Another political director appointed to sports ministry

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has appointed yet another Senior Political Director to the Ministry of Sports, Fitness and Recreation.

Thamreen Rasheed, 31, from Villingili island of Gaaf Alif atoll, has been appointed to the position of Senior Political Director at the Ministry of Sports, Fitness and Recreation.

Upon his appointment as Senior Political Director at the Sports Ministry, Thamreen took to social media expressing gratitude to President Muizzu and MP for Villingili constituency Azim Abdul Aziz.

The monthly salary for a Senior Political Director at the Sports Ministry is MVR 25,500.

Although the current administration has not disclosed how many political employees are presently at the Sports Ministry, it has been reported that the number of political employees at the Youth Ministry has reached 2,000. However, keeping the number of political employees below 700 was one of President Muizzu's campaign pledges.

While the president has the authority to appoint individuals to political positions under Article 115 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, the current administration has begun to keep such appointments secret.

In previous administrations, the names and photos of State Ministers and Deputy Ministers were routinely published on the official website of the President’s Office, a practice that continued in the early days of the current administration. However, reports now suggest that several individuals have since been appointed to these positions without any public announcement.

As the current administration continues to keep the number of political appointees a “state secret”, many estimate that the number could exceed 2,000.

The Muizzu administration has bene facing increasing criticism for not disclosing the number of political employees in the government.