President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has pledged that the government will thoroughly investigate ongoing grievances regarding the distribution of the basic pension, following direct concerns raised by veteran civil servants. The President made the commitment on the public interaction platform 'Rayyithunge Adu' (Voice of the People), responding directly to an inquiry submitted by a retired public servant who dedicated more than 46 years of service to the state.
The retired employee, who formerly served in the Auditor General's Office, highlighted that while the office was understood to be eligible for regular monthly basic pension disbursements, the payments were never received on a scheduled monthly basis. Instead, disbursements were made as lump sums on two separate occasions, leading to widespread confusion among retirees amid unverified reports that the state might discontinue the basic pension allowance altogether.
In response to the grievance, President Dr. Muizzu stated that he had not been aware of such irregularities facing long-serving state employees. Thanking the citizen for bringing the matter directly to his attention, the President assured that relevant authorities would review the circumstances surrounding the issue to determine what took place and formulate appropriate corrective measures.
The national pension system and pension fund administration have historically drawn sustained public scrutiny in the Maldives, particularly surrounding policies governing dual pension eligibility and criteria for deductions. To address administrative challenges and ensure equitable distribution, the authorities have enacted periodic amendments to the regulatory frameworks governing national retirement benefits.
Under recent legislative revisions to the Maldives Pension Act, individuals whose monthly regular earnings surpass the statutory basic pension amount for senior citizens are disqualified from receiving basic pension payouts. The amended legislation also incorporates compassionate provisions allowing terminally ill individuals with a life expectancy of less than a year to withdraw their accumulated retirement savings in a single lump sum.