Amid increasing public demand for lower salaries for Parliamentarians, ruling party lawmaker Ibrahim Shujau has called to widen the net to lower the allowances being paid to former Presidents, Parliamentarians and Judges.
Speaking on a programme on “Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu”, Parliamentarian for Baarah Constituency Shujau insisted that he was in favour of a pay cut for salaries and allowances for sitting lawmakers.
However, such a move should not be limited to the legislature and must be widened to include the executive and judiciary, he explained.
Shujau pointed out that there are clear conditions under which former heads of states of other countries receive allowances and benefits from the State, noting the lack of such conditions in the Maldives. So, enforcing a pay cut just for Parliamentarians was incongruous, he said.
"The judges are entitled to financial benefits and other allowances even if they retire. Former Presidents are also offered the same benefits when they leave office. So only Members of Parliament being exempt from such benefits would mean the entire system is unjust,” he explained.
“So as the Member of Parliament for Baarah Constituency, I believe today as I have always done, that we need to bring a collective solution.”
Shujau stressed that the financial burden on the country can only be alleviated if it can find a collective solution that includes all three powers of the State.