Govt appoints Commissioner of Reform

The government has appointed Asma Shafeeu as the Commissioner of Reform, to lead the efforts of the Economic Reform Office.

The office was established, under the mandate of the Ministry of Finance for expeditious efforts of strengthening the government’s financial management system, to reform and streamline the operations of government bodies.

Previously, Asma had filled key positions of the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), including the authority’s Director General, Planning and Development as well as the Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation.

The ministry made announcement seeking a Commissioner of Reform earlier on December 4^th, with a post that cited the key responsibilities of the position which include:

• Formulation of a national reform agenda inclusive of economic reforms and reform of state-owned enterprises
• Preparation, planning and execution of activities aimed at economic diversification, improve competition, and sustainable development
• Provide counsel to the Minister of Finance and Advisor on policies related to reform

The current government has taken a pro-active and holistic approach towards state reform owing to significant fiscal plight with key reform efforts including the revision of subsidy, reformation of Aasandha, and merging state bodies or corporations that perform similar activities.

Besides revising the state-initiated Aasandha health insurance scheme, the government has also made significant strides in cutting state expenditure with the Ministry of Finance projecting the government to shave off MVR 11.55 billion from next year’s state budget.