The government’s decision to appoint Sinan Ali to the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) board was met with immense criticism from the public.

He was appointed to the post in February this year.

Sinan was a senior government official during the previous administration, and had been appointed to the MTCC board twice. He was appointed a second time after a brief stint as the chairman of the State Electric Company Limited (STELCO).

He had also served as a board member at the Island Aviation during the previous administration. He was dismissed from the board in September 2018, following a dispute within then ruling coalition partners- Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA).

Until recently, Sinan was seen as a close associate of MDA leader and Meedhoo constituency MP, Ahmed ‘Sun’ Siyam. He had also served as the chief executive officer at Sun Online, run by Siyam’s Sun Media Group, but has since launched his own news website.

Sinan is also accused of sexually harassing new recruits. While the police had forwarded the case for prosecution in July 2013, it has been halted since.

The decision to appoint Sinan to a government post has led to immense public backlash, especially towards members of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

While it has been reported that government officials are appointed on slots to ruling coalition partners, it is not clear on which party slot he is filling.