The Maldives has said it is “profoundly concerned” by attempts to spread "misguided and unsubstantiated" information by a small group of individuals and a few political personalities aimed at propagating “hatred towards India", one of its closest bilateral partners. The statement from the government came as opposition parties led by former president Abdullah Yameen stepped up their anti-Indian rhetoric. 

“While the Government of Maldives champions the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, the Government strongly believes these fundamental rights should be exercised in a democratic and responsible manner,” the archipelago’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday in a statement. 

Hatred and false narratives, it said, not only "tarnish the relations with trusted allies who extend consistent support to the Maldivian people, but also affect the safety and security of their citizens in the Maldives, and Maldivians living abroad.”

Yameen, who was the Maldives' president between 2013 to 2018 and recently came out from house arrest after being acquitted in a money laundering case, is a China-leaning politician in the Maldives, a country that is of great strategic importance to India and with it has developed close diplomatic and security ties. 

Yameen’s party PPM, out of power since 2018, has been staging anti-India protests, under the banner of the India-Out campaign, for over a year now, in order to undermine the current government-led President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih, who openly endorses the India-First policy. 

Defending the government’s security ties with foreign countries, the government said it reaffirmed the country’s long-standing ties with “all its international partners", based on "principles of mutual respect and understanding, and in accordance with respective national and international law.”

The opposition campaign, motivated by domestic political objectives, opposes security ties with India, arguing it undermines the country’s independence and sovereignty. Yameen, in its recent remarks, opposed any Indian military presence in the archipelago. However, neither the Maldives government nor the Indian government has confirmed any such presence. 

The two countries, however, share close defense, security, and intelligence ties and regularly conduct joint military exercises, which predates Yameen's tenure.  

Defending its security policy, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, “Such interactions in the international sphere does not, and will not undermine the Maldives' independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. In fact, they are designed to enhance the Maldives’ national interests, and deliver for the people of the Maldives.” 

The government also urged all parties, especially the political leadership, to “act responsibly, and refrain from spreading false information that undermines the country’s cordial relations with its neighbors, and the international community.”

Significantly, the Maldives will go into elections in 2023 and Yameen is eyeing a return to power. It seems, for him, the politicization of ties with India has become a handy election platform to regain the power he lost in the 2018 presidential elections. 

(SAM)