Maldives Crisis: News & Discussion

Ray

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It appears that Gayoom has take over the Govt through the backdoor.

It is obvious that he cannot win upfront in a democratic manner!

No stability yet in Maldives

The spectre of unrest loomed over Male after supporters of deposed President Mohamed Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) took to the streets on Sunday after the police allegedly picked up four MPs of the party.

This happened a few moments after new President Waheed Hassan appointed seven members to his cabinet. MDP workers demonstrated outside Majlis (the Maldivian Parliament), forcing the riot police to push back angry protesters waving banners and shouting slogans against the new dispensation.

The high drama on the cobbled road outside Majlis, barely 100 metres from the President's Office and the Indian high commission, preceded President Hassan's induction of seven members into his Cabinet, including the country's first woman attorney general Azima Shakooru. She is known to be a loyalist of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Another Gayoom loyalist, Mohammed Hussein Sharif alias Mundu Sharif, was made minister for youth affairs and sports. Several key portfolios, including that of the Vice-President, foreign affairs and finance, were kept vacant. Waheed's opponents see this as a ploy to break his predecessor's party and lure members with the high-demand portfolios. The protesters outside Majlis alleged that Waheed's government was pushing the archipelago nation to the dark days of dictator Gayoom.

More at

http://news.in.msn.com/exclusives/it/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5842774
 
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ejazr

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For people who don't know Gayoom has been a long time ally of India.

In 1988, President Gayoom who was inpower then got Indian military to intervene on his behalf. India is in a unique situation in Maldives where both sides of political spectrum have close ties with India.

What MEA is doing with brokering peace and calling for early elections to establish a proper mandate is the right thing to do.

Here is article by former Naval officer on the military intervention by india to protect Gayoom

Drama on high seas: How 1988 Maldives coup leaders were held - Economic Times
 

amitkriit

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For people who don't know Gayoom has been a long time ally of India.

In 1988, President Gayoom who was inpower then got Indian military to intervene on his behalf. India is in a unique situation in Maldives where both sides of political spectrum have close ties with India.

What MEA is doing with brokering peace and calling for early elections to establish a proper mandate is the right thing to do.

Here is article by former Naval officer on the military intervention by india to protect Gayoom

Drama on high seas: How 1988 Maldives coup leaders were held - Economic Times
Exactly, India cannot behave like China. We need to establish good relation with the common people of Maldives. Unlike China which depends on puppet regimes, we must promote good image of India, like we have been doing in Afghanistan. Let the people of Maldives decide their future. As far as India's interest in the island nation is concerned, I believe none of the two sides are anti-India.
 

Ray

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Gayoom has been a long time ally of India, but he is the one who brought fundamentalists to the fore without appearing to do so.

And why did India intervene?

Who were the terrorists?

Check that out!
 

Ray

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Police and security forces personnel joined the demonstrations by political opponents of President Mohammed Nasheed, reportedly beat him and forced him to resign at gunpoint.

They helped put an end to what was a political dream of the Maldivian people. After three decades of rule by Abdul Gayoom, they elected a president who had suffered jail and torture fighting for their human rights and democratic aspirations.

By all available accounts, they have backed an alliance of Gayoom and religious conservatives who used Islam as a political weapon in this nation of Sunni Muslims.....


Gayoom was removed by a bunch of ambitious Maldivian businessmen backed by Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries, who were hoping to gain a foothold and fight Colombo from some of the 800-plus uninhabited islands that form the Maldivian archipelago.

India had then launched a brief but decisive military operation, obviously not out of love for Gayoom. It saw a common security threat. Its action was viewed with alarm -- the Cold War era was very much on. India was accused of nursing blue water naval ambitions.



Maldives coup places India in a spot of frenzy - Columnist - New Straits Times
 

ejazr

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Ray, we should be concerned in how the politicians treat Indian interests. Not on what is fundamentalists or moderate. As a govt. we can only indirectly influence that. We would expect other countries to respect if BJP or VHP/RSS backed political parties came to power in India no matter how fundamentalist they might be in their outlook.

Its important to engage the political actors on both sides of the divide. As long as Indian interests are acknowledged, we should let the people sort out who they want to rule.

And people of Maldives depend on on tourism for their survival. The idea that with Gayoom we are seeing a Talibanisation of Maldives is quite exaggerated.
 

Ray

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Ray, we should be concerned in how the politicians treat Indian interests. Not on what is fundamentalists or moderate. As a govt. we can only indirectly influence that. We would expect other countries to respect if BJP or VHP/RSS backed political parties came to power in India no matter how fundamentalist they might be in their outlook.

Its important to engage the political actors on both sides of the divide. As long as Indian interests are acknowledged, we should let the people sort out who they want to rule.

And people of Maldives depend on on tourism for their survival. The idea that with Gayoom we are seeing a Talibanisation of Maldives is quite exaggerated.



It might gladden your heart that Gayoom has taken over through the backdoor, but as I see it, it matters if fundamentalists take over nations along the periphery.

It is not a question of religion. It is a question of geostrategy and survival.

Maldives will always be a Muslim nation, like it or not. And none can change that even in their wildest dreams.

However, the difference lies in whether it is led/suported by a radical Islamist or a moderate Muslim.

Osama was once taken to be a mere champion of the Muslim cause and an agent of the US. The US did not read the tea leaves correctly. He became a terror to the world!

It is better to be safe than sorry!



Gayoom, as per all report, has the backing of radicals.

If one looks at Bangladesh, Hasina is not a radical Islamist, while Khaleda has aligned with radicals. And both are good Muslims. Yet, who would India prefer?

So, it is a question of having someone who will minimise the worries of India to continuously look over the shoulder.

It is better to be safe than sorry!

If BJP comes to power, it will be rather pretentious to believe that the Islamic countries will be comfortable with India!

What has Maldives depending on terrorism got to do with it? As it is alcohol is not allowed in Maldives, so it does not matter as to who rules!

Rather weak arguments!
 
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ejazr

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Developments in the Maldives and India's Options | Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses
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Democracies are however notoriously unstable to begin with and need patience and commitment all round. Maldives is no different and its institutions have not worked properly so far. The President was getting increasingly frustrated and the opposition confronted him at every step. Nasheed, long used to agitating for change and clamouring for power, did not, it seems, grow in office and his style was quite un-presidential. One could say that he was being democratic and had the zeal of a reformer. But holding office and leading street demonstrations require different hats.

Nasheed and his supporters faced opposition from a rich business class which controlled the mainstay of the Maldivian economy, i.e., the tourism industry. The downturn in the European economies, which sends the bulk of tourists to Maldives, has negatively affected this sector, which, in turn, impacted on the domestic political dynamics.

In describing his ouster as a coup, perhaps Nasheed wanted to indirectly involve India which he felt he was justified in doing given his attempts to bring the two countries closer, apart from his genuine democratic credentials. Yet at the same time he did not want armed conflict in his country or a civil war like situation. Since his ouster he has been loudly proclaiming his democratic credentials and wants India to hear him. He has repeated that he handed over power under duress and as a democrat he hopes India will see his position and, literally, rescue him. Not only that, he wants to bring forward elections to challenge the opposition and test their legitimacy at the hustings.

What should India do? Having made the point that Maldives is a major security issue for us and bearing in mind the overall international scenario prevailing now, we should bat for a friend. Knowing how slippery the democratic playfield can be and having a sense of who actually has fouled, as a sort of friendly referee, we should award a free kick to the player who has been knocked down. How can we do that? We should work for a unitary government and persuade all to agree to early elections. But since there are no free lunches, we should recommend that Maldivians agree to long term strengthening of democratic institutions and resolve their differences peacefully; different factions must talk to each other and work towards a modus vivendi. Above all, authorities in Maldives must be encouraged to respect human rights and avoid use of force to deal with political dissent.

Ambassador A.K. Banerjee is a former High Commissioner of India in Maldives. He is also a former Deputy Director of IDSA, New Delhi.
 

Ray

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What should India do? Having made the point that Maldives is a major security issue for us and bearing in mind the overall international scenario prevailing now, we should bat for a friend. Knowing how slippery the democratic playfield can be and having a sense of who actually has fouled, as a sort of friendly referee, we should award a free kick to the player who has been knocked down. How can we do that? We should work for a unitary government and persuade all to agree to early elections. But since there are no free lunches, we should recommend that Maldivians agree to long term strengthening of democratic institutions and resolve their differences peacefully; different factions must talk to each other and work towards a modus vivendi. Above all, authorities in Maldives must be encouraged to respect human rights and avoid use of force to deal with political dissent.
How like a diplomat he has said!

Neither here nor there.

Meaningless pious platitudes and His Master's Voice!

One should ask this worthy diplomat, does India encourage coups or democratically elected Govts?

And because we have fools for diplomats, who are more busy enjoying life at the cocktail circuits, that they cannot predict what is happening in the country where they are posted.

If indeed the Ambassador was doing his job, he could have reported the discontent, if any, or the palace coup in the offing, and then the Govt of India could have undertaken with all piety the long term strengthening of democratic institutions and resolve their differences peacefully.

A silly article of a bureaucratic mindset that has no proactivity that is essential from these moribund sinecures!
 
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ejazr

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Ray Sir,

AFAIK, you can't take Alcohol into Maldives, but it is available in hotels and bars there. Its just very expensive because of some very high taxes on it. There is currently a big debate on complete ban on Alcohol and pork in Maldives but the tourism industry barons (those who support Gayoom as well) won't like that to happen. It was only a pressure point to play up against Nasheed. Ofcourse, the use of religion in politics is bad no matter which religion and which region you look at, but that is something the Maldivian people will have to learn and recognize on their own. All we could do is use people-to-people contact to explain why this is not the best way to run your politics rather than GoI taking sides.

And Muslim countries might be under pressure to have good relations with India if events like 2002 Gujrat riots happen but they will still try to maintain good relations. Afterall, it was under the NDA regime that the Saudis said no to Pakistan for support on the Kargil war and later in 2003 Jaswant Singh who went to Saudi Arabia to actually initiate the opening of the partnership with the Saudis. The GCC countries continue to be big investors in Gujrat despite a BJP govt. being in power there. Again, some major start up with Turkey were also started under NDA as well. Similarly, it was the BJP led NDA govt. that signed a defense pact with the Islamic republic of Iran in 2003 and even had naval war games with them. So most countries will take a pragmatic approach.
 

Tshering22

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Ejaz, Maldivians are totally weird though. They'd leave behind most Arabs and Pakistanis in terms of ultra-radicalism. These people think that they are some oil sheikhs with rivers of oil just pouring out of their country. Their egos are sky high and so is their intolerance. If it were not for our government's attitude, Maldivians would have been thrashed by PLOTE and brought back down to earth.

After having personally experienced Maldivian attitude, I find the 1988 Operation Cactus just a showmanship of our military capabilities off shore more than any serious trouble. Wish PLOTE had actually taken over that stupid country. It would teach those egoistic fanatics some civilization.
 

Kunal Biswas

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[Important] What REALLY happened in Maldives!!!


Detailed English Report On What Really Happened In Maldives. This Is Important As There Are Lots Of Conflicting Reports. This is a Maldives report..
 
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