dr. Shamheed noted that in major developed nations such as the United Kingdom, the number of political appointees typically ranges between 20 and 50. He sharply criticized the fact that in a small nation like the Maldives, this figure has surged past 2,000. Shamheed pointed out that while the actual expenditure for presidential appointees should ideally be around 150 million MVR per term, the current spending on such political staff has reached approximately 3.3 billion MVR per term.
Dr. Shamheed stated that governments are fostering corruption under the guise of creating political positions, noting that Article 115 of the Constitution does not explicitly grant the President the authority to create such roles. He further emphasized the need to safeguard public funds.
"What are being created under the guise of political appointments is corruption. Article 115 of the Constitution does not grant the President the authority to create positions; it only outlines the power to appoint. Therefore, regardless of who does it, wrong is wrong. We want to protect the public's money. The President is engaging in corruption by misusing Article 115."Dr. Shamheed
Noting that approximately MVR 3.3 billion is spent per term on political appointees, Shamheed emphasized that these are the critical issues that must be addressed to safeguard public funds.
Shamheed further stated that those appointed as political staff are individuals who perform no actual work, yet the state spends between 100 million and 150 million Rufiyaa on them. He noted that Article 115 is being misused to run political parties and provide employment to party activists, adding that between 3.3 billion and 3.5 billion Rufiyaa will be spent on such employees over this government's five-year term.
Dr. Shamheed’s remarks come at a time when the government, under the guise of austerity measures, has been dismissing low-level employees from State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Conversely, the number of political appointees continues to rise daily, with estimates suggesting the figure has now surpassed 2,000. However, the exact number remains unclear as the administration continues to withhold this information from the public. Such inconsistent policies have led to a significant erosion of public trust in the government.
