Speaker, Chief Justice pay raised to MVR 95K despite public backlash

The Parliament on Wednesday approved new allowances that will see the monthly salaries of the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice rise above MVR 95,000.

The Public Accounts Committee had approved increasing the Speaker’s monthly pay to MVR 95,125 and increasing the car allowances for cabinet ministers and the salaries of local councilors on October 21. And on Tuesday, the committee decided in favor of introducing a special allowance for the Chief Justice as well, in order to put their salary on par with that of the Speaker.

Both these decisions were called for separate floor votes at the Parliament in the afternoon.

The decision to raise the salaries of Speaker, cabinet ministers and councilors passed with a majority vote of 42-12, while the pay hike for the Chief Justice passed with a majority vote of 40-12.

Prior to the pay bumps, the Speaker had received a monthly salary of MVR 73,125, while the Deputy Speaker receives MVR 91,000, and other parliamentarians receive MVR 82,500, including the committee allowance.

This difference in pay is due to the Speaker not being allowed to sit at committees. Parliamentarians who sit at committees receive an allowance of MVR 10,000 if they have an attendance rate of 50-75 percent, and MVR 20,000 if they have an attendance rate of above 75 percent.

The committee therefore decided to introduce an MVR 22,000 allowance for the Speaker, raising their monthly pay to MVR 95,125.

It also decided to raise the car allowance for cabinet ministers, covering petrol and salary and a living allowance for their drivers, from MVR 7,500 to MVR 17,000.

The committee also introduced a service allowance for councilors, raising the monthly pay of island council presidents to MVR 30,500, vice presidents to MVR 25,000, and members to MVR 23,000.

On Tuesday, the committee decided to introduce a special allowance of MVR 4,125 for the Chief Justice, raising their monthly pay from MVR 91,000 to MVR 95,125.

The decision to approve the pay hikes come despite public backlash over the move. The decisions were also slammed by lawmakers from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), who described making such a move even as ordinary citizens struggle with the country’s economic downturn and the rising cost of living as “a grave injustice.”