The Maldives’ most senior diplomat prior to his resignation after February 7, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, has spoken to the media for the first time since tendering his resignation from the post of Maldives’ Ambassador to the Unite Nations live on Al-Jazeera.
In an interview with Haveeru, Abdul Ghafoor said that the country’s image has been tarnished by recent events and that the moral authority built up over the years has been wasted.
“A sound foreign policy perfected through the years enabled us to establish a voice internationally, much louder than our diminutive size,” Ghafoor told Haveeru.
“We showed the maturity to change a thirty year old governance system without a civil war or much unrest. That truly gained the respect of much larger developed nations. We secured a moral authority and political influence over our international partners when we, a small island nation changed a government through legitimate means” .
“With Maldives’ domestic feats suddenly we were seen in whole different light. We had the potential to play a bridging role between Islamic States and Western countries. We had the ability to talk to both sides, and usually they listened.”
Abdul Ghafoor went on to detail his view of the current investment climate in the Maldives, arguing that the unpredictable situation in the country meant the situation is an unnattractive one for foreign investors: “The policies adopted now could be much different in one and a half years time.”
The former diplomat also questioned the government’s claims to have been accepted by the international community.
“It is a diplomatic norm to congratulate any head of State when the office is assumed. How many States congratulated President Waheed on his assumption of office? Most countries stated that they would work with Waheed’s government while stressing early polls and probe into the regime change,” Ghafoor told Haveeru.
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The people who created this disaster they call a government is not interested in the reputation of the country or the country acting as an example to the rest of the world. They are simply working to protect themselves or to make as much money as possible. Well done Abdul Gafoor for speaking up.