Calling India’s Modi ‘puppet of Israel’, ‘clown’, ‘terrorist’ gets Maldives officials suspended

Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, who all worked for the country’s youth ministry, made the remarks about Modi on social media
It came as President Mohamed Muizzu, who won last year’s election with a pledge to end Maldives’ “India first” policy, prepared to visit China

India

ReutersandAgence France-Presse

Published: 8:23am, 8 Jan 2024

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The Maldives government has suspended three deputy ministers for disparaging India’s prime minister amid a dip in ties with its powerful neighbour.

Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid all worked for the archipelago nation’s Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts and were disciplined for their comments on social media, a senior government official said on Sunday.

“The government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high ranking individuals,” the government said in a statement. “These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the government of Maldives.”

People walk on a beach in Hulhumale, Maldives, on December 26. The Indian Ocean nation’s 1,192 islands are dotted with luxury resorts. Photo: AFP

The three had variously labelled Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “clown”, “terrorist” and “puppet of Israel” on social media platform X, in response to a video of him visiting a group of Indian islands to promote local tourism.

Modi on January 4 posted on social media praising the “pristine beaches” of India’s Lakshadweep islands, which lie about 130km (80 miles) north of the Maldives at their closest point.

Some viewed his visit as trying to draw tourists away from the globally popular Maldives, whose 1,192 islands in the Indian Ocean are dotted with luxury resorts.

Is ‘India Out’ of the Maldives as China-friendly leader Muizzu takes charge?

The Indian High Commission in the Maldives had “strongly raised and expressed concerns” over the comments, a source familiar with the matter said.

The controversy comes ahead of a visit by President Mohamed Muizzu to China on January 8-12. Muizzu won an election last year with a pledge to end the Maldives’ “India first” policy in a region where New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence.

Muizzu also pledged to remove a small contingent of 75 Indian military personnel from the nation of just over half a million people.

India has always been a good friend to Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship between our two countries

Ibrahim Solih, former Maldives President

But after coming to power, Muizzu toned down his anti-Indian rhetoric and said he would not upend the regional balance by replacing Indian forces with Chinese troops.

Some prominent Indians, including actor Akshay Kumar and cricketer Hardik Pandya, expressed dismay at the comments by the now suspended Maldivian officials.

None of the three were immediately available for comment.

In a campaign to promote local tourism, other Indians, from former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to actor Salman Khan, have urged people to visit their own islands rather than go abroad.

Is India-China rivalry over Maldives set to deepen or ‘more fiction than fact’?

#ExploreIndianIslands is the second largest trending hashtag in India on X, and some Indians are sharing screenshots of cancelled bookings of Maldivian holidays.

Maldives’ Foreign Ministry said the government was aware of “derogatory remarks” against foreign leaders and would not tolerate them.

“India has always been a good friend to Maldives and we must not allow such callous remarks to negatively impact the age-old friendship between our two countries,” added former Maldives President Ibrahim Solih on X.