Minister of Agriculture and Animal Welfare Dr. Mariyam Mariya has revealed that there are 48 political appointees in her Ministry.
She made the remark in response to a question posed by MDP’s Keyodhoo MP Mohamed Niushad.
Although the Minister disclosed there are 48 political appointees in the Ministry, she did not disclose the details of their posts.
Capping the number of political appointees at 700 is a key electoral pledge of President Muizzu. However, according to reliable sources, the actual number of political appointees is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000.
Amid concerns over the high number of political appointees, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced his decision to remove 228 political appointees, aligned with the government’s cost reduction measures, on October 15, 2024.
On November 1, 2024, President’s Office Spokesperson Heena Waleed announced during a press conference that the government had dismissed 248 political staff, which included seven state ministers, 43 deputy ministers, 103 senior political directors, and 69 political directors.
However, the President’s office has refused to disclose the details of the dismissed political appointees. Notably, the government had challenged the decision by the Information Commissioner’s Office (iCOM), the RTI watchdog authority, ordering the President’s office to disclose the information.
Speaking during a record 14-hour-long press conference on May 3rd, President Muizzu was unaware that the details of current political appointees and dismissed political appointees were being withheld as something confidential.  He also said he was unaware there was a High Court case challenging the disclosure.
He repeatedly reiterated that the information should not be withheld.
The President acknowledged that he had access to the information and, while it would not be disclosed immediately, assured that it would be made public without significant delay.
However, the information has not been disclosed to date, almost two weeks since the press conference was held.