Nine months ago, AMMA appeared to be turning a page. The election of Shwetha Menon as president and Cuckoo Parameswaran as general secretary on August 15, 2025, marked a historic first, with two women occupying the organisation’s top posts. In the aftermath of the Hema Committee report and the resignation of the previous executive committee led by Mohanlal, the leadership change was widely seen as a symbol of renewal.
The mood on election day reflected that optimism. Presidential rivals Shwetha Menon and Devan embraced after a closely contested election, with Devan famously remarking, “If Shwetha is AMMA’s mother, then I am AMMA’s father.” The message was clear: AMMA was ready for a fresh start.
However, less than a year later, the entire executive committee has stepped down following Sunday’s annual general body meeting, bringing a turbulent chapter to an abrupt end.
As Gold 101.3 FM UAE’s No.1 radio station has been reporting, the resignation was not triggered by a single incident but was the culmination of months of mounting tensions, administrative disputes and growing mistrust within the organisation.
One of the earliest controversies involved office manager Athulya. What began as a termination issue escalated into a workplace harassment complaint against senior office-bearers. The eventual reversal of the termination and the decision to place treasurer Unni Sivapal on compulsory leave raised broader concerns about accountability and internal grievance mechanisms.
The crisis deepened with a series of disputes within the executive committee. Joint secretary Ansiba Hassan resigned, levelling allegations against fellow committee member Tiny Tom and questioning the handling of complaints. Subsequent disagreements involving vice-president Lakshmipriya and allegations made by Neena Kurup further exposed divisions within the leadership.
While individual complaints may have involved specific members, collectively they highlighted an executive committee increasingly consumed by internal conflict. More importantly, they raised questions about whether AMMA had effective institutional processes to manage disputes before they became public controversies.
Shwetha Menon herself acknowledged communication gaps within the organisation and suggested that gender dynamics may have influenced perceptions of her leadership. Whether members agreed with that assessment or not, her remarks underscored the challenges of leading an organisation often shaped by personalities and informal power structures.
The administration also carried expectations that extended beyond routine governance. The election of two women to AMMA’s highest offices was viewed as a symbolic break from the past and a potential catalyst for change. Yet the events of the past nine months suggest that the organisation’s challenges run deeper than leadership alone.
Administrative disputes, communication breakdowns, factional disagreements and concerns over financial transparency all contributed to growing dissatisfaction. The absence of an audit report and questions surrounding the organisation’s accounts became major flashpoints ahead of the general body meeting, with many members viewing financial transparency as central to restoring trust.
By the time members gathered for Sunday’s meeting, frustrations had been building for months. The reported no-confidence motion was less the beginning of the crisis than the formal expression of concerns that had accumulated over time.
An ad hoc committee will now oversee AMMA’s affairs until the next leadership structure is decided. But the larger question remains unresolved: were the past year’s problems specific to one executive committee, or do they reflect deeper institutional weaknesses within the organisation?
The Shwetha Menon-led administration began with the promise of reform and renewal. Its resignation does not necessarily erase that vision, but it does highlight that meaningful change within AMMA may require more than symbolic milestones and new faces at the top.
