Asma reappointed to Social Affairs Committee as chair five months after removal

Five months after her removal amid reports of presidential dissatisfaction, Central Maafannu MP Asma Rasheed (Asmaatha), has been reappointed to the Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee.

Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla announced that Asma has been appointed to the committee, replacing Dhuvaafaru MP Mohamed Ali, during Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting.

At a meeting of the Social Affairs Committee held later, Asma assumed the position of Chairperson. South Maafannu MP Mohamed Mustafa Ibrahim, who was previously heading the Committee, was appointed as Vice Chairperson.

Asma’s initial removal from the chairmanship of the Social Affairs Committee followed reports of dissatisfaction from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. This stemmed from an incident in which she reportedly urged constituents who wish to share their views during a planned meeting with the President to notify beforehand, which was seen as an attempt to silence dissent. Amid reports that the President had requested an apology to those constituents, Asma subsequently issued a statement expressing regret and clarifying the circumstances at the time.

Internal tensions within the People's National Congress (PNC) involving Asma resurfaced earlier this month following the leak of an audio recording in which she allegedly criticised the government. Shortly after the leak, her son, Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), who had been serving as the Maldives’ Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and her sister, Dr. Salma Rasheed, the Permanent Representative to Geneva, were removed from their respective posts.

However, Salma has since been reinstated, while Mundhu has been appointed the government’s chief spokesperson on ministerial rank.

These structural adjustments followed the government’s loss in April 4 local council election and the national referendum on merging the two main elections. In the aftermath of that outcome, the President also undertook a major Cabinet reshuffle, reducing the number of ministers from 20 to 15.

Other notable parliamentary changes include the removal of Deputy Speaker, Diggaru MP Ahmed Nazim from key committees: the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee).

The specific reasons for these latest adjustments remain unconfirmed, although such committee reshuffles are often carried out at the direction of political parties or as a result of evolving political dynamics.