Amid strain in India ties over President Mohammad Muizzu asking New Delhi to withdraw its troops from the Maldivian waters and the disparaging remarks by junior ministers and government officials of Maldives against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, two opposition parties in the Maldives have come out against the current regime over its ‘stark’ anti-India pivot.
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and The Democrats jointly issued a joint press statement, labelling the shift in foreign policy as ‘extremely detrimental’ to the country’s long-term development. The statement served to reassert and affirm the Opposition’s belief that “alienating any development partner, and especially the country’s most long-standing ally will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country”.
The Opposition further underscored that “stability and security in the Indian Ocean is vital to the stability and security of the Maldives.”
Both the MDP and The Democrats emphasised the critical need for consecutive governments to maintain the ability “to work with all development partners for the benefit of the people of the Maldives, as the Maldives has traditionally done”.
They expressed the view that a departure from the historical collaboration with India could potentially jeopardise the country’s stability and progress.
A recent Reuters report stated that a Chinese research vessel was heading to the Maldives. Opposition parties in Maldives call out Muizzu govt’s ‘anti-India’ pivot, calls it potential ‘detriment’ to long-term development significant, coming close on the heels of Maldivian President Muizzu’s recent state visit to China, during which the two leaders aimed at strengthening ties.
Responding to the report, the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the island country has always been a welcoming destination for vessels of ‘friendly nations’ and continues to host both civilian and military vessels making port calls for peaceful purposes.
The development, however, has raised concerns in New Delhi, as India has previously viewed the presence of such vessels near its shores, including in Sri Lanka in 2022, as problematic, Reuters added in its report.
India and the Maldives on January 14 “agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the island nation, according to the Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The removal of Indian troops in the Maldives was the main campaign plank of Muizzu’s party during the Presidential elections. Currently, there are around 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, stationed in the archipelago. On the second day of assuming office, Muizzu officially requested the Indian government to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives.
Apart from the call for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, a massive row erupted after a Maldivian deputy minister, along with other cabinet members and government officials, made disparaging and unsavoury references to Primer Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Lakshadweep visit and call for the development of the Indian archipelago as a global retreat for beach tourism. The Maldives government, however, distanced itself from the remarks.
Pro-Chinese Maldivian President worsening relations with India
It is pertinent to note that Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader Mohamed Muizzu won the presidential election in October last year after running a vicious “India Out” campaign. The Maldivian President is also known for his pro-China stance. Just days after the diplomatic row erupted between India and Maldives, Muizzu, while on a state visit to China, urged the country to send more tourists to the island nation.
Amid diplomatic tension with India, a 14-year-old Maldivian boy died on 20th January after President Mohammed Muizzu’s government reportedly refused to allow a Dornier aircraft provided by India to airlift him.
On 14th January, reiterating his demand that India withdraw its troops from Maldives, the Maldives’ President Mohamed Muizzu asked India to withdraw its military deployment from the archipelago nation by 15th March.
Additionally, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on 9th January urged China to send more tourists to the archipelago. His remark came amid reports that a large number of Indians had cancelled their trips to Maldives in the wake of their Ministers’ unwarranted and deplorable comments on India, Indians, and PM Modi.
Notably, it all started on 4th January after PM Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his visit to Lakshadweep. He exhorted people to explore the scenic islands in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan, and an effort to give a boost to tourism on the archipelago.
Following his visit to Lakshadweep, a large demand erupted among Indians to explore the Indian Islands and boost our tourism sector before visiting beaches or tourism sites in other countries. However, jittery Maldivian politicians interjected and reacted by making racial commentary on Indians.
It is important to note that neither the Indian PM mentioned any country nor it was targeted toward any nation, yet some Maldivians feared a potential hit to their tourism economy.
Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts, made insulting remarks against PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’ after he posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep Islands. She later deleted the tweet and was among one of the three Ministers who were suspended by the Maldivian government for making disparaging remarks on India.
On 5th January, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) also took to the microblogging site X to mock Indians.
On 8th January, The Democrats leader in the Maldivian Parliament, Ali Azim called for the sacking of the archipelago’s President Mohamed Muizzu. Azim called for steps to remove the Maldivian President from office including initiation of a vote of no confidence against him.
Following the controversy, Maldives opposition had publicly condemned the commentary made by the members of the ruling party and its Ministers noting that India was “rightfully angry” over the uncalled racial remarks.
Senior Maldivian politicians including former President Ibrahim Solih and ex-Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid had condemned the use of “hateful language” and “reprehensible” remarks against India
In response to Maldivian users’ and politicians’ uncalled-for racial commentary, trends like #BoycottMaldives, and cancellation of trips to Maldives are picking steam in India. Moreover, the Indian online travel company, Ease My Trip, also suspended all flight bookings to Maldives amidst the controversy. Consequently, the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) wrote to Ease My Trip CEO Nishant Pitti seeking his assistance in fostering positive relations between the two countries.
(With inputs from ANI)
