Dunya Maumoon resigns from govt

The daughter of arrested former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Dunya Maumoon, on Tuesday resigned from her government post as state minister at the health ministry.

Dunya had stopped attending work after her father was arrested on the orders of her uncle and incumbent president, Abdulla Yameen, on February 5 soon after the government declared a state of emergency. Maumoon was arrested on accusations of bribery and attempting to stage a coup.

In the wake of the arrest, Dunya had taken leave from office on February 13, saying she wanted to spend time with her family. She had announced then that she was prepared to resign from the government.

She is currently in Singapore.

In a statement announcing her resignation, Dunya stated that her decision had been a difficult one but that she remained in solidarity with her father and family during these trying times.

However, she made it clear that her political stance was independent and that her resignation did not mean she was aligning with any of the opposition parties.

Dunya went on to declare that democracy was deteriorating in the Maldives, and that much work was to be done in order to strengthen the democratic rule, judiciary and independent institutions of the country. She called on all to set aside antagonism, and work together for a peaceful solution via discussions.

She vowed to cooperate with the president and political leaders to carry out the long delayed talks.

Dunya Maumoon was the first foreign minister of the current administration, before she resigned from her post on July 5, 2016 over conflicting opinions with some of the government's policies. She rejoined the government on January 5, 2017 as a state minister at the health ministry.

Apart from Dunya, her siblings Yumna and Faris Maumoon are also currently working with former President Maumoon, who had joined forces with the opposition coalition. However, the youngest sibling, Ghassan Maumoon, remains as a state minister at the President's Office. He came under fire for working with the government after his father's arrest. Dunya had also faced similar criticism.