Uza. Mariya Didi is the incumbent Minister of Defence of the Republic of Maldives, a former Member of Parliament and a leading human rights activist in the country. She was sworn in as the Minister of Defence on 17th November 2018 by His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. She holds the distinction of being the first female in the history of Maldives to be appointed Minister of Defence.

Mariya Didi is the first and the only woman to be elected as Chairperson of a major political party in the Maldives. She was elected as Chairperson of Maldivian Democratic Party, the largest political party in the Maldives. It was under her chairmanship that the party won the first-ever multiparty democratic presidential elections held in the Maldives in 2008.