Spokesperson: Reshuffle designed to improve efficiency, make things easier

The government will continue to make necessary changes in order to improve the functioning of the government and make things easier, says a top official at the President’s Office, after the administration’s recent reshuffle of top positions within the government and state-owned enterprises.

The administration made several changes to top political posts over the last two days, including dismissing Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC)’s managing director Fathimath Thaufeeq, along with Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO)’s chief executive officer Ahmed Samah Rasheed, and Housing Development Corporation (HDC)’s chairman Ahmed Zuhoor.

Heena Waleed, the chief spokesperson at the President’s Office, was questioned about the decisions in a press conference on Thursday.

She responded that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is vested with the authority to make personnel changes to state institutions and companies, and that the recent changes were made using this power.

Heena said that President Muizzu will continue to make changes necessary to “make it easier to facilitate what he wants done, or to improve efficiency and make things better” when running the government.

She did not elaborate.

Fathimath was dismissed from the MMPRC on Wednesday, a day after Aisha Nurain Janah resigned from her post as the corporation’s chairperson.

Another top official at MMPRC, Rafil Mohamed, who represented Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) on MMPRC’s board, resigned back in April.

The shakeup within MMPRC followed media reports of clashes between Nurain and Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal, as well as Fathimath. However, the rumors were denied by Faisal.

Meanwhile, Samah who was dismissed from his post as MIFCO’s chief on Tuesday, was appointed as a state minister at the Fisheries Ministry the next day.