Why does Maldives president-elect want Indian troops to leave?

Maldives’ new president-elect wants Indian troops to leave his country. Mohamed Muizzu told Bloomberg negotiations for the same have begun for New Delhi to dispense with its military presence in Maldives. Muizzu, who defeated President Ibrahim Solih in the polls last month, had vowed to remove Indian troops from his country and to put ‘Male first’. But why does Muizzu want Indian troops to leave? And what does this mean for New Delhi? Let’s take a closer look: Why does he want Indian troops to leave? Muizzu told Bloomberg he intends to make his nation ‘fully independent’ and that Maldives ‘wants a bilateral relationship that’s mutually beneficial.” Muizzu’s party, the People’s National Congress, is thought to be heavily pro-China. Muizzu had made a pre-poll promise to get Indian troops out of Maldives. Muizzu’s main campaign theme was about an alleged threat to the Maldives’ sovereignty by some Indian military personnel on an island, part of the party’s years-long “India out” strategy. Muizzu told his supporters gathered Monday night at a celebration of his election victory that he wouldn’t stand for a foreign military staying in the Maldives against the will of its citizens.

“The people have told us that they don’t want foreign military here,” he said.

He told the BBC days ago that he meet the Indian ambassador after his win and “told him very clearly that every single Indian military personnel here should be removed”. India has for long has had a presence in the Maldives – which comprises 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, located by the main shipping route between the East and the West. [caption id=“attachment_13307692” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A Progressive Party of Maldives worker poses with an “India Out” flag in Male, Maldives. File image.Reuters[/caption] India in 1988 under then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi thwarted a coup in the Maldives through Operation Cactus Maldives after then president Abdul Gayoom made a plea for help. The daring operation saw India dispatch 300 troops from Agra in quick time and restore the government in hours. India’s actions won plaudits in the West including from leaders such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. While India withdrew its troops after the situation returned to normal, it left a small force to avoid a repeat. While the number of Indian troops currently in the Maldives remains unknown – a Bloomberg estimates it at a meagre 70 – critics say the secrecy behind the agreement between the two governments regarding the placement of military personnel and their role has led to suspicion and rumour. Known activities of the Indian military include operating two helicopters donated by India and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea. Around 70 Indian military personnel maintain New Delhi-sponsored radar stations and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships help patrol Maldives’ exclusive economic zone. Muizzu said in the interview he had already begun negotiations with the Indian government on removing its military presence, calling those talks “very successful already.” What does this mean for New Delhi? This is a huge blow for New Delhi – which is locked in a battle with China for influence in the region. The Maldives’ presidential runoff election Saturday was seen as a virtual referendum on which of the regional powers would have the biggest influence on the archipelago.

Muizzu told BBC he wanted to review all existing agreements signed with New Delhi.

“We don’t know what’s in there. Even in Parliament, some of the MPs during the debates said that they didn’t know what’s in there. I am sure we will find it out,” Muizzu said. Relations between India and the Maldives had deteriorated in 2018 after a slew of incidents including Maldives has asked India to take back one of two naval helicopters New Delhi had gifted it and turning down India’s offer to participate in the biennial naval exercise. However, India and Maldives’ ties recovered under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih – as the pattern of successive governments leaning either toward New Delhi or Beijing continued. Solih, who succeeded Yameen in 2018, was unable to fend off allegations by Muizzu that he had allowed India an unchecked presence in the country. Solih had insisted that the Indian military’s presence in the Maldives was only to build a dockyard under an agreement between the two governments and that his country’s sovereignty won’t be violated. [caption id=“attachment_13184712” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India and Maldives’ ties recovered under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Reuters[/caption] Solih insisted to BBC that such fears are overblown. “There are no militarily active overseas personnel stationed in the Maldives. Indian personnel currently present in the country are under the operational command of the Maldives National Defence Force," Solih said. The Maldives, meanwhile, under ex-president Abdulla Yameen, had tilted towards China. Maldives joined China’s Belt and Road initiative which is meant to build railroads, ports and highways to expand trade — and Beijing’s influence — across Asia, Africa and Europe. Beijing, which views Maldives as a major participant in its 21st Century Maritime Silk Road plan in the Indian Ocean, in turn made heavy investments in the island nation. As per BBC, Beijing has given Male hundreds of millions of dollars as loans and for infrastructure and development projects. Balance tilts back towards China Muizzu’s win tilts back the balance of the extended tug-of-war between China and India for influence over the Indian Ocean. Both Asian powerhouses have invested heavily in upgrading Maldives infrastructure and extended loans, as they compete with each other. Now, it seems a figure sympathetic to Beijing is back in charge in Male. However, Muizzu insisted to Bloomberg he would not countenance troops from other nations on his country’s soil. It no way indicates “that I’m going to allow China or any other country to bring their military troops here” Muizzu was quoted as saying. “We want assistance, cooperation with all the countries,” Muizzu claimed to Bloomberg. He insisted his nation was too tiny to choose sides in a “geopolitical rivalry between bigger nations.” “Maldives first,” Muizzu added, echoing a famous figure in the United States. “That’s, I think, something that can be easily understood.” “I am a pro-Maldives person. For me, Maldives comes first, our independence comes first” Muizzu added as per BBC. “I am not pro or against any country.” Yameen was transferred Sunday from prison to house arrest, already fulfilling one of Muizzu’s campaign promises before he officially takes office on 17 November. A piece in ORF argued that Maldives will likely try to establish closer relations for Beijing and deepen China’s investment in infrastructure and connectivity projects while keeping in mind New Delhi’s concerns. “Nevertheless, one is likely to see a continuation of the China-India political competition in Maldives, as it has been in the rest of the Indian neighborhood. In this instance, China may have taken a slight advantage, but Malé surely recognizes that it is also not in Maldives’ interest to put all its eggs in Beijing’s basket,” the piece concluded. India plays it cool, China celebrates India, meanwhile, has played it cool. “We look forward to constructively engaging with the incoming administration and discussing ways to enhance our relationship further,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last week. BBC quoted Chinese president Xi Jinping as saying he gave “great importance to the development of bilateral relations and stands ready to work with President-elect Muizzu to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen practical cooperation". With inputs from agencies