Former Maldives President and MDP Advisor President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said the state budget is constrained due to the government's lavish expenditure on salaries.
Speaking at the campaign rally of Ali Riza, who is contesting the Milandhoo constituency on the MDP ticket in the upcoming parliamentary elections, President Solih said the government has spent between an additional NVR 270 million and NVR 300 million on salaries in the first two months of this year. The former President said the MDP government spent MVR 1.9 billion at the end of the first two months of 2023, while the current government has, in contrast, spent MVR 2.1 billion on salaries alone at the end of the first two months of this year.
"About MVR 270 to MVR 300 million has been spent more to pay the salaries of their appointees. This is the reason for the lack of money in the budget," he said.
President Solih pointed out that the additional MVR 270 to MVR 300 million could have been utilized to initiate crucial infrastructure projects such as airport development and land dredging. He emphasised that MDP members should be elected to the Parliament to put the government on the right track.
