This is the time to associate with Commonwealth not abandon them- Mustafa, Salah, Aneesa

Mohamed Mustafa Hussein, Salah Shihab and Aneesa Ahmed, three experts in foreign affairs has said that this is the time to associate with the Commonwealth rather than abandoning them and withdrawing the membership of Maldives from the group.

'Speaking at a DhiTV programme, the three said that they believe that it is incorrect to be hasty in these times and call for the withdrawal of Maldives membership from the international organisation.

Foreign Affairs expert Salah Shihab who held a number of posts for many years in the foreign ministry said that the parties should refrain from such calls and should not table bills in the Peoples’ Majlis regarding this. He said that if a member wants to table a bill for the removal of Maldives membership from the Commonwealth, the member should consider the support of the members of the party he is representing before proposing the bill.

“No matter how it is interpreted, I believe that the Commonwealth’s CMAG group will look into the issue of Maldives. That is how it should be done for the sake of the rights of any country,” he said. Salah noted that Maldives is the first member country of the Commonwealth which transferred powers like this.

“It was not a military coup. This, what we see in Maldives is not a military government. The government is constitutional and the three states of powers are separated,” he said.

He said that transfer of power might happen in any country. He added that there would be many reasons behind the transfer of power. So for the sake of democracy the cause of the power transfer should be clarified to Commonwealth and to the whole world.

Salah said that many talk about democracy and claim to be democratic but yet it is only a few who practice it. He said that even if the country is fully democratic those who do not educate themselves on the reality of democracy will be ignorant of it.

“This is not something I say regarding all the people of Maldives. No. I am saying generally it is the truth,” he said.

Mustafa who is also a specialist in foreign Affairs said that groups like CMAG would decide on an issue after considering all the facts. He said that Commonwealth queries should be answered instead of boycotting them.

Mustafa said that if the government wants to be democratic government then the government should uphold democratic values even in these issues.

Former Health Minister and Gender Minister Aneesa Ahmed said that she is assured that the Commonwealth will be impartial and unbiased in their decisions. She said that it is important for the country to cooperate with the Commonwealth in these times.