Jamaluddin accused of deleting post honoring MP Meekail on ministry’s orders

One of the youngest parliamentarians to be elected to the Maldivian Parliament – Meekail Ahmed Naseem was featured by Jamaluddin School on Thursday as one of its most outstanding alumni, but the posts were deleted from the school’s social media platforms a few hours later.

Jamaluddin, a public school located in Male’ City, has been honoring its outstanding alumni in a series of social media posts as part of the countdown to its 40th anniversary.

Meekail, 31, who received his primary education at Jamaluddin, was contacted by his alma mater in January seeking information to include him on the list of notable alumni.

The school featured Meekail on its Facebook and X accounts on Thursday.

Meekail, a politician from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), told Sun that the posts were deleted two hours later.

He was told the school was pressured by the Education Ministry into deleting the posts.

“The person who contacted me from the school seeking information told me that the post was deleted at the ministry’s orders,” he said.

In a post on X, Meekail said that while he is genuinely grateful to the management and teachers of Jamaluddin School for choosing to honor him, he is “disgusted that they have been pressured into deleting the post by the Ministry.”

“Never seen this level of micro-management and pettiness under any other govt.,” he added.

While I am genuinely grateful to the management and teachers of Jamaluddeen School for choosing to honour me, I am disgusted that they have been pressured into deleting the post by the Ministry. Never seen this level of micro-management and pettiness under any other govt. pic.twitter.com/X23y01SRKF

— Meekail Naseem (@MickailNaseem) February 6, 2025

The alleged forced removal of the posts coincided with a heated day at the Parliament, as Meekail joined other MDP lawmakers in staging a protest as President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu delivered his annual address.

In the now-deleted posts, Jamaluddin described Meekail as “a proud alumnus” and “a bright and diligent student.”

During his time at Jamaluddin, he served as a Sout, a prefect, and deputy captain of Burakirani House.

Meekail was a recipient of the Cambridge-Commonwealth Scholarship in 2015, and attained a Bachelor’s degree in politics, psychology and sociology from the Magdelene College, University of Cambridge. He went on to complete his postgraduate studies as a Chevening Scholar – earning a Master’s degree in international relations from the University of Bath, UK.

His political career kicked off in 2017 following his election as the youth wing president of the MDP.

In 2019, Meekail was elected to the Parliament as the representative for the South Galolhu constituency in a landslide victory – making him the second youngest member of the 19th parliamentary assembly. During his first term in office, he served as a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and as vice chair of the Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee.

Meekail defended his seat in the 2024 election – one of only a dozen lawmakers from the MDP to get elected to the 20th parliamentary assembly. He currently serves as a member of both the Independent Institutions Committee and the Government Oversight Committee.

In the now-deleted posts, Jamaluddin praised Meekail’s meteoric rise in Maldivian politics, describing it as “irrefutable proof that determination and diligence bring their own rewards.”

“Jamaluddin School is proud to have been the educational foundation for this remarkable member of our alumni and have every confidence that he will continue to carve a space for himself in the pages of Maldivian history,” wrote the school.

The Education Ministry was not immediately available for comment.