Parliament approves Zaina's appointment to PCB

Parliament on Wednesday approved the appointment of Zaina Abdullah to the Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB), the body responsible for overseeing state-owned enterprises.

Zaina was appointed to the board in late June as the member representing the banking sector. Her nomination was subsequently submitted to Parliament for approval.

The Parliament's State-Owned Enterprises Committee reviewed her nomination, concluding that she was qualified for the position and awarding her a score of 80 per cent.

During Wednesday's parliamentary sitting, the committee's report was approved with 47 votes in favour of Zaina's appointment.

Ten members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against the nomination.

Speaking before the vote, Hulhumalé South MP Dr Ahmed Shamheed said the MDP parliamentary group had decided not to support the appointment.

He said the decision was not based on Zaina's qualifications, adding that the party considered her suitable for the role.

Instead, Shamheed said the MDP objected to what it described as the dismissal of opposition-aligned employees from state-owned enterprises, with companies citing a PCB circular on cost reduction.

"As long as that circular remains in effect, we cannot extend our cooperation to the PCB," he said.

Before joining the PCB, Zaina served as Head of Corporate Processing at Maldives Islamic Bank.

She holds a Master of Islamic Finance Practice from the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance in Malaysia and a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Pune in India.

Her professional background includes corporate finance, credit risk assessment, governance, regulatory compliance and strategic management.