Senior Political Director of the Homeland Security Ministry Fathimath Rifaath has deleted a Facebook post insulting Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka.
"Glad he didn't turn up wearing a sarong," she wrote in the now-deleted post. A photo of President Mohamed Muizzu welcoming Disanayaka at the Velana International Airport (VIA) on Monday was posted with her remark.
Rifaath later deleted the post after social media users began criticising her for the remark.
Her insulting comment attributed to the Sri Lankan President, referring to the fact that he was wearing a long-sleeved kurta, which he wears as his official attire, instead of a suit when he arrived in the Maldives.
Photo: President's Office
The sarong is a traditional men's attire accepted in both the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Mariyam Shiuna, a close associate of Muizzu, called for action against Rifaath.
"I call for action against those who insulted the President of Sri Lanka while in government positions," Shiuna said in a post on X.
Shiuna, who was a deputy minister at the beginning of the Muizzu administration, was transferred to a senior post in the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) after being on suspension for making insulting comments against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A total of three deputy ministers were suspended on January 7, 2024, for insulting Modi on social media.
They are Deputy Ministers of Youth Affairs Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Mahzoom Majid. All three later resigned from their posts. Shiuna was then appointed to MACL and Malsha to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).
