Ibu Solih Will Return To Power, Says Maldives’ Shahid Ahead Of Polls

Ahead of Presidential polls in Malé, slated to be held on September 9, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said it is crucial to have a ‘democratic’ Maldives for stability in the Indian Ocean.

EAM Jaishankar (right) with his Maldives counterpart Abdulla Shahid in New Delhi.

Ahead of Presidential polls in Maldives on 9 September, Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said during his ongoing visit to India that his party under President Ibu Solih will come back to power for the second time.

Shahid, who is on a two-day visit to India, met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Tuesday and presided over the exchange of project development agreements under Indian grant assistance.

“A pragmatic approach dictates that we do what is best for the Maldives. What serves our national interest the most? The Maldives is the heart of the Indian Ocean. This strategic location comes with serious responsibility. And serious exposure to competing external interests,” Shahid said at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).

Addressing a lecture themed ‘The Power of Small: The Maldives Story’, Shahid said, “The Maldives recognises and understands the crucial space we occupy in the Indian Ocean. We understand our responsibility in maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean. We understand our role in it.”

“Because we have always recognised that the fates of the Indian Ocean and that of ours are connected. That a stronger, prosperous, and democratic Maldives is necessary for maintaining the strategic stability of the Indian Ocean. And that a peaceful, secure, safe, Indian Ocean is crucial to a prosperous Maldives,” he added.

Shahid’s visit assumes significant importance considering the fact that the current Solih regime has been following a decisive ‘India First’ policy even as it attempts to balance its ties with China.

Solih’s predecessor Abdulla Yameen followed a policy of ‘open door’ to Chinese investments that put the island nation in massive debt. Yameen is currently languishing in jail on charges of graft and corruption.

Shahid Tuesday, however, said Maldives does not encourage fuelling the strategic competition going on between India and China in his country. He underlined that the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) does not follow a policy of “playing one against the other.”

“Maldives under the current government does not give room to such (India-China) tussles. We are not in the business of playing one against the other. We are friends to all and enemy to none … We have a special relationship with India,” he said.

He pointed out, “What we seek, is to not pit one country against the another - or one relationship against another. What we seek is partnership and cooperation. For our stability and prosperity, which in turn contributes to the region’s stability and order. 

India A Key Partner

Shahid, who is also currently visiting India to seek New Delhi’s support to retain power, said New Delhi remains a “key partner” for Malé. For New Delhi, having a partner in Maldives means arresting China’s influence in its neighbourhood.

“A warm and productive meeting today with FM @abdulla_shahid of Maldives. Encouraged to learn of the steady progress in our development partnership. It is directly contributing to the economic growth and social welfare of our neighbour,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.

He added, “Shared perspectives on the stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean region and how our collaboration advances those goals. A good day for ‘Neighborhood First’ and ‘SAGAR’ outlook.”

India cannot afford to witness a return of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in that country whose chief Yameen continued to run an ‘India Out’ campaign that has severely impacted New Delhi’s relations with them.

Solih, who came to power in 2018, also became a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) immediately after assuming charge that augmented India’s SAGAR policy.

“We have cultivated and maintained strategic and mutually beneficial relationships that will enable us to contribute to the efforts in holding order in the Indian Ocean. Relationships, that will build resilience within our country - whether that be economic resilience, climate resilience, or institutional resilience,” said Shahid.

He said in that regard India is the “key partner” and that is why after coming to power in November 2018, Solih’s first visit outside of Maldives was India.

“And since, the relationship between our countries has been exemplary. India’s support, the generosity of its people, is felt in every aspect of Maldivian society, and Maldivian economy. And India is contributing in a big way, to the development of the country, to the development of resilience in the Maldives,” he said.

He also said, “We have also long-since recognized the indispensable role that the United States plays in the Indian Ocean as well. And we enjoy extremely important, and mutually beneficial partnerships with Japan, Australia, China, and a host of other countries, in striving for economic and social development.”