Gen Z Demonstrators Demand Accountability Amid Growing Political Fallout

Update: Three additional members, Aiminath Rabab, Nimal Hameed, and Fatimath Raia Sharif, have resigned from the Presidential Youth Advisory Board, bringing the total to four.

Malé, — For the third night in a row, Gen Z protesters filled the streets of Malé, demanding accountability in the investigation into the fall of 21-year-old Hawa Yumnu Rasheed. The demonstrations, largely organized through social media and fueled by growing distrust of law enforcement, have quickly gathered momentum — with viewership of online streams surging to over 61,000 last night, more than double that of the night before.

Despite attempts by political leaders to frame the demonstrations as partisan, the young protesters have been clear: they do not wish to be affiliated with any political party. Many describe their movement as a new front — one driven by a generation that is determined to hold power to account, regardless of party lines. For them, the protests are not about political allegiance, but about demanding justice, transparency, and a future they can trust.

At the center of the protests are nine demands laid out by the youth, calling for an independent inquiry into Yumnu’s death, the arrest and punishment of those involved, and an explanation for the alleged mishandling of evidence by police, including missing video footage. Protesters are also seeking the removal of several top officials, including Transport Minister Mohamed Ameen and Commissioner of Police Ali Shujau, both of whom they accuse of obstructing a transparent investigation, an allegation that they have denied. In addition, they have called on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to apologize to the nation’s youth for the government’s handling of the case.

The movement gained a powerful new voice on Friday when Hawaina Mohamed Nihad, a prominent TV presenter and member of the Presidential Youth Advisory Board, announced her resignation. In a candid Instagram post, Hawaina criticized the police investigation and declared her support for the demonstrators, urging other young people to continue questioning the authorities.

Her departure added further strain to a presidential initiative already facing heightened scrutiny. The Youth Advisory Board — set up earlier this year to advise President Muizzu on youth affairs and policy development — has now seen its first major rupture. The Board’s chairman, Daud Ahmed Zilal, who was suspended this week after being linked to the party Yumnu attended before her fall, has also come under fire after a compromising photo of him circulated online.

Adding to the growing scandal, Izdian Mohamed Maumoon, the President’s Office’s former Under Secretary for Strategic Communications, was dismissed amid revelations of his past criminal record — another blow to the administration’s promise to empower a new generation of clean leadership.

President Muizzu’s response has drawn heavy criticism too. In the speech commemorating police anniversary, he attempted to frame the protests as a manipulation of youth by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), invoking the party’s 2013 campaign slogan “Entertainment Without Fear.” However, the President’s comments appeared tone-deaf to many, given that some protesters and the two around whom the case evolves — born around 2004 — would have been just nine years old at the time of that campaign.

President Mohamed Nasheed, who originally articulated the concept of “Entertainment Without Fear,” responded on social media by recalling the campaign as one promoting wholesome island life: “playing football in the park, going to the beach, flying kites,” he said.

Meanwhile, the images circulating online suggest that the behaviors at the heart of the current controversy are more recent — a reflection of broader societal shifts in the last decade rather than political indoctrination from childhood.

The youth’s anger, now spilling into the public squares of Malé and beyond, challenges not only the credibility of the police force but also the administration’s ability to engage meaningfully with its youngest citizens. It also calls into question the future of the Presidential Youth Advisory Board, a body established with the lofty goal of giving young Maldivians a direct voice in governance.

Formed in January 2024, the Board consists of 15 members aged 18 to 30 and is tasked with advising the President on implementing his manifesto promises and addressing obstacles to youth development. Its creation was hailed as a cornerstone of President Muizzu’s pledge to “empower youth to lead the nation’s future.” Now, with resignations and suspensions clouding its operations, that promise faces a severe credibility test.

Whether the administration can regain the trust of a generation that was meant to be its partner — but is now its loudest critic — remains an open question.