Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has stated the India Out campaign could damage the special benefits extended by India to the Maldives as part of the close bilateral ties between the two countries. He made the remarks at the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services as part of the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the consequences of the India Out campaign led by the opposition.
Speaking at the committee, Minister Fayyaz said the close bilateral ties with India is beneficial to the Maldives in many ways, highlighting the special benefits received by the Maldives in import and trade. As such, the minister noted the Maldives is able to import items such as staple food and aggregates from India without difficulties due to a special quota allocated to the country. He added import of such materials from other countries would add significant costs.
The economic minister further noted India has maintained strong ties with the Maldives across all administrations in the past. He described the India Out campaign as an irresponsible campaign that could have dire consequences on the country.
The parliament committee began an inquiry into the India Out campaign following a request by Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed. During the review meeting held by the committee, Speaker Nasheed highlighted the importance of identifying the consequences of conducting a destructive campaign targeting a specific country with which the Maldives has established diplomatic relations. He noted it is important to analyse the possible reaction to such a campaign from the targeted country and possible consequences on the Maldivian people.
The India Out campaign by the opposition has drawn strong condemnation from the main ruling party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) as well as other parties in the government coalition.