The main opposition party of Maldives, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has welcomed the sudden change in Indian policy of President Mohammad Muizzu-led government. The party asserted that the policy change has reaffirmed that India is the Maldives’ most reliable partner in times of crisis.
MDP chief Abdulla Shahid urged the Muizzu administration to issue a public apology “for the actions, lies and irresponsible comments from its officials which have resulted in significant damage to the Maldives’ foreign and economic outlook.” Shahid has served as the foreign minister of Maldives in the past.”
Great pleasure to warmly welcome and meet Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar to the Maldives with my colleagues from @MDPSecretariat .
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) August 10, 2024
The Maldives has always been confident that India will always be the first responder any time the Maldives “dials an… pic.twitter.com/a2ckdHHaEa
In a post on X, Shahid said, “The Maldives has always been confident that India will always be the first responder any time the Maldives “dials an international 911”. The current government’s initial stoking of anti-India sentiments through aggressive slogans, mockery and the branding of a time-tested friend and development partner as a regional bully, has caused a decline in Maldives international standing, economic loss, and many other unnecessary difficulties, and challenges.”
Shahid added, “With this in mind, the MDP welcomes the sudden recalibration of the Maldives-India policy of President Muizzu’s government, from its previous India Out policy. The Maldivian Democratic Party hopes that this shift will not be temporary or superficial, but consistent and meaningful in the best interests of the people of the Maldives. Further, the MDP calls on the Government of President Muizzu to issue a public apology for the actions, lies and irresponsible comments from its officials which have resulted in significant damage to the Maldives foreign and economic outlook.”
In an official press release issued by the Maldivian Democratic Party Secretariat, the party thanked Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar for India’s steadfast support to the people of Maldives. Furthermore, they welcomed the initiative to train 1000 civil service officers which was a key program during previous President Solih’s tenure.
The press note read, “During the past five years, India has assisted the Maldives in a variety of areas, including the funding of the largest infrastructure project in the country the Greater Male Connectivity Project. Other large-scale projects include the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) in Addu City, the Coast Guard Building in Male’, the development of Maldives National Defence Force Harbour and dockyard in Uthuru Thila Falhu, the Addu Roads and Sewerage Development Project, the Development of Water and Sewerage projects in 36 Islands, the Koodoo and Felivaru Fisheries Expansion Project, Hanimaadhoo International Airport, IGMH Hospital.”
The @MDPSecretariat led by its president @abdulla_shahid welcomes@DrSJaishankar’s visit to the Maldives.
— Ramesh Ramachandran (@RRRameshRRR) August 10, 2024
Says:
— “… India will always be the first responder any time the Maldives “dials an international 911”.” pic.twitter.com/dVcE6vzJim
It added, “The Government of India has also extended grant assistance through the High Impact Community Development Projects scheme, for 47 projects in over 60 islands across the Maldives, amounting to over 250 million Rufiyaa. India also provided extensive support to the Maldives to tackle and overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, including through vaccines, medical consumables, financial assistance, and humanitarian assistance.”
Maldives-India relationship
With President Muizzu taking power in Maldives last year, the ties between India and Maldives went south quickly. Muizzu’s election campaign, including the “India Out” campaign, where his party promised the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Island nation led to tensions between the two countries. Furthermore, Muizzu’s pro-China stance was no help to repair the relations. After several talks, the military personnel were replaced by civilians.
In January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Lakshadweep Islands and promoted tourism. Though he did not take any names, some social media users urged Indian tourists to choose Lakshadweep over Maldives. The campaign initiated by Indian users on X irked some ministers of Maldives leading to some derogatory comments from them for India and PM Modi.
The incident spiralled into a diplomatic event and three of Maldivian ministers were suspended by the government. Furthermore, several Indians who had either booked tickets for Maldives or were planning to go there for holidays cancelled the tickets. Maldives is dependent a lot on tourists from India and such cancellations resulted in a fall in revenue for the country.
Muizzu, however, kept his anti-India stance intact for months. However, on 10th August, out of the blue Muizzu, called India “one of the closest allies” of Maldives and thanked PM Modi and the Government of India for its continued support.
Notably, Maldives holds importance in the Indian Ocean region as it is India’s key maritime neighbour. During the previous government under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the relationship between the two countries in overall bilateral ties, defence and security saw a lot of progress which changed drastically after Muizzu took over. However, India decided to keep supporting the Island nation and did not cut diplomatic ties.
