Health Minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel has drawn public criticism for sharing a post on X with an alteration of the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) logo after dubbing the main opposition party as “Maldives Dhogu [Lies] Party.”
Khaleel also used Maldives Dhogu Party and MDPNoonGotheh (a way other than MDP) as hashtags in his post on Saturday.
Some people who criticized the post said it fell below the ethical standards of a cabinet minister.
“Sad. Nothing to say. When a government cabinet minister falls to this level, there’s no need to talk about nationalism and discipline. And it’s one minister who has earned the highest academic pass,” a member of the public who replied to Khaleel’s post wrote on X.
As the post came at a time when the government needed to be on the offensive, some people characterized the government falling back on defense as a sign of its weakness.
Others said a person with the responsibilities of a ministerial post should consider all Maldivian citizens as equal.
“Political parties are the total thoughts of a group of citizens. The members of the parties are citizens. Government agencies must provide services to all citizens. Political thinking doesn’t need to be the same. I don’t accept leaders in senior government posts making political posts demeaning any political party,” social media activist Lucas Jalyl wrote after quote tweeting Khaleel’s post.
Criticism of Khaleel’s post followed public anger towards the actions of other senior officials in the current government.
Youth Minister Mariyam Shiuna, who is under suspension, drew criticism in February over the harassment of disabilities advocate Muaviyath Mohamed.
The government also faced widespread criticism over derogatory remarks made by three deputy ministers against India’s Prime Minister.
