Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has commended the administration he serves and described its head, President Abdulla Yameen, to be a ‘rose’.

While he had not elaborated any further on the metaphor, he further said that those in the presence of such a ‘magnificent flower’ should learn how to reap its benefits.

“When a rose sits on the helm of a plant, those near it and in its presence, must acknowledge it and learn to benefit from it” Saeed said, adding that there will always be ‘demons – that come in all shapes and sizes – seeking to influence our thoughts and acts’.

The minister's metaphor likening President Yameen to a flower has been met with criticism and jest, given that roses are conventionally used in literature and popular culture to symbolize beauty or other traits considered to be feminine.

Saeed further expressed his confidence that President Yameen would emerge victorious in the upcoming local elections, slated for 2018.

He had highlighted the ongoing construction of the new 25-storey supplementary building to the state-operated Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, development projects at the Velana International Airport, and China-Maldives Friendship Bridge – which links Malé to its urban extension Hulhumalé, to be evidence of the current administrations capacity to fulfill their obligations to the public.

Saeed also likened Yameen to Mohamed Thakurufaanu Al Auzam – a 16-th century sultan and legendary hero, who in local folklore, is said to have expelled Portuguese forces from the Maldives.