Looming shadows over sovereignty

Many Maldivians were taken aback with this recent announcement by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, especially since the Maldivian government had made no mention of it.

A consulate, by definition, is the office upon a foreign land in which resides a consul, who is responsible for the safety of their respective nationals as well as to protect the interests of the state in that station. A clear distinction is important to outline the weight of this decision and to understand the concerns raised by the Maldivian people.

The Maldives is one of the very few countries that can boast sovereignty over a thousand years, although pockmarked with a few takeovers such as that by the Portuguese, and the turning point that established it as a British Protectorate in 1887. This caused quite an acceleration of events, including the development of the southern atoll as a Royal Air Force (RAF) base during World War II, the fanning of the flames of a secessionist rebellion in that region, and finally to the Maldives claiming independence in 1965.

The secessionist movement of the United Suvadives Republic is attributed to many factors, in addition to aid given to the movement by the British; such as the disparity in fair economic treatment across the archipelago, a plague that had been left unchecked in the region, and the corrupt economic practices of the central government that hindered the development of the south for decades.

From 1959 to 1963, the short-lived republic held out against armed intervention led by then-Prime Minister, Ibrahim Nasir, until finally, the leader of the rebellion, Abdulla Afeef, fled to the then-British colony of Seychelles, where he was granted political asylum. It was hot on the heels of this event that the British rescinded their military presence in its south Indian territories, and by 1965, a united Maldives celebrated its independence.

However, unbeknownst to the common citizen, the cold-war era also shaped a lot of the changes that are being felt now, with the US establishing more connections with India as part of their interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Shifting attention from the former USSR to the exponentially growing influence of China, it is apparent that alliances are crucial in this goal to not only establish dominance, but to keep the region positive towards growing US influence. 

However, these countries, mainly the "Quad" made up of India, USA, Japan, and Australia, had their feathers ruffled by the Maldives' increasing cosiness with China, during the Yameen administration. Under the Belt and Road Initiative for economic development, China was welcomed to the Maldives to develop some of the biggest infrastructure projects ever seen in the country. This was a pattern that was being seen increasingly around the world, where China lent money and development capabilities to smaller or poorer countries to develop ports, airports, residential areas and bridges, which then, at an alarming rate, plunged most countries into debt traps.

China was accused of using economic control as a weapon, yet parallels may be drawn with the USA having constantly devised military control and destabilisation of foreign governments to maintain influence. While the possibility of falling into a debt trap and losing rights over key infrastructure is highly possible, China cannot be held responsible for this per se. At least, not without drawing a double standard with India.

India has opened credit lines into the Maldives in a bid to assist development, yet the details of this are not clear for the average citizen to grasp. India has taken it a step further; while developing a second bridge, effectively extending the Chinese plan, the Indian government has also pledged substantial amounts of investment into developing a cancer hospital, multiple residential housing projects and a cricket stadium, among others. These lines of credit are essentially loans as well, and figures show that India is providing over USD3 billion to the country through various channels. 

Beyond these economic activities, India is also working on military-esque collaborations. Two helicopters have been gifted to the MNDF by the Indian military, along with servicemen to operate them, which have been admittedly as yet utilised more for humanitarian needs than for any military objectives. Further, the Maldives and India have agreed to establish an Indian-operated radar system in the archipelago in an attempt to tighten surveillance of the Indian Ocean Region.

Even more recently, the Indian government has pledged to build a dockyard facility in the Maldives, officially describing it to be run and utilised by the MNDF Coast Guard as a maintenance and staging area. With these developments, some are starting to see a troubling pattern. 

However it is important to note that it was not the incumbent administration that had initiated this change. Maldivian governments had, in 2013, 2015 and 2016, repeatedly requested the Indian administration to assist them in strengthening the security of its Exclusive Economic Zone, both militarily and economically, with specific requests for essential aircrafts, inclusive of the two helicopters. It was only a matter of timing that the current President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was in power when the agreement finally went through.

India is not alone in these endeavours. The Maldives has also signed a Defense Agreement with the US in an attempt to bolster Indo-Pacific security. This was in 2020 and precedes the developments that are currently riling up the public, and outlines a much deeper and far-reaching system of politics that deserves further attention.

Maldives, due to its location in the Indian Ocean, has always been seen as a highly strategic position — one reason why the British deployed the RAF here. Not to mention the islands south of Maldives, the elusive Diego Garcia area, where the US has an established military presence. Due to this and a myriad of reasons, the Maldivian people, first and foremost, deserve transparency from the nation's leaders.

Global politics may not be swayed by general discourse in a small island nation, but the stance taken by the government needs to be backed by its constituents to ensure solidarity. To ensure this, the government needs to be more open to discussion and to the sharing of pertinent information, to allow more engagement without which the common citizenry will sense their liberties are being encroached upon.

The Maldives' fight for independence in 1965 ended with a united front only because the majority of the people were in agreement and support. If the government drifts further from the people, the nation may find itself on unsteady ground when it comes to its standing in the international arena.