Maldives, a country with a population of just five lakhs, has come at the center of Asian politics due to its geopolitical positions in the Indian Ocean. Due to its social, cultural and geographical proximity with India, Maldives has had good relations for centuries. Maldives has become a very sensitive issue for India due to recent Chinese intervention and increasing influence over the opposition there. There President Ibrahim Solih is a close friend of India.
Ahead of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s latest visit to Maldives, opposition parties organized a massive rally as part of their anti-India campaign, which was banned by Solih’s government by calling an emergency meeting of Parliament. The Parliament there passed a resolution to ban the rallies of the opposition. In fact, as soon as the visit of the Indian Foreign Minister was fixed, the Progressive Party of former President Abdulla Yameen and its coalition party People’s National Congress had announced a protest.
In view of the possible actions of both parties, the Maldivian government introduced an emergency resolution in Parliament on 23 March citing national security threats from the opposition’s protests and the resolution was passed. The resolution clearly stated that relations between Maldives and India would be soured by the opposition rally, due to which the Maldivian national security forces were ordered to stop the rally and other events of protest.
Democracy came to this country in the year 2005. Maldives being a strategic area of the Indian Ocean has become very important in the decade and a half since China started encroaching on the maritime territories. This is the reason that for the last 10 years, there is a competition between India and China to keep Maldives in their court.
Indeed, foreign policy is becoming a major issue during the elections in Maldives. One of the major reasons for this is that the economic development of this small country is largely dependent on its foreign policy. China engaged in expansionism is eyeing Maldives. He instigates former President Yameen against India. However, the current ruling party MDP is in support of India.
The MDP returned to power in the Maldives in the last election in 2018. Since then, India has been taking continuous steps towards strengthening bilateral relations. Yameen was arrested on corruption charges, but the Supreme Court of Maldives ruled to release him in December 2021. Since his release from jail, anti-India activities are getting air there. General elections are going to be held in Maldives in 2024, so the opposition is raising voice against India.
In the past, Mohamed Nasheed became the President of the country after the establishment of democracy and was instrumental in taking relations with India to new heights. After that the influence of China started increasing on this small country. After Nasheed, Yameen came to power and he completely sided with China. Yameen had canceled all the work being done on behalf of India under the Nasheed government. In 2018, Yameen’s government fell and Ibrahim Solih came to power. Solih was also supported by the party of Mohamed Nasheed, a former president and friend of India.
military base on the island
Yameen alleges that India is building a military base on the Uthuru Thilafalhu coral island of Maldives, while Solih’s government has made it clear that there will not be a single Indian Army soldier in this island. The island is being built for the Maldives Coast Guard, with India only helping the crew members of the three Dornier aircraft for maintenance and surveillance. These aircraft will guard the coast and operate rescue and air ambulances.
During the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in February 2021, the two countries had reached an agreement to develop this island as a port. Then India also gave a line of credit of 50 million dollars (the money that will be used to buy goods in India) to the Maldives. On the other hand, during Yameen’s government, China invested a lot of money and gave loans to Maldives. Because of this Yameen is completely against India. However, the majority of the people of Maldives consider themselves closer to India.