Male: Amid strained relations with India, the situation for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu might go out of the hands as the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group has agreed to submit an impeachment motion against the President. Notably, the MDP and another opposition party, The Democrats have compiled enough responses from the party members to initiate the motion against the Chinese-tilted President.
While speaking to Wion, a member of parliament said that they brought the motion amid the fact the incumbent President has jeopardised the relations with New Delhi.
A total of 34 members, including representatives from both the MDP and Democrats, have given their support to the motion for the impeachment of the president that was disrupted yesterday over chaos in the Maldivian parliament, according to Adhahdhu.
Earlier on January 8, Parliamentary Minority Leader, Ali Azim pushed to oust the President through a no-confidence vote in the Parliament. Azim underscored that the move was crucial to uphold the stability of the nation’s foreign policy and to prevent the isolation of neighbouring countries.
“We, the Democrats, r dedicated to upholding the stability of the nation’s foreign policy and preventing the isolation of any neighbouring country. R u willing to take all necessary steps to remove prez @MMuizzu from power? Is @MDPSecretariat prepared to initiate a vote of no confidence?” (sic) he said in a post on X.
Maldives ministers’ contentious remarks
Notably, the tension between India and Maldives rose after Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, commented on the photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep. She dubbed PM Modi as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’. “What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna tweeted. Her critical comments came as India has maintained good relations with Israel even though the country has been engaged in the ongoing war against Hamas. India, however, since the start of the conflict has helped Palestine, sending humanitarian aid and has actively advocated two-state solutions. Ignoring the fact, the minister called Prime Minister Modi a “puppet of Israel”. Later, several other ministers followed suit.
In fact, several of the ministers even claimed that Indian beaches could not meet the cleanliness level of the Maldives beaches. “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall,” Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) wrote on X.
India-Maldives diplomatic tensions
This triggered a major uproar in the diplomatic arena, wherein the Maldivian side had to release a “clarification” statement. The archipelago nation emphasised that the minister’s remarks did not represent the view of the incumbent government and subsequently suspended three of the ministers who denounced the visit of PM Modi. “The Government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives…Moreover, the relevant authorities of the Government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks,” according to the statement.
A day after the suspension, India called the Maldives envoy in New Delhi and discussed the matter.