The agreements between India and the current administration serve no benefit to the Maldivian people, former President of the Maldives Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has said.
Speaking at a rally held in F. Nilandhoo under the 'India Out' movement, Yameen said the agreements with India are detrimental to the Maldives. The former president said Indian military personnel being stationed in the Maldives cause difficulties for the Maldivian people and serve no purpose. He added that the current administration cannot justify their presence in the Maldives. Calling for Indian military personnel to leave the Maldives should not negatively affect the relationship between both countries, he said, stressing that the 'India Out' movement was a national movement and not political.
'We do not know what harm the presence of the Indian military in the Maldives could cause us; we have no idea what we will face in the future. We have to believe that there are no positives to this arrangement. If there is any benefit for us, they will not hesitate to tell us how we benefit from this. The current administration has made so many dubious agreements with India that we do not know the truth about,' Yameen said.
Yameen further said the agreements with India are especially detrimental to local fishers, claiming that the government has permitted the Indian military to use the Maldives' waters freely. He added that the Indian military is allowed to search any vessel at any time.
If the agreement's contents were positive, the government would share the news with the people and publicize said agreements, he said. While the government wishes to conceal the presence of the Indian military in the Maldives, their presence is now known and apparent, he said.
He also criticized Parliament Speaker and former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed's statement that the 'India Out' movement must not be allowed to continue.
'We do not want 'India' to be out per se. What it means, what we want, is for the Indian military to leave. We do not want them here; they should not be able to remain here; they should be sent away. If [the government] cannot do that, they should leave on their own accord. We will send the Indian military away. Maldivian citizens do not want them here,' Yameen said.
Referring to his t-shirt, which read 'India Out' in bold letters, Yameen said the sentiment expressed on his attire was the sentiments of the Maldivian people. It is also true that a few government officials are working in India's defense, he said. However, any foreign military presence in the Maldives is unacceptable, he said.
Responding to a statement by some members representing the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in the Parliament - who claimed Maldivian military officers are stationed in India-, Yameen said their presence in India was for the specific purpose of undergoing training and that their number was few. He said that using the information to defend and justify the Indian military's presence in the Maldives is a betrayal to the country.
He also asked those who support the Indian military's presence in the Maldives to ponder whether India would allow a foreign military to remain in their country. He said India would not entertain even the idea of welcoming foreign military. Therefore, he said the opposition would continue their rallies opposing the Indian military in the Maldives.
