“25 years ago, the Maldives was not on maps, but India was.” This is how former Defence Minister Min describes Muizzu as “immature.”

Delhi, New: Former Maldivian Defense Minister Mariya Didi said here on Saturday that the Maldives has gained notoriety in India, particularly on social media, for the wrong reasons. She referred to the current president, Mohamed Muizzu, as “immature” and said that his actions will not negatively impact the two countries’ relationship.

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Lakshadweep islands, social media postings by a minister and other Maldivian politicians sparked a current controversy, against which the remarks are set.
“I would suggest that the Maldives’ notoriety in India is a result of misinformation, particularly on social media. That is not who we are as humans. “We welcome all foreign visitors to the Maldives, and we love having you here,” Didi said during the Firstpost Defence Summit in 2024. After PM Modi’s tweets on X about snorkeling in the Lakshadweep went viral, the leaders accused India of attacking the Maldives and said that India had tremendous hurdles in competing with the Maldives in beach tourism.

“25 years ago, Maldives could not be found on maps”
Speaking about the island country, Didi added that, twenty-five years ago, it was not even marked on maps, while occupying an area almost equal to that of France at 54,000 square kilometers. However, water makes up 99 percent of our land. How on earth are the Maldives suddenly on the chart now? The Maldives are on people’s minds. Four main marine routes of communication travel through or are close to our archipelago, which is advantageous to our location,” she said, emphasizing the need for stability in the area.

Didi said that when the Maldives needed assistance, India was the first to react. She said, “Like the Asian Tsunami, when we had difficulties, India came first as our first responder.” The tsunami also altered the sea bottom, causing several islands to vanish while others resurfaced, and necessitating the updating of hydrographic maps. “You understand that we must participate in the global society and globe at large… We cannot afford a significant oil leak. or a leak of chemicals. And we need neighbors if we do have such an event or disaster. India was there to assist, as we seen when there was an oil disaster in the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka, the speaker said.

In light of this, we must comprehend and participate in the worldwide community as members of a global society. Ensure that there are no conflicts in the Indian Ocean and that we preserve stability in the area,” she said.

“Which is why when our government was in power we saw that we always had good relations with our neighbours and others in the international community,”she remarked. “We have managed to maintain peace in the region and we hope that things will be so,” she said.

exposed by a former foreign minister Muizzu
Former Maldivian minister of foreign affairs Abdulla Shahid also attacked President Mohamed Muizzu earlier on Sunday, calling the president’s claims about “thousands of Indian military personnel” a fabrication, adding that there are no foreign soldiers with guns stationed in the Maldives.

“100 days in, it’s clear: President Muizzu’s claims of ‘thousands of Indian military personnel’ were just another in a string of lies,” the newly elected president of the Maldivian Democratic Party said in a post on social networking platform X.

The incapacity of the present government to provide precise figures says volumes. There aren’t any foreign troops with weapons stationed here.” He also emphasized the importance of openness and the need for the truth to win out. “Transparency matters and the truth must prevail,” he said.