One time political prisoner Mohamed Nasheed, fondly known by his supporters as Anni, swept the Maldivian presidential run-off on October 29, making history and ending more than three decades of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s one-party rule. In a telephone interview with The Sunday Times, Nasheed, who heads the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), outlined his vision for the Indian Ocean archipelago in the afterglow of a landmark victory.
Excerpts:
As the new President of the Maldives what are your main objectives and how do you hope to achieve them?
Our main objective would be to improve governance. When there is good governance a country will always prosper. What the Maldives lacked for so long was good governance and we hope to improve this area. For this we need to ensure the rights and freedom of every citizen. We also need to ensure that we have an independent judiciary. We will have certain checks and balances in our system of governance too. Another important aspect would be forging relations among countries in the region.
You were once a political prisoner during the Abdul Gayoom regime. Amnesty International stated that you were a prisoner of conscience. What is your stance on those who have been imprisoned due to political differences?
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| Mohamed Nasheed |
We have a large number of political prisoners. We hope to grant them amnesty. They have the right to choose which political party to support. That is their fundamental right and as a government it will be our duty to ensure that their rights are respected.
Several allegations including abuse of power, suppression of fundamental rights and corruption have been levelled against former President, Abdul Gayoom, from different quarters. Does your regime plan to take action against him?
How we treat our former ruler will be a test of our democracy. It wouldn’t be right on our part to go on a witch hunt against him. He can stay in the Maldives and enjoy the privileges that a former President is entitled to. But if any member of the public has grievances they can bring it before the judiciary. We are new at governance and we have to learn from past mistakes. I believe that we will need the support and advice of President Gayoom as his experience will be important to us.We cannot achieve our objective of improving the Maldives on our own.
In the recent past we have seen the rise of Islamic fundamentalism resulting in bloody violence and bombings in the country. How do you plan on combating them?
We have to respect different religious views. I hope with improved governance and the rights of people being guaranteed the issue of fundamentalism will subside. People who want to preach can preach and those who want to follow a different line also do so. Fundamentalism will be eradicated with democracy.
How do you plan to control the drug menace in your country?
We hope to strengthen existing laws and introduce new ones to tackle this. We also need to improve the living standards of many of our citizens which will help to combat the narcotics menace.
What plans do you have on strengthening relations with your closest neighbour, Sri Lanka?
We have a large number of Sri Lankans in the Maldives and likewise we have a large number of Maldivians in Sri Lanka. As neighbouring countries we need to work together to ensure that the needs of the people of both countries are met. After I assume duties as president, one of my first official duties would be to visit Sri Lanka to discuss ways towards improving our ties. Some of these issues include strengthening economic and trade ties and improving coastal security to prevent sea piracy and maritime terrorism.
When you were in Colombo, as the then Maldivian opposition leader you raised concern over the Maldives- Lanka MoU for intelligence sharing. You said that the MoU was a tool of President Abdul Gayoom to suppress the political campaign carried out by your party the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in Sri Lanka. Now what is you view of this MoU?
We were worried about the MoU since our members who were seeking asylum in Sri Lanka, were being repatriated under this agreement. I have spoken to President Rajapaksa regarding this.
Lanka, Maldives vow to combat terrorism
Combating maritime terrorist activity and sea piracy in the seas between the Maldives and Sri Lanka figured prominently in the Maldives President-elect Mohammed Nasheed’s first discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Speaking from Male by telephone, President Mohamed Nasheed told The Sunday Times that as soon he was elected he called President Rajapaksa and thanked him for the support he had extended to the Maldives and to Maldivian nationals living in Sri Lanka.
“We spoke about many issues on how to improve ties between Sri Lanka and the Maldives,” President Nasheed said. “Concerns in common were sea piracy and maritime terrorism. We hope to work hand in hand to combat these together. We have to protect our coastlines from illegal activities. Our coastguards are doing a very good job.” | 
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