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Fayyaz Ismail
Maldivian politician (born 1962) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Fayyaz Ismail (Dhivehi: ފައްޔާޒު އިސްމާއިލް) is a Maldivian politician and lawyer currently serving as the opposition leader and Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party following his election in 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Economic Development in President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's cabinet from 2018 to 2023, and was the Parliamentary Representative for the L.Gan constituency prior to his appointment.
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Early life and education
Fayyaz Ismail was born on 16 May 1974.[1] He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Middlesex University.
Career
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Early career
In 2009, Fayyaz served as a non-executive director of Dhiraagu. He also sat on the employment advisory board of the Ministry of Human Resources.[2] He is a practicing lawyer at Aequitas Legal Consultants.
Political career
Fayyaz was a member of the Social Liberal Party from 2008 to 2011, until he joined the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in 2011, where he currently serves as chairperson.[3]
Member of the 18th People's Majlis (2014–2018)
Fayyaz was elected to the 18th People's Majlis as the representative for the L. Gan constituency following a victory over incumbent Yoosuf Abdul Ghafoor during the 2014 Maldivian Parliamentary Election.[4]
In 2015, Fayyaz was arrested and detained, alongside MDP Vice President Mohamed Shifaz, National Council Member and former MP Ilyas Labeeb and 23 others at the 2015 May Day protests calling for the release of opposition MDP's president Mohamed Nasheed, who had been convicted of terrorism in the midst of a crackdown on political opposition and dissent by president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom.[5][6][7]
Minister of Economic Development (2018–2023)
After Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was sworn in as the president of the Maldives, Fayyaz was appointed as the Minister of Economic Development on 17 November 2018.[8][9]
Among the policies enacted during his tenure, Fayyaz was responsible for the formation of a minimum wage board,[10][11] through which the Maldives' first minimum wage was established on 8th November, 2021, and instituted at the start of 2022.[12][13] Despite being a landmark bill for labour rights in the Maldives, the policy has been criticized for excluding migrant workers, who remain among the most vulnerable populations in the Maldives.[14]
Fayyaz also oversaw development of the Industrial Relations and Occupational Health and Safety bills passed in 2023, codifying the right to take industrial action, freedom to form trade unions, and protections for freedom of speech, as well as setting guidelines for establishing workplace safety, and mechanisms for compensating injured workers.[15]
He has also been credited with the largest scale regularization and repatriation of undocumented foreign workers, with more than 40,000 undocumented laborers registering with the Maldivian government in 2020.[16]
However, the former minister of economics has come under criticism with regard to the ballooning foreign debt of the Maldives, caused in considerable part due to external shocks such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18]
Interim Minister of Tourism (2020)
Following Minister Ali Waheed's dismissal from his position as minister of tourism in president Solih's cabinet following allegations of sexual harassment and assault,[19] Fayyaz was appointed the interim Minister for Tourism on July 10th, 2020.[20][21] He was succeeded by Dr. Abdulla Mausoom on the 6th of August, 2020.[22]
Interim term as Minister of Communications (2021):
From the first of March, 2021, Fayyaz served as the interim head at the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology, after the 19th parliament passed a motion of no-confidence against minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamal.[23][24] The ministry was ultimately dissolved in May, 2021, with a majority of the responsibilities falling within the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy.[25]
Chairperson of MDP
On 23 May 2022, Ismail was elected as the Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party.[26] He was elected following a landslide victory.[27]
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References
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