The anti-Indian president of the Maldives addresses parliament and two parties boycott

The Democrats and the Maldivian Democratic Party, the two major opposition parties, have chosen to abstain from the president’s speech

New Delhi: During the inaugural session of the parliament this year, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, who has come under fire for his anti-Indian views, spoke. The Democrats and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the two major opposition parties, have chosen to abstain from the presidential statement, according to the Mihaaru daily.

The Democrats have cited the re-appointment of three ministers who were rejected by parliament as their reason for skipping the presidential address, however the MDP has not disclosed their reasoning.

The Maldives‘ Constitution mandates that the President give a speech to the legislature at its first session each year, summarizing the state of the country and offering suggestions for resolving issues.

President Muizzu is under fire right now for his anti-Indian position, which coincides with the presidential address. His presidential campaign revolved about diminishing Indian sway over Maldivian issues. He met President Xi Jinping during a visit to China shortly after becoming office.

The presence of some eighty Indian soldiers in the island nation of The Maldives has been a major source of contention between India and the longstanding ally.

India will withdraw its troops by May, the Maldives foreign ministry stated, citing a report by Reuters. According to the Maldives, an agreement made at a conference in New Delhi has led to the departure of the first batch of Indian troops by March 10 and the remaining forces by May 10.

According to Reuters, the External Affairs Ministry stated that the two nations “agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms” that supply aid to the Maldives.

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Domestically, President Muizzu’s anti-Indian position has received criticism. In a recent joint statement, the MDP and The Democrats called the change in the island nation’s foreign policy “extremely detrimental”.

The statement stated that “alienating any development partner, and especially the country’s most long-standing ally, will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country” . It further emphasized that “stability and security in the Indian Ocean is vital to the stability and security of the Maldives

President Muizzu has been encouraged to apologize to India by a different party. The head of the Jumhoori Party, Gasuim Ibrahim, has stated that in order to repair relations, the president of the Maldives should formally apologize to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India and pursue “diplomatic reconciliation”.

The declaration made by President Muizzu shortly after his return from China was mentioned in Mr. Ibrahim’s speech. He had stated, “We may be small, but this doesn’t give them the licence to bully us,” without mentioning any nation. The comment was interpreted as a jab at India.

When asked about the tense relations, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar responded that neighbors are dependent on one another. “Geography and history are extremely potent factors. From that, there is no way out,” he declared.