The Maldives: Muizzu follows in the footsteps of Gotabaya Rajapaksa!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After haranguing like China’s agent for a year and achieving all pro-Beijing goals in the last four months, the Maldives’ patently anti-Indian President Mohamed Muizzu has suddenly realized that he could become another Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and his island country the next Sri Lanka if he failed to woo New Delhi again, at least for the time being.
The Rajapakse clan had similarly followed anti-India policies at the behest of their debtor China until mass protests in a bankrupt Sri Lanka forced them out of power in 2022.
But make no mistake. Muizzu’s sudden love for India is a ruse, an ancient Chinese tactic he learned from Mao Zedong’s famous quote—two steps forward, one back—and now President Xi Jinping’s diplomacy of “salami slicing.”
So, after forcing out Indian experts and security at Chinese diktats, Muizzu struck a ‘conciliatory tone,’ saying New Delhi will continue to remain his country’s “closest ally.” Then he pulled out his begging bowl, urging India to provide debt relief to the archipelago nation. The Maldives owes nearly USD 400.9 million to India, which is less than half of what the island nation owes to China.
No one at home or overseas trusts him, however. After campaigning for months with an “India Out” slogan, and within hours of taking over as the Maldivian President in November 2023, he demanded that Indian military personnel operating three aviation platforms be repatriated by May 10.
Weeks later, he and his wife went to Beijing on their first China-funded State Visit where he signed several agreements against India’s interests. Not only this, he also facilitated China’s naval interests in the Indian Ocean.
Then he tactically took a step backward.
On Thursday last, in his first interview with the local media since assuming office, Muizzu said India was instrumental in providing aid to the Maldives and has implemented the “greatest number” of projects.
India will continue to remain the Maldives’ closest ally, he said and emphasized that there was no question about it, the island nation’s news portal Edition.mv said.
Muizzu’s comments praising India came only after the first batch of Indian military personnel left the island nation this month as planned. By May 10, he had demanded that all 88 military personnel, manning the three Indian aviation platforms, should leave the country.
Trying to pull the wool in his critics’ eyes, Muizzu also urged India to accommodate debt relief measures for the Maldives in the repayment of “the hefty loans taken over consecutive governments.”
“The conditions we have inherited are such that there are very large loans taken from India. Hence, we are holding discussions to explore leniencies in the repayment structure of these loans.
“Instead of halting any ongoing projects … to proceed with them at speed, so I see no reason for any adverse effects (on Maldives-India relations),” Muizzu added.
Notice his chicanery. If India restructures loans or provides debt relief, he will claim it as his achievement. If not, he will resume his pro-China and anti-India rhetoric.
Muizzu’s conciliatory comments towards India came ahead of Parliament elections in Maldives in mid-April. He said Maldives has taken significant loans from India, which are heftier than can be borne by the Maldivian economy.
Expressing hope that India would “facilitate debt relief measures in the repayment of these loans,” he also said that he has conveyed his appreciation to the Indian government for their contributions.
But his predecessors may have failed to see through his subterfuge, and that the Maldives is now on its way to becoming almost a Chinese colony like Sri Lanka.
His predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said Muizzu must stop being “stubborn” and seek dialogue with neighbours to overcome the financial challenges.
“I am confident that our neighbors will help. We must stop being stubborn and seek dialogue. Many parties can help us. But he (Muizzu) doesn’t want to compromise. I feel the government is starting to understand the situation only now,” Solih was quoted as saying by Adhadhu.com news portal.
The financial challenges are not because of Indian loans. The Maldives has a debt of MVR 18 billion owed to China compared to MVR 8 billion owed to India, Solih said, adding that the repayment period is 25 years.
The former president also said the government was deceiving the public and relaunching projects initiated by the MDP government. He said ministers are now lying to cover up those lies.
