National Airline's Deputy Head in Hot Waters Over Controversial Tweet

Deputy Managing Director of Maldivian Airlines Aishath Jennifer was criticized over a tweet.

The tweet read that to become a doctor, teacher, or accountant, one is required to study for an extended period of time. She asked what one was required to study to become an Islamic scholar, and for how long. It is assumed that the tweet was in regards to a letter sent to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, where 101 scholars petitioned to revive a bill preventing hate.

In response to Jennifer's tweet, many demanded to know what education the Deputy Managing Director had received to obtain her position.

"Doctors, teachers, and accountants earn a mere fraction of what they spent on their education. You take thousands from citizens as DMD at Maldivian, how are you qualified?", stated one Twitter user.

Another user claimed that a person who was employed after protesting and posting a few tweets shouldn't be tweeting such things.

Sheikh Shafiu Abdullah, in his reply to Jennifer, explained the process of becoming a scholar. The rules, guidelines, and criteria are all public information found in the Gazette. The material they must study is also quite significant, said the Shafiu.

Deputy Managing Director is a position that did not exist prior to Jennifer's appointment, leading many to speculate that the government created the post just for her. She does not have the adequate skill set or educational background to qualify for the role. Prior to COVID-19, she received a total remuneration of MVR 75,000 per month.