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2013 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

An Independent Institution of Governance? A New Statutory Civil Service in the Maldives

Authors : Mohamed Faizal, Rob Laking

Published in: In Search of Better Governance in South Asia and Beyond

Publisher: Springer New York

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Abstract

The Civil Service Act of 2008 was the first of its kind in the Maldives and part of a major programme of reforms to the countrys governance, including a new Constitution and the introduction of multi-party democracy. This chapter presents an overview of the origins of the new Act and compares its main provisions with features of classical models of civil service. It argues that the Maldives version of the model is on the one hand a continuation of a tradition of centralised governance but, on the other, has removed significant features of civil service management from the direct control of the elected government. So far, it seems to have largely removed the control of the elected government over employment matters; led to more widespread application of merit principles in appointment; created a more politically neutral civil service; and successfully implemented a retirement age and a contributory pension scheme. On the other hand there are still tensions between on the one hand the Act’s basic principle of neutral competence and duty of civil servants to the elected government; and between the centralized administrative model and the decentralized political governance model; and the government has sought to reduce the scope of the provisions of the Act by removing significant numbers of civil servants from its coverage.

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previous chapter Application of Performance-Based Management: A Case of Nepalese Civil Service Reform
next chapter Citizens’ Trust in Public Officials: Bangladesh and Nepal Compared
Footnotes
1
The World Bank, a major funder of civil service and administrative reform projects its member countries over the last 50 years, identified broadly in order of increasing political and implementation risk: pay and personnel recording systems and staff training (minimal risk); organizational and ‘demand side’ reforms (moderate risk); downsizing, pay decompression, merit-based recruitment, promotion and discipline, performance management, and appraisal (all high risk) (World Bank 2008, p. 56).
 
2
The Maldives had a brief period as a republic in 1953. After reverting to a monarch, the nation converted to a republic once again in 1968.
 
3
Official Kanthah [Issues] Chapter 1 Act No. 1/68 (1968) and Official Kanthah [Issues] Chapter 2 Act No. 2/68 (1968).
 
4
A major decision during the constitutional reform was the endorsement of a presidential form of government in the new constitution. As discussed later in this chapter, this had significant bearing on the model of civil service adopted in the Maldives.
 
5
One such example is the abolition of the elected atoll committees. Under the ‘reforms’ of 1975, those committees that existed under the 1968 Constitution were abolished and the post of Atholhuverin [Atoll Chief] was appointed by the central government (Phadnis and Luithui 1985).
 
6
Covered under the Official Kanthah [Issues] Chapter 1 Act No. 1/68 (1968) .
 
7
Covered under the Official Kanthah [Issues] Chapter 2 Act No. 2/68 (1968) .
 
8
Covered under the Service Bond for Government Funded Education Act No. 29/76 (1976).
 
9
Covered under the National Language (priority) Act (No. 9/2011).
 
10
The Attorney General of the Maldives cited a number of inconsistencies between the Employment Act and the newly revised Civil Service Regulation of June 2012, a regulation formulated under the Civil Service Act (Attorney General’s Office 2012).
 
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Metadata
Title
An Independent Institution of Governance? A New Statutory Civil Service in the Maldives
Authors
Mohamed Faizal
Rob Laking
Copyright Year
2013
Publisher
Springer New York
Book
In Search of Better Governance in South Asia and Beyond

Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7371-8

Electronic ISBN: 978-1-4614-7372-5

Copyright Year: 2013

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7372-5_8

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