The administration governs as a tributary state to India: Tom

Member of Parliament for the Mahibadhoo constituency Ahmed Thariq (Tom) claimed that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration has been governing as tributary state to India.

MP Thariq made his remarks while debating the decree motioned to the parliament by Member of Parliament for the Dhangethi constituency Mohamed Nazim, to ensure whether the stand taken by the government in support of Mauritian claim of sovereignty over Chagos Islands was within its constitutional rights and to justify the stand to the public.

MP Thariq stated that Maldives began losing its sovereignty when the 2018 presidential election was falsified, with the help of the newly registered MDP member, former President of the Elections Commission Ahmed Shareef and Indian government, and turned in favor of the current administration.

Tom argued that the new stand taken by the Maldives on the Chagos sovereignty issue paints a clear picture of the influence the Indian government has over the leaders of this administration. He said that the President and Attorney General of the Maldives, Riffath Ibrahim are directly responsible for the “lack of alternative” described by the government in giving up a major part of the Maldivian maritime territory.

Tom added that in the ancient times, Maldivian kings used to tribute their reigns to a people residing in Goa, India. Likewise, he accused that despite having a president, the current administration is following similar footsteps. Explaining his theory, Tom stated that the government has been acquiring loans from India under the guise of “projects and recreational programs” and that he considered the interest on these loans to be tribute to the Indian government.

Tom asserted that President Solih cannot continue to hide the letter he sent to the Prime Minister of Mauritius. He claimed that the letter will eventually be leaked, despite beliefs of the government representatives to the contrary.