The Maldives has been generating bad news for some time. On February 12, former president Nasheed refused to honour court summons and threatened with arrest, sought refuge in the Indian embassy. India was in a quandary, writes R S Chhikara for the Deccan Herald.
India wants democracy to take root in the Maldives and Nasheed was the only democratically elected president of the country.
His arrest and conviction would disqualify him from participating in the upcoming elections. Indian diplomacy went into overdrive to ensure participatory elections that would require Nasheed’s participation as a free man. Nasheed expected Indian support but India could not be seen to be partisan.
The government in Male has for the time being desisted from arresting and trying Nasheed but the reprieve is only for a month and there are signs that an agreement to this effect, if one exists, may not after all, be honoured. If that happens, Waheed and Gayoom will have a cake walk. Democracy will lose out.
India’s leverage with Male does not appear to be working and there lies the rub.
After a spell of autocratic rule by Ibrahim Nasir and Abdul Gayoom lasting nearly 45 years, Nesheed became the first elected president of the country in 2008. In January 2012, Nasheed ordered the arrest of Abdullah Mohammad, Chief of Criminal Court who was accused of blocking legitimate legal action against Gayoom. Nasheed was forced to resign at gun point in what was for all purposes, a coup.
It is not too far fetched to imagine that last year’s coup against Nasheed and current efforts to neutralise him as a potential presidential candidate through a judicial verdict could well be a conspiracy by Islamists and others to ensure that democracy does not stabilise and terrorists get the required political patronage.
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Nasheed was elected through a coalition and he managed to get only 21% of the popular vote in the first round in 2008.
Nasheed was worst than Naasir or Gayyoom and he was a threat to this young democracy.
Population of 350,000 people will never be a threat to India and all these are just propaganda that Nasheed is playing.
India will support Nasheed since they have now known the weakness of the guy and they had realized how easy it is going to be interfere with internal issue if Nasheed ever become the ruler of the nation.
Nasheed will sell our sovereign rights to India without a blink of an eye for few million dollars and he will nerve hesitate to do anything for his own personal benefit.
Nasheed is a man who will put forward his personal interest over the nation and this is why India is going to back this guy in the election.
To day, it is not going to be so easy for India to come and attack Maldives like first world war time, and international community will be watching India too.
Since India now want to have strong recognition in the international arena, they will never be able to attack the Maldives and invade .
All what they can do is put a trade restriction and revoke their visa policies and make it difficult for Maldivian to visit India.
The stupid idiots in Kurinbee smashed a large monolith rock to form a coalition of the willing sub-atomic particles of sodium chloride observed in the "Bodugaa"! In the process, the vindictive residents of the small island brought down a 500 year old banyan tree on the island. For what? Just to display their physical prowess to the neighboring nation up north. The hair-brained Kuribee guy, head south before someone hoists a mast in your tiny-weeny island from
the leftover branches of the banyan tree and sail you fellas to show you the swells in Kashidhoo Channel !!