HomeArticleGrowing Maldivian resentment against Indian military presence & interference in domestic affairs

Growing Maldivian resentment against Indian military presence & interference in domestic affairs

On Friday, the growing resentment by the public against the Indian military presence and interference in domestic affairs was made heard as thousands marched the streets of the capital city calling “Indian Military Out”.

While the Maldives and India has traditionally have had warm ties, India’s growing hegemonic practices and their “hands-on” approach to maintaining their influence in the region has meant that the Maldives has also become the latest in line to become the subject of interest for India to assert its dominance.

Another source of criticism is the controversial role played by Sunjay Sudhir, the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives. The Indian High Commissioner is the subject of multiple allegations ranging from allegations of corruption to bribery. Many well-known journalists have accused him of offering bribes in exchange for publishing pro-Indian content. Some have also accused him of meddling with the judiciary by offering bribes and incentives to judges.

Precursor to Indian dominance in the Maldives

The 2018 Presidential Election was met with mixed reactions from before and after the election. Senior officials of the current administration appealed to India to take military action against the Maldives citing rigged elections. This sentiment was shared by many senior officials of the Indian Foreign Service and independent think tanks as they also reiterated that armed action may be the only solution. However, when incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the election, the allegations of rigging and unfair campaigning practices disappeared.

Public discomfort due to the relations between the senior officials of the current administration and India was first sparked when current ruling party President and Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed alleged that India had meddled with the 2018 Presidential Election.

Speaking to India Today, Speaker Mohamed Nasheed stated “First of all, no one thought we would win the election. Everyone thought it would be heavily rigged, and we had no chance. But India didn’t think that. Indian officials and Indian diplomats were at it. They knew that they can create a small window, and you know, if we even get a millimeter, we knew we could go ahead and we could win the elections. So to start with, I think Indian diplomats were very clever. This is not something I usually say but they were very clever in, in, you know there were many many unreasonable demands from us. On what India should be doing because of lack of democracy there and because everything was suppressed. But they didn’t do what we asked them to do but all sorts of other things which brought us the election.”.

While this clearly indicates that India had influenced the 2018 Presidential election, the current administration and independent state authorities continue to ignore what might be a serious breach of security and a threat to the democratic system in the Maldives.

Many have compared the situation to the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.

Some argue that India’s plans to assert its influence in the Maldives dates back to former Presidnet Mohamed Nasheed’s administration when he welcomed the Indian conglomerate GMR to take over the nation’s main airport worth over $ 1 billion for an alleged $78 million. GMR was known to have actively played a role in local politics.

Indian Military Presence in the Maldives

The main source of public resentment against India stems from their continued military presence in the Maldives. Under the current administration, several secret military agreements have been signed by between the Government of Maldives and India which would essentially allow India to station their military personnel with full diplomatic immunity and tax exemption.

While the government continues to reject any application to publicize the agreements under the RTI Act, even the Parliament has been left in the dark on the exact nature of the agreement. According to the constitution of the Maldives, no foreign boots may be stationed in the Maldives without full approval of the agreement by the Parliament, posing question on the validity of the agreements.

Indian Radar Network System

In June 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the opening of the Indian Radar Network system in the Maldives. A series of 10 radar systems located at strategic points to provide “eyes for the big brother”. While it was initially stated that the radars would be used to safeguard the Special Economic Zone of the Maldives, Indian think tanks and media have alluded to other strategic uses.

According to reports from the media, the Radar Systems would be a strategic asset for India to keep an eye on the waters surrounding the Maldives. It was stated that the radars would allow India to spot Chinese military vessels and submarines travelling in the region. Maldivesnewsnetwork.com

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