The decision to drop the color yellow from the logo of the Raajje Transport Link (RTL) – a high-speed public transport service launched in 2022 during the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration – was made by the Transport Ministry, says the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC), a state-run company that operates the ferry network.
Back when RTL was launched during former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, its logo had three colors; yellow and two shades of blue.
But photos from the expansion of the RTL ferry service to B. Atoll back in July showed the color yellow in the logo has been replaced with gray. The move sparked controversy, as yellow is a color associated with the MDP. Some suggested the move was an attempt by the incumbent People’s National Congress (PNC) administration to erase traces of projects initiated by the MDP administration.
The MTCC had remained tightlipped when repeatedly asked by Sun for an official comment regarding the decision.
Combined photos of (from top to bottom) the new RTL logo and the original one. (Photo/X/Mohamed Aslam)
Ahmed Mauroof, an attorney-in-law, filed a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, asking for details from MTCC regarding the decision.
In the response he received on Monday, Mauroof said the decision was made by the Transport Ministry. However, the company did not comment on what motivated the decision.
MTCC said that all decisions related to the RTL are made by the RTL steering committee run under the Transport Ministry.
The decision to drop the color yellow from RTL’s logo was made during the 132nd meeting of the committee, said the company.
The move to drop the color yellow from RTL’s logo sparked controversy and criticism, including from former government officials. Mohamed Aslam, who served as planning minister during the MDP administration, said that RTL was a national initiative launched by Solih, and that the mere act of changing the color of its logo will not change facts or erase his contributions.