Fight for democracy

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India’s island nation neighbour Maldives is in the middle of a deepening political crisis that is its chief bugbear for now — one that towers perhaps even above its climate change worries. Its president Abdulla Yameen appears intent on turning the clock back to when the nation had not tasted democracy. He is defying the bolt-from-the-blue orders of his nation’s highest court which seek to reverse its own rulings from before which had gifted Yameen with authoritarian power. Yameen’s consolidation of power was facilitated by the courts as they began with the conviction of Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected president of Maldives, and then his vice president, defence minister and heads of two opposition parties. Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of terrorism. Yameen went on to also rise to a controlling position in the ruling party, something his half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was also contesting for. Gayoom had held power in Maldives for 30 years. Besides these measures, the election commission also stripped 12 opposition MPs of their seats. Yameen’s position was secured further when the supreme court ruled that pro-government MPs could not defect to the opposition. The ruling prevented the possibility of Yameen getting impeached. But in its ruling Friday, the supreme court declared the trial of Nasheed as unconstitutional and ordered the release of nine MPs. The ruling was expected to see the majority of the opposition restored. Yameen’s government refused to comply with the ruling and instead chose to suspend parliament. The government is resisting any move to impeach the president. Amid the goings-on, the supreme court of Maldives has reached out to India, seeking its help in extracting the country out of its predicament. India, the US and Britain are reportedly in favour of the supreme court ruling. The key factor motivating the stand of nations, including India, is the deepening relations of Maldives with China under Yameen. The country signed a free trade agreement with China after rushing the legislative process required for its passage in a blitzkrieg session without giving the opposition time to get a good look at the fine print. The developments reeked of Chinese manipulation of the affairs of the country aided by apparent corruption at high levels in the Yameen government. The desperation of Yameen to hold on to power showed in the way two opposition leaders from among the 12 reinstated by the supreme court — Abdulla Sinan and Ilham Ahmed — were detained on charges of bribery the moment they landed at the airport after living in exile for several months. The question now is what India should or even could do in the situation. Diplomacy or foreign relations have never been India’s strength. Nepal and Sri Lanka, among others, prove how messed up India’s foreign policy with neighbors has been. India’s relations with its neighbours have already soured and some of the regional groupings have become obsolete or their influence is waning. Given the strategic and geopolitical importance of Maldives, India cannot ignore the happenings in the island country. It will take pragmatic diplomacy for India, something that seems to be highly lacking, to gain some advantage out of the situation. Democracy needs to get another chance in Maldives, whether or not India can be of help.