World could have done more: Maldives ex-head

Ousted, Nasheed vows to stay on and fight back democratically

Ousted Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed believes the international community should have seen yesterday’s coup coming in the Maldives and could have done more to avoid it occurring.

In an exclusive conversation with Business Standard on telephone from Male, capital of the Maldives, Nasheed said “The old regime, led by former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, is back in the Maldives.”

“The international community should have seen this coming. They could have done more. I have been talking about this (possibility) for three years,” Nasheed said, when asked why he hadn’t publicly articulated these concerns before.

The first democratically elected president in 25 years, in 2008, Nasheed was ousted in the coup in the Maldivian capital yesterday, when rebel police officers and army men broke ranks to join anti-government protesters, who had laid siege to the capital for the past three weeks.

However, he sounded upbeat, even feisty, when asked if he was going to stay on. “Yes, by God, I am going to stay on and fight this fight, democratically. This is my country,” Nasheed said.

Clearly, though, the fluid and continuing fragility of the situation means Delhi is keeping a close watch on its southern neighbour. India had thrown in its lot with Nasheed, when, surprisingly, he overthrew Gayoom in 2008, though Delhi had come to Gayoom’s rescue in 1987 when pro-LTTE rebels had mounted a coup against him.

Today, prime minister Manmohan Singh sent a letter to the new head of government, Mohamed Waheed, assuring him of India’s continued support to the Maldivian people and cooperation with the Government of Maldives.

“India is committed to working with the Government of Maldives for the continued security and prosperity of both the countries,” the PM said.

The question of whether yesterday’s surprise development in the Maldives was a coup, an attempted coup or a face-saving resignation on Nasheed’s part may already be infructuous. Nasheed told Business Standard he resigned “to avoid the massive bloodshed” that may have occurred if he had decided to resist.

A Nasheed family member had told the BBC yesterday that the former president had been held “against his will” for a few hours yesterday.

“I am in my own home now,” Nasheed confirmed to Business Standard.