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Maldivian President paints optimistic picture
More and more Maldivian nationals are seeking medical treatment in Sri Lanka owing to visa restrictions imposed on its citizens visiting India for medical care, Maldivian President Mohammed Waheed said yesterday. “A lot of our people are coming to Sri Lanka for medical treatment because there have been some visa restrictions in India,” President Waheed, who is on a two-day visit to the island told the Sunday Times in an interview.
Pic by Ranjith Perera
He said relations between the Maldives and India that were strained after the Maldives scrapped a plan last December to allow an Indian company to build an airport in Male, are steadily improving even though visa restrictions on patients and obtaining certain construction materials put in place by India continue.
Maldives scrapped the $500 million project given to GMR, India. The Maldivian President said that Maldives will now develop it on its own. “The airport is now being managed by our own airport company and there are plans to develop it. We will soon be developing a second runway. We will find the investment facility to develop the airport the way we want,” President Waheed said.
He said while a Board of the airport company will decide if a partnership with a foreign investor is wanted, the Maldives will retain the majority interest adding that the country is “capable of borrowing and investing in the new project.” He said his country, like all countries is also trying to establish strong trade and commerce ties with China.
“In terms of bilateral assistance, we have more access to Chinese financing now for development projects,” President Waheed said.
“Chinese nationals now make up the biggest chunk of tourists to the Maldives. With Europe in recession there is a slight decline of European tourists but with the middle class in China growing, the Maldives has become a new destination for them,” he said.
This year 450,000 Chinese tourists are expected in the Maldives.
Meanwhile, with the Maldives poised to hold its second presidential election in September this year, President Waheed who is himself a candidate for the poll said he was confident of victory. “I am very confident of victory in the upcoming poll because I know that the Maldivian people will prefer me over the other candidates. I have steered Maldives through rough waters and very difficult times,” he said.
President Waheed’s main opponent is former President Mohamed Nasheed who resigned under controversial circumstances in February 2012. Waheed who was then Vice President succeeded him. He said that it was important to unite the country and keep the people together, maintain stability and peace in the country. He is confident that people will choose him over his opponent.
“No one will join the former president because everybody has had a bad taste in the mouth after what happened last time,” he said.
President Waheed who met President Mahinda Rajapaksa last morning said the latter has been consistently supportive and understanding towards the Maldives while the Maldives too has been very supportive of Sri Lanka at various international fora including the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).
“We both understand the importance of maintaining our national sovereignty and the protecting our national interests. Sometimes when we are smaller countries there is a tendency to push us around but we both feel we need to stand up to them,” President Waheed said.
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