Members of the parliamentary Budget Review Committee have called for a reduction in public expenditure, even if it means downsizing independent institutions, citing excessive salary costs and overlapping mandates.
Speaking during the committee’s deliberations, Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim said 20 agencies had requested a combined MVR 607 million above their allocated budget. He warned that any increase would require cuts elsewhere.
Nazim argued that several independent institutions perform similar functions and should be consolidated to reduce duplication and costs. He cited annual expenditures of MVR 14.7 million for the National Integrity Commission, MVR 8.8 million for the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office, MVR 7.5 million for the Office of the Information Commissioner, and MVR 29 million for the Human Rights Commission.
“These offices incur repeated costs after their establishment,” Nazim said. “Each requires a finance officer, a storekeeper, and a head of finance. The law also mandates a car and driver for the head of every independent institution.”
Nazim questioned the effectiveness of these institutions, suggesting that merging them could free up funds for other agencies. He urged the Finance Ministry and political parties to consult on reforms to ease the financial burden caused by the proliferation of independent bodies.
Other committee members echoed his concerns, highlighting the large number of employees and the significant portion of the state budget spent on their salaries. Several MPs supported the proposal to reduce the number of independent institutions as a cost-cutting measure.