Absentee funeral prayer for MU Maniku scheduled for after Asr in Male’

A funeral prayer in absentia is scheduled to be held in Male’ City for Mohamed Umar ‘MU’ Maniku, the chairman of Universal Enterprises and one of the pioneers of the Maldivian tourism industry, who died on early Saturday in a hospital in Singapore.

The 78-year-old business died at around 03:30 am Maldivian time at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, where he had been hospitalized for about a month.

A salat al-ghaib or funeral prayer in absentia for him is scheduled to be held at the Islamic Center in Male’ City after Asr.

MU Maniku, who also served as chairman of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI),  is recognized for his role in introducing tourism to the Maldives in the 1970s – at a time when the island nation did not even have an airport, just a small airfield on Hulhule’ island.

In 1972, Italian travel agent George Corbin and a junior employee from the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka, Ahmed ‘Kerafa’ Naseem, began developing a plan to open a resort in Maldives. They were soon joined by MU Maniku and Hussain ‘Champa’ Afeef. The quartet settled on Vihamanaafushi, due to its proximity with both Hulhule’ and Male’.

The resort, which they named Kurumba Village, hosted its first batch of tourists on February 16, 1972; giving birth to an industry that revolutionized the Maldives, and continues to be its top money-maker.

During his tenure as chairman of Universal Enterprises, MU Maniku is credited with playing a key role in bringing Germany’s Condor Airlines to the Maldives in the 1980s, a move that linked the Maldives with larger Europe.

He remained one of the Maldives’ biggest resort operators at the time of his death.

Outside of his work in the tourism industry, MU Maniku served the state for over 19 years from 1971 to up until his retirement in 1990, serving in various positions at the Agriculture Ministry. He later served on the board of Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), as the chairperson of Island Aviation Services, and as chairperson of Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL), the latter of which he served up until January 2024.

MU Maniku has received various national awards and accolades for his contributions to the Maldivian tourism industry. This includes the National Award of Recognition in 1982, and the National Award of Honor in 2002. He also received the Minivan 25 Public Service Award and the President’s Tourism Golden Award in 2022.

MU Maniku was also known for his philanthropy. In 2004, he played a key role in supplying affected islands with clean water in the aftermath of a devastating tsunami.

He is survived by his wife, two children, and grandchildren.