The Curious Case of David Hardingham

There are foreigners who have investments in this country, and there are visitors who have continued to return for the past 30 years. There are expatriates who have lived and worked in this country for years. There are also people who love this country in Europe and abroad. However, it would seem, none of the above mentioned appear to love our country the way David Hardingham does.

That it appears that David Hardingham of the UK happens to be the only individual in the entire world to be grieved by the lack of democracy in the Maldives casts, in our minds, some suspicion upon his intentions.

Hardingham's pet peeve appears to be the fact that the Maldives will not accommodate the prostelysation and practice of any faith other than Islam within its dominion.

Robert Blake, the former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives had expressed interest if a non-Islamic house of worship could be built in the country. Yet, after it had been made clear to him that such an action was not permitted by the Constitution the Ambassador, unlike Hardingham, had let the issue pass. To this day, we have seen an appreciable amount of support from the US Embassy.

Former President Nasheed's administration fell under the weight of its own corruption and the policies that it had implemented that impoverished the common man.  David Hardingham, the only Friend of Maldives, is blind to this fact. He has remained silent about President Nasheed's crimes the way only a political fanatic can be.

We can therefore presume that Hardingham's sole purpose is reflected with his most prominent criticism: he simply wishes to spread other religions in the country. While such a plan may win him praise from the secular humanists; his other motives may be financial. He may wish to rise to a position of influence in the country and get a firm, lucrative foothold in the tourism industry.