President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom appointed six new cabinet ministers today including Umar Naseer as Home Minister, Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed as Islamic Minister, Dr Mohamed Muiz as Housing and Infrastructure Minister, Dr Mohamed Shainy as Fisheries and Agriculture Minister, Mohamed Saeed as Economic Development Minister and Thoriq Ibrahim as Environment and Energy Minister.
The oath of office for the ministers was administered by Supreme Court Justice Abdulla Areef.
While two of the five ministers appointed on Sunday night were members of the President’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the new ministers appointed today were nominated by coalition partners Jumhooree Party (JP), Adhaalath Party (AP) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA). The PPM-led coalition also includes a number of smaller parties.
JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim and MDA Leader Ahmed Shiyam Mohamed attended the swearing-in ceremony at the President’s Office this afternoon.
Adhaalath Party members Shaheem and Muiz had served in the same posts in the cabinet of former President Dr Mohamed Waheed.
In addition to the ministerial appointments, former Youth Minister Mohamed Hussain Shareef ‘Mundhu’ was appointed minister of the President’s Office – a post abolished in 2008 – and former Economic Development Minister Ahmed Mohamed was appointed Commissioner General of Customs.
All cabinet ministers would require parliamentary approval for confirmation of their posts.
In his remarks after presenting letters of appointment, President Yameen congratulated the new ministers and noted that the government was formed out of a coalition.
The aim of the government should therefore be implementing the main components of the manifestos of the PPM-led coalition, he said.
This would bring contentment and prosperity to the people, protect Islam, maintain peace and stability, and overcome divisions, Yameen said.
The coalition government would be “a compassionate government” that “respects the individual rights of all citizens,” he added.
President Yameen said he wished to “speed up our efforts” to deliver on the campaign promises and asked the new ministers to “work tirelessly” and “make sacrifices if necessary” to serve the public and defend Islam.
“So I ask all of you to provide cooperation to me and my government to ensure the development the Maldivian people want,” he said.
The next five years would bring “unprecedented joy and peace” if the coalition government’s vision for the country was realised, Yameen said.
President Yameen said he hoped to present a timeline or roadmap for the first 100 days at the first cabinet meeting.
Home Minister Umar Naseer
Umar Naseer was dismissed from the PPM in April after refusing to apologise for allegations of vote rigging in the wake of his primary defeat to President Yameen.
Naseer had claimed that Yameen “rigged” the primary by ballot stuffing, falsifying the count and “pouring black money” to buy votes.
He further alleged that criminal gangs, convicts and drug smuggling “networks” were part of Yameen’s campaign team.
“Less than 24 hours after my brother Abdulla Yameen won the primary, the foremost person in the Maldives’ corruption network, Deputy Speaker of the People’s Majlis Ahmed Nazim joined the PPM,” Naseer had said.
After joining the campaign of JP Leader Gasim Ibrahim, Umar had said that Yameen was “the root of all the problems faced by our country today.”
“The 40,000 illegal immigrants who have entered the country are people brought in under his nose. People say that there is a connection between Yameen and the illicit drugs that are sold on the streets of Maldives,” Naseer alleged.
Following Gasim’s third-placed finish in the first round of the presidential election on November 9, Naseer declared that he would back the PPM candidate against former President Mohamed Nasheed.
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Interesting. This is going to be the mother of all coalitions. Read my lips, "I will not break any more back bones", says Backbone Umar. Yeah, right. Peace and prosperity to all, now I present you Adolf Umar. Thanks a lot Yameen, Qawm and Dheen.
There is a lesson in this for all. Maldivians got what they asked for. History has a habit of repeating itself.
Adolf Hitler was a poor destitute and penniless absurdity to most fellow Germans, until he was given a stage. He used the dire situation of his country to rise to become a nightmare to the civilised world. Maldivians have given the stage to a very dangerous man today.
There are bound to be some gripes about the new appointments as well while some of them are quite credible;
(1) Umar Naseer as Home Minister would be controversial to say the very least. For the opposition he will always be a villain who has publicly claimed to have played a pivotal role in unseating Nasheed. For pro-govt. supportesr he has always maintained a consistent hard-on-crime image as part of his political persona so some of his supporters might hail his appointment as a great success. Although it would make or break for his career if his tenure is marred by high crime rates and political arrests.
(2) Shaheem's return will not invite much in the way of comment from the general public who does not doubt his Islamic-credentials (although some in the know and those who have worked in government see him as an poser who pretends to be an academic while engaging in the lowest level of crookery seen in Maldivian government). Meanwhile some in the opposition are bound to hold a grudge against him for his betrayal of Dr. Abdulmajeed Abdulbaaree and Hussein Rasheed Ahmed as well as his popularity as an anti-Nasheed figure.
(3) Mohamed Hussain Shareef has shown outward polish in recent days however his public image is marred by his penchant for taking to podiums and making speeches of the most virulent sort.
(4)Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is an uncontroversial figure who possess the technical qualifications for his job.
(5) Dr. Shainy has a long record of service at the Fisheries Ministry and would not incite strong emotions on either side.
(6) This is Saeed's first time in government after serving so long in the Villa conglomerate. Qasim's influence over his post may land him in trouble a' la Dr. Shamheed however he is generally an affable man.
(7) Thoriq has years of experience in construction and infrastructure development. With his good social standing and quiet demeanor he is also bound to be an uncontroversial figure who would not invite much comment either bad or good.
(8) Ahmed Mohamed as Commissioner General of Customs and Taxation, he would do a splendind job in any field that involves numbers. He has also proven to work well with those around him.
So aside from appointments (1) - (3) the others seem to be quite good choices. However opposition-aligned media will have a field day especially with (2) who has already been accused of using his wife as a front in procurement fraud. The others who by their nature are quiet and reserved will do little to deflect attention from the troublesome ones. Such is the nature of Maldivian governments. Nasheed managed to divert attention from lackluster and corrupt Cabinet appointments through his charisma. Can Yameen do the same?
Yep, Umar the undisputed champion of backbone breaking will make a great Home Minister. He is well qualified for the post, given his dexterity with tall ladders, mobs and general violent and rather pointless rantings in public against anyone he doesn't agree with.
Shaheem is the ultimate incarnation of a double faced (otherwise known as Munafiq) pretentious wheeler dealer who likes to impress ladies with his beard and suits. Put a true scholar like Dr Abdel Majid Abdel Baaree and you can see a whole world of difference between a true leader of Muslims and a fake.
And yes, not sure how Mundhu qualifies for any post whatsoever. Perhaps his loud mouth just tires out people and keeping him in *some* post may be just a way to calm the ears of those around him.
Apart from that, the rest are all capable people, whatever party they come from. In time, we will see how the aforementioned three fare in their rather elevated roles that are well above their punching abilities.
all of them are dump fools who are careless to the very extreme. eg: thoabe was a failure. didin't even pass his o'levels.
No Gasim ? I would think he would be treated like a demi- leader.