Saturday
20th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
Mariya Didi and Husband Amir
Minister of Defence Mariya Didi and spouse, Aamir’s reenactment of the famous scene from the “Titanic”, the movie, where Leonardo DiCaprio and kate Winslet stood at the bow of the boat, on a coast guard vessel received heavy backlash from online spectators.
Commenters tore down on the minister, calling her out on her misuse of public property for personal gain. One person called her use of the vessels as being dishonorable towards public assets.
Following the viral video, Minister Maria Didi refused to respond to questions regarding the purpose and cost of the trip; fuel and other expenses.
The video showed a Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officer in the background. While there is no policy which allowed the minister to utilize the coast guard fleet for personal use, Minister Mariya Didi often made use of the authority as commander of the force.
Sources confirmed that Mariya Didi had used the coast guard vessels for weekend trips to resorts with her family members and the vessels have been seen to wait at the resorts throughout their trip.
During MDP’s opposition, they raged against the former President, President Maumoon Abdul Qayyoom, family and close relations for their use of state property for their personal use. However, MDP has misused state assets the way no other administration had before them.