President will not have to order individual officers ever again- Nazim

Minister of Defence and National Security Mohamed Nazim has said that the person in the post of the President will not have to order individual officers ever again with the launch of the Maldives first ever National Security Policy and Defence Policy.

The minister made this remark while speaking at the official function held Wednesday morning at Islamic Centre, to launch the National Defense and National Protection Policies. He said that he is now assured that the events witnessed on February 7 will not repeat again in the country.

“To see the President running here and there in panic and ordering individual officers is not something we would want to see,” he said.

Nazim said that he believes that there is a lot of work to be completed to reform the defence and national security sector of the Maldives. He said that work has been initiated to strengthen command and control mechanism in accordance to international standards as part of the reform process.

The Minister said that National Security Policy outlines a fundamental and comprehensive framework on inter-related issues and concerns that may impinge on national security. He said that it identifies strategic national priorities and envisions a whole of government approach to national security.

Nazim noted that the national security policy is the backbone of all the other national policies and provides guidelines for formulating, enhancing and revisiting other related national policies. He added that it will guide the national decision making process so that the sovereignty and territorial integrity, the well-being of the people and state institutions and other national interests are protected and enhanced.

The Minister also said that the National Defence Policy outlines the way forward to fulfill the mandate of the Ministry of Defence and National Security and gives policy guidance to the three major components under the Ministry; the Maldives National Defence Force, Disaster Management Center and Aviation Security Command. He added that the National Defence Policy is formulated with guidance from the President and as per the National Security Policy.