By MH Rajesh
Maldives is once again in the news for the wrong reasons. The arrest of former President and opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed on 22 Feb 2015 has shocked international observers who are calling it a setback to the country’s political system. The arrest appears to be the culmination of a series of controversial actions taken by the present government in the recent past.
It is noteworthy that President Abdulla Yameen had removed defense minister Mohammed Nazim and some of his supporters allegedly over fears of them staging a coup. The situation has worsened further with the arrest of the main opposition leader on charges of terrorism. This charge is vestige of the 2012 crisis, when Nasheed (then President) had ordered the arrest of a judge. It is ironical that earlier this month, these charges were withdrawn by the prosecutor general himself.
A political crisis appears to be looming large on the atoll. The President seems to have already lost some key allies in his party. Now the main opposition is also provoked with the arrest of their leader. According to news reports, Nasheed has sought international attention to the events in Male.
The world remains apprehensive over the ramifications of these events ahead in this small yet geo-strategically important atoll. These events also assume significance in the light of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the islands in March.
Maldives became independent in 1965. It has a ‘presidential republic’ and the judiciary functions independent of the president as per the present constitution. Following demands for political reforms that gathered momentum in 2003, the system has evolved into a multiparty democracy in 2006.
In its first multi-party elections in 2009, Nasheed contesting on the Maldives Democratic Party ticket became the President of the island state. He grabbed global spotlight in October 2009, when he conducted his first Cabinet meeting underwater. This was a unique way of highlighting to the world the threat of submergence faced by the country’s islands due to global warming. However, the Nasheed presidency was curtailed in 2012. His vice president was sworn in on February 2012. Nasheed stepped down amidst protests that primarily emanated from the Police and Armed Forces. The trigger for these protests was Nasheed’s internment of a judge, as well as other contentious issues.
Post presidency, high drama ensued when Nasheed took asylum in the Indian Embassy on February 13, 2012. The situation diffused after the arrest and subsequent release of the leader. A significant fallout of the 2012 crisis was the cancellation of a major contract with India’s GMR Group over management of the airport in Male. For a nation which has tourism as its main source of revenue, the airport is a strategic asset. The cancellation was significant, considering that GMR is an Indian company and the contract was signed during Nasheed’s presidency.
In spite of being the favorite, Nasheed lost by a small margin in the 2013 presidential election to Abdulla Yaameen, the half-brother of the former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had ruled the country from 1978-2003.
From an Indian perspective, Maldives is its key neighbor in the Indian Ocean with whom relations have been cordial. People-to-people contact are high. India has also been active in the training of the country’s government personnel. India is also the nearest neighbor and first country that Maldives turns in times of crisis.
A good example in this regard was the crisis of 1988, when Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries had staged a coup de etat. The problem was resolved by virtue of a quick intervention from India on the request of President Gayoom. The country returned to normalcy thereafter.
The small, yet strategically crucial atoll is an important node in Indian Ocean. Historically, the Indian Ocean traders used the cowries from Maldives as a medium of exchange as they traded across the oceans. Cowries of these islands were the ‘dollar’ of those days. Today, as new players in global trade emerges, Maldives continue to remain an important node in IOR — a fact not lost on China, which has serious interests and investment in the island state.