The cabinet of President Elect of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) was announced on Sunday. Mr. Nasheed is to be sworn in as the fourth President of Maldives on 11 November.

The new cabinet includes 14 cabinet posts, which has been downsized from the previous total of 21. Some of the previous Ministries like the Ministry of Planning & National Development, Ministry of Atolls Development, Ministry of Construction and Public Infrastructure, Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water, Ministry of Higher Education, Employment and Social Security, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Gender and Family and Ministry of Information, Arts and Culture has been either completely dissolved or their responsibilities combined into other Ministries in the new Cabinet.

1. Minister of Finance and Treasury – Ali Hashim (MDP)
2. Minister of Health and Family – Dr. Aminath Jameel (MDP)
3. Minister of Defence and National Security – Amin Faisal (MDP)
4. Minister of Housing Transport and Environment – Mohamed Aslam (MDP)
5. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries – Dr. Ibrahim Didi (MDP)
6. Minister of Home Affairs – Gasim Ibrahim (Jumhoory Party)
7. Minister of Tourism – Ahmed Ali Sawaad (Jumhoory Party)
8. Attorney General – Fathmath Dhiyana Saeed (Jumhoory Party)
9. Minister of Education – Dr. Musthafa Luthufee (National Alliance)
10. Minister of Economic Development – Mohamed Rasheed (National Alliance)
11. Minister of Foreign Affairs – Dr. Ahmed Shaheed (New Maldives Movement)
12. Minister of Civil Aviation and Communication – Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed (New Maldives Movement)
13. Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports – Uz. Hassan Latheef (Social Liberal Party)
14. Minister of Islamic Affairs – Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Baaree (Adhaalath Party)

Under the new constitution, the positions require endorsement by the Parliament (People’s Majlis).This will be a justification process to ensure the relevancy and capability of the chosen members for the Cabinet, considering that there has been numerous criticisms over some of the choices.

During the Press Conference to announce the Cabinet, President Elect Mohamed Nasheed’s Spokesperson, Mr. Ibrahim Hussein Zaki brushed off questions about the relevant experience of some of the new post-holders by saying that these choices are purely political. According to Mr. Zaki, “The highest position in the civil service is permanent secretary. In this constitution political positions will be filled by politicians. They need not be experts in their respective fields.”

However, one cannot fail to notice the fact that Many Doctorates in the Cabinet have been trained and education in fields completely irrelevant to their assigned portfolios with a significant example of a practicing Dentist who will be the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. With all due respect to the capability and qualifications of the proposed Ministers, I’d have to say that the best way for these capable few members of the society can contribute to the development and progress of our beloved country, is for them to be able to formulate policies relevant to what they understand best and what they are best at. Political or otherwise, it is an important factor for the new Government to consider while making decisions, the consequences of which may affect the whole country’s populace.

Moreover, the move to fewer Ministries by downsizing the current Cabinet is a smart move is many aspects, especially in terms of economic efficiency. However, downsizing for the sake of cutting down numbers will not do us any good, if there is no smooth transition of responsibilities and division of tasks within the Ministries and proper channels of information to the public as to what changes have occurred and where they must expect which to get done. Also, the elimination or dissolution of the Ministry merely gets rid of the physical institution, while the responsibilities are far from elimination.

All in all, I am proud of the genuine efforts by our new Government to bring positive change to a country which is in serious need of such efforts. I only hope it gets better from here.

Congratulations to the proposed members of the new Cabinet!

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