| by B.Raman
( December 9,
2012, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The unfortunate cancellation by the
Government of Mohammad Waheed of the Maldives of the contract given to a
consortium led by the GMR, an Indian company, for the running of the Ibrahim
Nassir International Airport highlights our loss of traditional goodwill with a
section of the Maldivian political class due to perceptions that India was
trying to take sides in the political dispute between former President Mohammed
Nasheed, who resigned under controversial circumstances in the beginning of
this year, and his opponents led by Mr.Mohammad Waheed in order to facilitate
his return to power.
 |
Maldives is also a lesson that we should avoid moralizing political postures like promoting democracy.
So long as the
Maldivian authorities were sensitive to our national security interests, we
followed a policy of benign non-involvement in internal political issues. Our
national security interests in the Maldives had primacy over our economic and
commercial interests. The Government of India carefully avoided creating any
impression of backing any Indian business company operating in the Maldives.
The traditional
goodwill enjoyed by us for nearly three decades in the Maldives since 1979 when
the Government of India responded positively to a request from Male for
assistance in revamping their national security set-up started dissipating when
our perceived backing for the democracy movement of Mr.Nasheed and the
jettisoning of the policy of benign non-involvement in internal political
matters after Mr.Nasheed became the President created perceptions of Indian
political favourites. As a result of our open and enthusiastic embrace of
Mr.Nasheed, he came to be perceived as India’s prop in Male. Many of his
decisions in commercial and national security matters, which were favourable to
India, were projected by his opponents and detractors as quid pro quo for
India’s support to him.
After his exit
from power, elements associated with the successor Government have targeted his
decisions which they viewed as his quid pro quo to India.We have already lost
considerable goodwill in political circles in the Maldives.The relations
between the two countries have got mixed up with local partisan politics.
To stop a
further erosion of the goodwill, it is important to make a mid-course
correction in our Maldivian policy based on a reversion to the past policy of
benign non-involvement in internal political matters, maintaining cordial relations
with all political forces without any political favourites, avoidance of undue
interest in promoting the interests of any Indian business house and
restoration of primacy to national security matters.
Maldives is also
a lesson that we should avoid moralizing political postures like promoting
democracy.
( The writer is
Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt of India, New Delhi, and
presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of
the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com .Tweet:
@SORBONNE75 )
 The unfortunate cancellation by the Government of Mohammad Waheed ...){kind=link}