A big civil service conference has heard that public Servants “don't have to do everything ordered by politicians”.

That was the call from the Maldives' Minister for Defence, Mohamed Nazim, at a Civil Service Commission (CSC) conference.

The Minister said that staff can be complicit in corruption by simply doing what they are told, and the secret to rooting it out is to not give corrupt players the opportunity to grow.

“Activities against the law should be stopped and reported to relevant authorities. No one should be given the opportunity for anything that could facilitate corruption,” he said.

He said that in governments around the world, public servants are being asked to increase the pace of development, which can lead to complacency.

The Minister said higher-ups in any department are often charged with the duty to enforce political leaders' wishes, and, while relations between department secretaries and public servants were important, efforts must be made to make sure they stay positive.