India inquired about holding an early election for the sake of peace and order: Dr Samad

Foreign Minister Dr Abdul Samad Abdullah has said that the Indian government inquired if Maldives might consider holding an early election as a remedy for the current political turmoil in the country.

Talking to reporters after his first trip abroad, which was to India, since he assumed the post of Foreign Minister of Maldives, Dr Samad said that he responded by saying that the protests are held by just one political party, while the government is made up of of several political parties.

He also told the Indian government that the constitution must be amended if an early election is to be held, and that all political parties are currently in discussion to facilitate this. Moreover, most people who participate in current protests are in shock over the sudden change of government.

Dr Samad said that the purpose of the trip was to inform the Indian government of the current political situation in Maldives, to address any concerns India had regarding the Maldives, and to be assured that Maldives has the support of India.

He said that questions regarding the change of government were posed during the meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna:

“We told them our point of view on the issue – that there still are several unanswered questions surrounding the issue, and that an Inquiry Commission has been set up to look into these questions, and that it would not be wise to say anything further before the Commission completes its report.”

India expressed concern that several Maldivian political parties and TV programs had alleged that India interferes with the internal politics of Maldives, and assure that despite Maldives being a small country, India will not interfere with the internal affairs of Maldives.

India also inquired about the damage caused to the National Museum in Male':

“They pointed out two things with regard to that incident. One was that we had lost irreplaceable, invaluable items. The other was it could be an indication of religious extremism.”

Dr Samad said that there has been no evidence that the damage caused to the National Museum was related to religion; and that there are no religious extremists in Maldives.

He said that he assured India that the Indian private companies which have invested in Maldives will be protected. India in turn assured that it will always accord its assistance to Maldives – regardless of who is in power or the ruling party in Maldives.