The Hindu : Opinion / Interviews : "No intent to perpetuate status quo in Maldives"

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Monday, Aug 22, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Interviews

"No intent to perpetuate status quo in Maldives"

Amit Baruah

The new Foreign Minister of the Maldives,Ahmed Shaheed, has been his country's Foreign Secretary and chief government spokesman. On his first visit to India in his new post, he answered a range of questions.

— Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Ahmed Shaheed: "The Maldivian Government is committed to democracy."

How did your talks with External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh go?

Ahmed Shaheed: I've always believed that the success of a Foreign Minister of the Maldives would depend pretty much on how well he can develop a rapport with the Indian External Affairs Minister. India and the Maldives have always had very good relations, and I am confident of developing these further.

We decided to co-sponsor the G-4 resolution [for U.N. Security Council reform] because we believe it's also a seat for South Asia in some senses because we are partners in SAARC. Success for India in this [Security Council] effort will elevate our own standing in the councils of the world. In a globalised world, it's very important that South Asia has the just voice that it deserves in the councils of the U.N.

India has been very active in peacekeeping operations, it has been very active in the case of the Maldives in assuring peace and progress in the region; and also has a very high profile ...

Do you see the recent cooperation between India and the Maldives after the tsunami as a model for the future?

Absolutely. If you want to look at models, there are many examples — not only the tsunami collaboration, but also the assistance that you rendered to us in 1988 — when we had a security threat against the Maldives.

When the tsunami struck, the first thing I did as government spokesman [then] was to call the Indian High Commissioner and asked him what had happened in the Andamans. Immediately, we got the Indian response in terms of dispatching relief and logistical assistance.

How has the process of rehabilitation gone in the Maldives after the tsunami? Are tourists returning to the Maldives?

Unfortunately, the recovery is very slow. Tourists aren't coming back in large numbers. Tourism, even today, is 50 per cent of what it was last year. This is a serious concern because our way to recovery is through tourism.

The reconstruction programme is going forward. But we were the only nation where the tsunami affected the entire country. The whole nation is reeling from it.

The short answer is that recovery is slow. We remain concerned about the sluggish recovery of tourism, but we remain buoyant that we will be able to ... [make a] recovery with international support.

We are moving towards the SAARC summit in Dhaka. Do you think the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) deadline of January 1, 2006, will be met?

We are happy at the way SAARC has come along because we now have regular meetings. There is a forum for us to sit and talk, there is a sense of a common identity developing. There have been benefits from that.

Now, for free trade, of course, they [SAARC leaders] signed an agreement in Islamabad [January 2004]. I believe not only is there scope for free trade, but a necessity to develop that.

It's hard for me to say at this point [if the SAFTA deadline will be met]. Not all the negotiations have moved at the same pace. For the Maldives, it's very important that SAFTA be operationalised by the time-frame [set in Islamabad].

Turning to internal issues in the Maldives, are we going to see the formation of genuine, multiparty democracy in your country?

Absolutely. The Government's priority now, having introduced a multiparty system, is to ensure that we build the free institutions that are required to support a functioning, multiparty democracy. A revised electoral system that can support multiparty elections and a free press ... a judiciary, which is independent.

Equally important is voter education. Before we go to a multiparty framework, they [the people] should know how they've been empowered in this process. We have to create political awareness.

When will the new constitution come into force?

The Government had hoped that it would be ready by the end of the current year. But, it's only now that we are approaching the conclusion of its standing orders. We've been disappointed by the slow progress. Our target is still, hopefully, the end of the year.

But, we are also conscious of the fact we need the expertise to have a modern, working constitution in place. We are talking to the Commonwealth, we would be happy to welcome experts from the Government of India.

We've had a preliminary exchange of views on this subject [of getting the services of Indian legal experts]. A lot of this would depend on the Assembly [Majlis]. We cannot present experts to the Assembly.

In August last year, there were some very unfortunate events in the Maldives. Amnesty International says that at least 22 persons were subjected to physical abuse and torture. Is the Government planning to prosecute those responsible for these excesses?

We will, of course, prosecute those who are found responsible for these abuses. We've asked [the new] human rights commission to investigate. I think they are doing it.

The Government is committed to improving the human rights record of the country. In fact, we signed the convention against torture last year. We've also introduced a five-year action plan to overhaul the entire judicial system.

Are there any political detenus in the Maldives?

No, but there were some [recent] troubles in the Maldives on the anniversary of last year's problems. The Home Ministry had given permission for two meetings to be held, but said they would move against elements that created disorder.

Despite this caution, some elements decided to instigate crowds. The police had to disperse them and make some arrests; this included the Chairperson of the Maldives Democratic Party [Mohammed Nasheed].

When things were descending into public disorder, the police had to make more arrests. As we speak, 38 are in police custody, but they are not political prisoners, they are not there because of their political views. Many of them will be released as things calm down.

Can such events make the Maldives take a step back from creating a full democracy?

The Government is determined not to step back. But we found over the past 12 months that not everybody that wears the garb of democracy wants democracy ... there are some concerns about extremism from religious groups.

But the Government remains committed to democracy, because in the long run, that is the only way in which we can maintain peace and law and order. We will not be deterred from our path of full democracy, but we will have to make sure that law and order is respected by all parties.

The interpretation of law and order is sometimes convenient to perpetuate the status quo.

I think we've done enough over the past one year to demonstrate that there is no intent at all to perpetuate the status quo. The President [Maumoon Abdul Gayoom] has voluntarily given up many of his prerogatives and powers; the whole agenda has been voluntarily set forth by him.

His [Gayoom's] intent is to create as his legacy a functioning democracy. That's his ambition, that's his goal. This does not entail perpetuating the status quo.

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"No intent to perpetuate status quo in Maldives"